Although we initially said this was going to be a five-part series, well, things change. We had more information than we originally planned on – specifically for this segment (Part IV) which addresses nutrition and supplements, and the importance that they play in your ongoing road to wellness. Part IV is now made up of three sub-segments: Part IV-a – which made the case for supplements in general; Part IV-b – in which we discussed the kinds of supplements NOT to take; and Part IV-c – THIS segment, which will address what supplements TO take. Part V will then address re-evaluation and hear from some of our satisfied patients.
After reading the last couple segments, we hope you came away thinking, “Holy moly! What kind of poisons have I been putting in my body all these years – thinking they were good for me?” We hope you also picked up on the concept of building a strong nutritional foundation – one upon which you can build a better, healthier you.
Speaking of Foundations…
If nothing else, The Three Little Pigs (The Nursery Rhymes of England [London and New York, c.1886], by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps) taught us that a solid foundation and quality building materials are absolutely essential if we want our house to remain upright. The same holds true for our nutritional programs.
A solid nutritional foundation is made up of five critical pieces:
- Multivitamin supplements: Not the mass-produced, nutritionally-barren kinds we talked about earlier; rather, vitamins derived from natural, organic sources, and in forms that are easily recognized, digested, and absorbed, by our bodies – that is to say, bioavailable.
- Fish Oil: Again, not the mass-produced, and often stale, kinds found in big-box stores. Fish oil is not very shelf-stable. Here’s an easy test: take one of your fish oil capsules, and cut it open (with a sharp knife so it doesn’t squirt all over). Now smell the contents. Odds are, if it was one of the mass-produced, big-box brands, the contents will smell like fish (see why we didn’t want it squirting all over?). “Well, they are fish oil capsules. Shouldn’t they smell like fish?” you may ask. NO! They should not! If they do, the oil is rancid. Taking those would be worse than taking none at all. It is also very important to make sure that the fish oil you do take comes from the smallest fish possible. “Okay, now you’re just talking crazy,” you are probably saying. “What possible difference does it make what size fish are used?” Truth is, it makes a lot of difference. For one, smaller fish, like sardines, herring, and mackerel mature quickly – so they absorb fewer toxins and contaminants. Second, they are not bottom-feeders (which is where most of the harmful heavy metals are absorbed), or deep-sea fish like tuna or cod, and from a sustainability perspective this is better for the planet as a whole. Lastly, fish are what are called concentrators. They are the literal embodiment of the old saying, “You are what you eat.” As well as what you eat eats. Teeny-tiny fish get eaten by little fish. Any toxins in these teeny-tiny fish stay with the little fish, even after digestion. These little fish are then eaten by medium-sized fish. Any toxins that were in the little fish, as well as in the teeny-tiny fish that they ate, stay with the medium-sized fish. even after digestion. The medium-sized fish are then eaten by large fish, and so on. Remember, too, that toxins (mercury, PCBs, etc.) typically set up camp in the fishes’ fat (where does fish oil come from?) So, the higher the fish are in the food chain, the greater the chance for larger concentrations of dangerous toxins (the technical term is biomagnification) in the fish oil derived from them. The smaller the fish, the less toxins should be found in the resulting oil.
- Probiotics: Again (and again), not the mass-produced, big-box brands. The labels may say “800 GAZILLION active cultures!!” That may have been the case when the pills came off the line – but between then and when you pop them down, hoping to be cured of everything from intestinal distress to warts – that number is much lower. You see, just like fish oil, probiotics are not very shelf-stable. In addition, they need to make their way through your entire digestive tract before they get to their final home. This is a long road. Just think about what happens to the food you eat! On top of that, not all probiotics are created equal. Some strains work better for boosting your immunity ( casei DN-114001, L. rhamnosus GG, and L. acidophilus NCFM, according to health.com), some strains (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 and L. plantarum DSM9843, also according to health.com) are better for irritable bowel syndrome, and still others (L. rhamnosus HN001 or L. rhamnosus GG, again, according to health.com) can help alleviate eczema symptoms. The bottom line is, one size does not fit all. It is important to work with your practitioner to determine the best probiotic(s) for you.
- Vitamin D: Every cell in the human body needs Vitamin D. Yes, every cell. The reason being that every cell has a receptor, like a lock, that the Vitamin D “key” fits into. All the locks need to have the key inserted in order for the cells to do their jobs. It is that important. Vitamin D is associated with immunity, maintaining your gut microbiome, maintaining calcium balance, inhibiting vessel wall calcification, supporting tissue renewal, supporting the integrity of your blood vessel lining and most frequently mentioned of all, it helps keep your bones strong – and that’s just we know now! So you can see why Vitamin D is so important. But how much is enough? “Traditional guidelines” say that if you have a blood level range of anywhere from 30 to 100 ng/mL, your range is normal. “Normal for who?” you might ask – and besides, that is a very broad range. It’s best to be closer to the higher end of the range versus the lower end of the range. Another question you might ask is, “How high is too high?” Studies have been done on animals, not humans, and they didn’t experience symptoms of toxicity even at levels over 400. With that said, though, it is best to get your initial range tested so that you have a starting point then work with your practitioner to determine what level you should be at, how to get there quickly, and then how to maintain that level going forward.
- Magnesium: Over 300 different processes inside your body need magnesium in order to function properly. That’s a lot. Regulating blood pressure, keeping your heart rhythm steady, reducing inflammation, and staving off Restless Leg Syndrome are just a few processes aided by magnesium. But if that weren’t enough…… Calcium – what our parents (accurately, BTW) told us was so important from the time we were old enough to understand – cannot be used by our bodies without the presence of magnesium. So you could grind up and ingest all the limestone in Texas (there’s a lot there) – but without magnesium, you’re basically just eating rocks. Your teeth and bones aren’t benefiting one iota. In fact, you probably broke a couple teeth chewing on rocks. Who does that? Anyway…… how much is enough? That answer is even trickier with magnesium, because too little is clearly dangerous, but too much can cause unpleasant digestive issues. OK… you know what comes next… the recurring theme throughout this post. It is important to work with your practitioner to determine your optimal level, how to get there, and then how to stay there long term.
Once you have a strong nutritional foundation built on these five cornerstones (picture the pentagon, not a square house) your body can spend its energy absorbing and actually using other important nutrients to heal your body and support any other therapies you are doing to heal your body.
Only through a carefully-designed, well-defined, and right-for-you-and-only-you nutritional regimen – included as part of a holistic wellness plan – can you truly become the best version of yourself.
Conclusion
So what comes next? That will be the topic of our final post: “I think I’m sick – Now what? Part V: Re-evaluation”. We’ll also hear from some of our past and present patients about their experiences with Nature’s Balance Acupuncture & Wellness Center.
Interested in how we might be able to help you achieve optimal health, visit our Facebook page for more tips and client testimonials or give us a call at 815.788.8383!