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Do I need to take vitamins?
Your level of health, quality of diet and metabolic efficiency will determine if additional supplements are needed. I have found that most people can use a good multi-vitamin because most Americans are under stress and their diets do not meet the standards of optimal nutrition. The healthier a person is, the fewer vitamins you will need. But if you are experiencing stress (physical, emotional, mental, or environmental), fatigue, pain or other bodily distress, you may be exhibiting a sub-clinical deficiency in certain nutrients. Understanding your unique tendency toward depletion or excess is the first step to supplementation.
I've been using an Adrenal Complex pill by Professional Complimentary Health Formulas. It's worked great but it is now gone. And I can't find anywhere on the web to buy more. Can you either direct me to somewhere that I might pick some up or let me know of another Adrenal booster that I might get?
Sorry I can't give you a pat answer. The endocrine organs are complex and I try not to make casual suggestions.
Adrenal formulas usually contain bovine products. Bovine glandulars have been associated with over-stimulation of the immune system, especially if a person is prone to autoimmune disease or has the fragile immune system of blood type A's. I rarely use glandulars these days and when I do it is for a finite period of time, seeking a very specific result. If you are interested in supplemental support for your individual needs, I suggest you take the Metabolic Constitutional Assessment and allow me to create a customized supplement program best suited to your hereditary constitution and current state of health.
What is the difference between the vitamins I buy from you and the ones I can get at Trader Joes or GNC?
When it comes to supplements - you really do get what you pay for. Many inexpensive formulations are poorly absorbed due to inferior formulation procedures and poor quality control. I have found some over-the-counter vitamins include ingredients which are actually toxic! In my clinical practice I recommend supplements that are well tolerated and easily absorbed - this is especially important to those who are digestive or immune compromised. When a supplement is high in quality, the therapeutic effects are evident and the result is more balance for the body vs. a superficial stimulation of energy.
Should everyone take several thousand mg of vitamin C per day?
No. Mega-doses of any vitamin are generally a bad idea unless prescribed for a particular condition for a limited period of time. The idea that "if a little is good, more is better", leads to ingestion of mega-doses of substances that the body probably cannot use and needs to rally to eliminate. The art of taking vitamins is to match small quantities of supplements to what the body needs. The people who do need high doses of certain vitamins usually are not absorbing well and are saturating the body in order to get a little into the internal cellular environment. In these cases I suggest drainage therapies to support the intracellular environment while exploring the possibility of mineral imbalances due to heavy metals or other toxic agents. Usually once the absorptive problem has been addressed, the dosage requirements go way down.
Will the recommended supplement program stay the same forever?
First, it depends on whether the recommended program was designed to meet your essential nutrient needs or if there was a particular therapeutic or preventive purpose. Most therapeutic supplement programs do need to be altered over time. Supplements stimulate or suppress biochemical processes in the body. Introducing supplements will, over time, cause shifts which may drive systems toward the opposite extreme. One of the things I use the Hair Mineral Analysis for is to observe how the biochemical markers change over time, and I use this information to adjust the supplement program to address the body's current needs.
Do elderly people need special vitamins?
As we age, the brain, eyes and the neuro-immune system are particularly sensitive to the ill effects of nutrient deficiency. Generally speaking, overall health and quality of diet determines whether anyone would need more than a multi-vitamin. Elder patients often benefit from quality antioxidants and good oils while taking into account digestive and absorptive capacity. Good diet is the foundation for longevity.
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