NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION
It’s true that the best way to get the nutrition you need is through diet, but nutritional supplementation is a safe and effective way to optimize your health!
Sometimes your body needs help- all of ours do- maybe you’re not absorbing food properly, or maybe you’re lacking key nutrients in your diet! Some people have a condition that natural extracts work really well for, and you can avoid taking medications that way. Maybe you have a lot of inflammation and short term supplementation with natural anti-inflammatories could get you feeling better fast.
There is so much to know about what works and what’s safe when it comes to supplements! Naturopathic doctors spend a lot of time investigating products for quality and effectiveness, so that you don’t have to- we really do love our jobs! We only prescribe the very best medical-grade supplements, and only when you need them!
What are supplements made of?
Supplements are natural substances and extracts that have been clinically studied to make sure they work. They have fewer side effects than prescription drugs, and are often just as effective. The supplements we use can be broken into distinct categories:
Standardized herbal extracts
Standardized herbal extracts are extracts of botanical medicines that are standardized to a particular amount of a main constituent, or plant chemical. For example, curcumin is the main active constituent from turmeric: it’s a powerful natural anti-inflammatory with lots of evidence behind it. Extracts from turmeric start with the whole plant, and then the curcumin is extracted, and supplements are standardized to levels of curcumin that have been shown to work. These extracts are a great way to take herbs as medicines.
Vitamins and minerals
Not all vitamins and minerals are created equal; NDs only use high quality supplements from trusted sources to ensure efficacy of the remedy. Vitamins and minerals are easy enough to get from a healthy diet, but if you have inflammation or digestive issues, you’re not absorbing the nutrients you need to function properly. If vitamins or minerals are required, we know the right ones to suggest.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are nutrients that are only required in very small amounts, but play very important roles in our bodies’ healthy functioning. Some of these micronutrients also have specific therapeutic actions. Chromium, for instance, is a micronutrient that is very effective at helping control blood sugar levels, while selenium is a necessary part of healthy immune system function.
Sometimes we’ll prescribe micronutrients in chronic conditions to help get your body back on track. They can also be used in acute situations, like at the start of a cold, to help your body systems function optimally and get you better faster.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are like superheroes of your body. When you eat food, sugar gets broken down through a process called glycolysis. This process is what creates most of the energy for your cells, and it also creates some nasty intermediate molecules called free radicals. These are a normal part of cellular function, but if there are too many of them, they start causing all kinds of damage in your cells. Antioxidants are the ones that react with the free radicals, preventing cellular damage and maintaining your long-term health
You make more free radicals than normal when your blood sugar control is poor or your metabolism is out of balance.Your antioxidants get depleted quickly, and cellular damage is bound to occur. Supplementing with antioxidants can put a stop to the wreckage. Antioxidants are a particularly important part of supplementation for chronic conditions like diabetes and certain cancers.
Patented formulations
Nutraceutical companies make formulations containing combinations of the above supplement categories. These formulas are designed to target specific conditions, using the best ingredients from those categories to produce results. These formulas can work extremely well to treat your condition, and don’t have the same side effects that drugs do.
Supplementation of all kinds, find out which is right for you! Call our office today to book an appointment!
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