Maximizing Your Supplements
By Terry Mercer, MD’s Choice, Inc.
Unless you're regularly eating a good balanced diet, getting at least minimal necessary exercise, most people will benefit from some additional PROPER nutritional supplementation.
There really is more to 'eating healthy' than counting calories, or watching the amount and types of fats, or sodium and carbs levels... but getting a clue about HOW things are prepared, and where to get the actual vitamins, minerals, and necessary nutrients your body requires to be its best.
Nutrition... whether in diet or supplementation, should be variable, based on your health condition, genetics, age, weight, and activity level.
There really is more to 'eating healthy' than counting calories, or watching the amount and types of fats, or sodium and carbs levels... but getting a clue about HOW things are prepared, and where to get the actual vitamins, minerals, and necessary nutrients your body requires to be its best.
Nutrition... whether in diet or supplementation, should be variable, based on your health condition, genetics, age, weight, and activity level.
So you've decided to add some supplement of this or that... for some reason, likely because a doctor, friend, or advertisement suggested it, and for whatever reason, you know your body and health just aren't as great and perfect as they were a few years ago. So, you're trying to improve things.
Awesome... seriously, that is a good thing. However, finding, learning about, and actually getting what your body needs isn't often quick, easy, or without effort.
The challenges can be huge... especially for those new to the topics of diet, supplementation, and nutrition.
Learning which ingredients are beneficial, which are a waste, and how some can actually be dangerous can be a daunting task.
Learning which ingredients are beneficial, which are a waste, and how some can actually be dangerous can be a daunting task.
- How to determine which companies you can really trust (and why),
- How to properly benefit from them. Understanding the supplement LABEL…
- Understanding the ingredients… the forms, quality, quantity (bioavailability)
- Divide the Dosing (minimum twice a day whenever possible, three times a day is better).
- Be Consistent in taking them…
- Make it easy on yourself to REMEMBER taking them (home, office, car… suitcase)…
- Don’t substitute brands, as they are not usually the same…
- Storage (never above room temperature, never in a window, car, RV that isn’t temperature controlled, or non-climate controlled building). Refrigerator or freezer is good, if you buy in bulk.
- During a cold or flu season… you should really be taking your supplements faithfully, especially things like Vitamin C, Zinc, and immune system boosters.
- Cycling (skipping) days… for vitamins, minerals, and ingredients it is NOT ADVISED in most cases; with herbs and certain other drugs, it is often necessary, and usually recommended.
- Undigested supplements… the spit test, and form matters…
- Reactions to ingredients in supplements…
- For the best result, use a company you can trust... make sure there are no 'red flags' in ANY of their products currently on the market, and that you are able to rely on taking a dose that was precisely measured, consists of the same exact ingredients from batch to batch, with an amount of a specific active ingredient with known pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well as predictable drug-drug interactions.
Consider, when any botanical or herbal ingredient is shown to actually contain any medicinally useful active ingredient... certain things historically, and predictably happen:
- Verified (was it real, likely, and re-creatable scientifically)?
- Determine what it impacts, helps, does… and how.
- then studied – (what is it, why, how, where, what, when),
- isolated – (is it really what the initial thoughts were?)
- identified – (making sure it’s unique),
- purified – (can it be harvested repeatedly, without major problems? Can it be recreated or grown in a controlled environment)?
- studied more (to verify the previous theory and assumptions, repeating the field study helps with the actual verification)
- refined – (how and where can it be improved)?
- find alternatives and co-factors, which increase consistency
- determine if it is going to fall into the category of 'drug' or 'supplement,' as that will point the ‘finder’ in the direction of how it can be dealt with.
- legal protections are often a necessity (patent & copyrights, clinical studies, research, FDA process, and liability insurance, as appropriate)
- manufacturing efficiencies (as appropriate)
- planning,
- costing it out… from beginning to consumer
- establish value & pricing
- create marketing material
- pass things through legal, for compliance
- packaging prototyping
- pass through legal, for compliance
- assuming the means, ability, and tentative approval, production for initial ‘pending’ batches.
‘Newly discovered’ ingredient/nutrients are not deemed 'GRAS' (Generally Recognized As Safe) without some basic tests, proving the ‘limits’ (what the maximum amounts and/or conditions are before it’s deemed ‘unsafe’).
Then, they look at its interaction with other vitamins, minerals, nutrients, ingredients, mammal bodies, and common drugs… and the co-factors (other stuff necessary for it to function), IF it is established that it’s mostly safe, reasonably controllable, not commonly deadly, and otherwise beneficial to enough people, at a value they are willing/able to spend so the manufacturer doesn’t lose a pile of money, things move forward. However, if it doesn’t pencil out to be probably profitable, or at least not a huge liability, then it’s likely dropped right then and there. Maybe a patent is processed still, for protection and future bartering value.
Then the Scope of Market questions must be answered:
- How many people are impacted if mass produced?
- How often is the product needed? (For how long)
- Is there any competition? (If yes, who, where, what, how much)
- What are the manufacturing costs? (start to finished packaging)
- What are the pros vs cons? (list all, be picky)
- What are the benefits? (scientifically, ethically, morally, and financially)
- What could the liability really become? (could someone die with or without this product, really)
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. Nothing herein is for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription, or cure of any disease or health condition. If you have medical concerns, please see a real licensed doctor, who can actually see you... run any necessary tests, and focus on your specific needs, symptom(s), and unique situation.
Sources for claims on this page — full abstracts on Research & Citations.
- van Breemen, J Med Chem 2015 — a serious botanical is standardized, screened for interactions, and tested in people.
- FDA 101: Dietary Supplements — no premarket approval for supplement safety or effectiveness.
- WHO quality-control methods for herbal materials (2011) — identity and contaminant testing exist because the raw plant is not a uniform dose.
- Asher et al., AFP 2017 — some botanicals change drug levels; they are not "just nutrition."
How to use this page. Education is not fear. Read the company the same way you read the plant. Green flags: named species, milligrams, lot numbers, contaminant tests, real warnings. Red flags: proprietary blends, miracle language, and weight-loss / energy / sexual-enhancement formulas with a documented history of hidden drugs (Harel et al., JAMA Intern Med. 2013). Full checklist: How to tell which companies you can trust. Abstracts: Research & Citations.