healingways Be Supplement


How to Choose Wisely for Optimal Health


by James Occhiogrosso


According to the U.S. Office of Dietary Supplements, nearly half of us regularly use some kind of dietary supplement, including vitamins, minerals and botanical herbs.


W


hile mainstream media have recently targeted supple- ments with alarming cover-


age about their value and safety, James J. Gormley, former editor of Better Nutrition and author of User’s Guide to Brain-Boosting Supplements, helps set the record straight. In an open letter on the Citizens for Health website, at Tinyurl.com/LetterRebuttal, he contends the worst part about misleading articles is that they can scare readers away from


benefits that safe supplements might offer. He notes that although nothing in life is 100 percent risk-free, supple- ments are inherently benign, while pharmaceutical drugs frequently have unhealthy side effects. Controversy over supplements seems to arise primarily from misinfor- mation. Following are some guidelines and resources to help ensure their wise use and maximum benefit.


Supplements Versus Phar-


maceutical Drugs Natural health practitioners report that their clients tend to mentally group pharmaceuticals and supplements to- gether. However, pharmaceutical drugs are typically synthetic, single-action chemicals that target one body system or organ, causing it to alter its function; they mask symptoms, but do not cure disease. On the other hand, the goal of vitamins, minerals and plant-derived supplements is to provide nutrients to help a troubled body system by sup- porting health and healing.


Some confusion occurs because


many pharmaceutical and supple- ment manufacturers take advantage of people’s desire for a one-bullet solution, which rarely exists in either source. Stephen Lawson, administrative


20 NA Twin Cities Edition natwincities.com SAVVY


officer of the Linus Pauling Institute, at Oregon State University, maintains that, “Lumping together items like vitamins, minerals and botanicals, each of which can have profoundly different physi- cal profiles and effects on the body, is dangerous and misleading.”


Who Needs Supplements? Everyone can benefit from taking the right supplements to address specific health needs. Numerous studies attest that many diseases, especially in older adults, are caused by a deficiency of certain vitamins or minerals. For example, pernicious anemia, common in adults over the age of 60, is due to a long-term deficiency of vitamin B12


.


The condition often proved fatal until researchers discovered that taking such supplements could effectively treat it. Another common nutritional


deficiency disease among aging adults is osteoporosis, a loss of bone minerals that often leads to fractures. Its primary cause is chronic deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D levels. The latter is cru- cial for absorbing calcium—a primary mineral for building bone. According to the National Institutes of Health, older adults are likely to spend more time indoors, plus, even when they are exposed to the sun, their skin does not synthesize vitamin D as efficiently as when they were younger.


Serious nutrient deficiencies rarely cause fatal outcomes, but deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals can deter organs from optimal functioning. General medical tests do not always show minor shortfalls, and practice shows that supplementing with the ap- propriate vitamin or mineral can often both eliminate symptoms and resolve an underlying problem.


Choosing Helpful


Supplements Determining which supplements can best meet individual needs requires sound information. First, determine if a perceived condition could be caused by a vitamin or mineral deficiency, and then identify the best dosage. It is also vital to know how a supplement might interact with any current medications. Most vitamin and mineral supple-


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