Supplements or Pharmaceuticals?

Do we really need synthetic chemicals that were cooked up in a lab?

Unfortunately, over the last 50 years or so (even longer), Americans have become reliant upon prescription drugs for everything.  I believe there are a few drugs that have their uses (like anti-biotics), but even those should be used only when absolutely necessary.  (In my opinion. I am *not* giving medical advice.)  Usually when we reach the point of “needing” a prescription drug it’s because of failing health.  For instance, I used to get horrible sinus infections at least two times a year that required prescription medication to remediate.  That is, until I found that keeping my sinuses clean by rinsing with saline cured my sinuses.  It took about 5 years to completely cure them, but once I started using a natural method of treating myself, I no longer needed to go to the doctor with excruciating pain a few times a year, only to walk out with a handful of prescriptions. 

I’ve given the whole “prescription drug” racket a lot of thought over the years.  First, we didn’t used to have all of these drugs for everything.  The natural method of treatment was mainstream.  The natural methods worked.  Keeping our bodies healthy worked.  Eating better food worked.  Drinking clean water worked.  Getting out in the sun and doing just a bit of exercise worked. 

I often read reviews about supplements (especially if I am considering trying one of them).  I like to always go to the “negative” reviews first.  99 percent of the time, the negative reviews are, “Didn’t work for me!”, “I didn’t notice a difference!” and others similar to that.   There are a couple of main reasons a certain supplement may not *seem* to work for someone.  One of those reasons is not being diagnosed properly.  The ailment you are experiencing may not be related to the supplement you chose for yourself. The second (and probably the most important) reason is:  Time!   If our bodies are lacking something we cannot expect our body to heal itself after taking a supplement for a week.  Sometimes it may take months before we notice an improvement, and this is assuming we are also making some other positive changes as well.  If we continue just doing the same thing we’ve always done (eating improperly, not getting good sleep, drinking soft drinks and booze, etc) and expect that if we just start taking a supplement everything will be fine overnight, we are fooling ourselves.  

Then there is absorption.  Yes, it is a fact that much of the supplements we take do get excreted in our waste and urine.  This cannot be avoided completely, but it can be limited to an extent.  Be sure to read the bottle your supplement came in.   There’s a reason why certain vitamins need to be taken with food or just taken with water.  That being said, regardless, a certain percentage of the supplement *does* stay in our body and does what it’s supposed to do.  In many cases, our body may not actually need the extra supplementation and it just recognizes this and sends it on it’s way to the “trash bin.”  There are supplements that can help with absorption as well, if this is a concern to you.

The reason most people choose a pharmaceutical over a supplement is because they are looking for an easy fix!  Many pharmaceuticals will make you “feel” better, and some of them may change your body’s chemistry to tweak something that is causing your symptoms. But most of them (if not all of them) do very little to get to the root of the problem.  A supplement can cause your body to heal itself, whereas a pharmaceutical drug usually just masks symptoms and leads to even more problems (thus, the reason why most people on pharmaceuticals can’t take just one… they end up on a whole litany of drugs to cover up the symptoms from taking the drugs in the first place!)  Another reason:  Most people with insurance get their drug fixes “free” because they are paid for by the insurance.  Supplements need to be purchased.  I set aside a yearly budget for my preferred supplements and I assure you… they are MUCH less expensive than buying health insurance. 

We could discuss the herbal “remedies” as well, but I stay away from *almost* all of those.  Herbal remedies can be risky in some cases.  If you want to delve into herbal remedies, I highly recommend speaking with someone who truly knows what they are talking about.  Not just your neighbor, and certainly not someone who just calls themselves an herbalist.  I’m not saying that some of these contacts can’t be knowledgeable, but there really are good herbalists, and those who just call themselves herbalists.  I am not an expert in herbal remedies, but I have studied herbs as well, and have experimented on myself with some of them.  I’ve had some good and bad experiences with herbs.  Just be careful.

Again, I am *not* giving medical advice.  What I mentioned above is from my own research and my own experiences.  I’ve used supplements in lieu of pharmaceuticals most of my life.   If you do not take supplements, you may want to consider using them.  It is almost impossible to consume the correct amount of nutrients we need with just our food, especially if you are buying most of your food from the grocery store. 

Here are my “go-to” supplements that I will hopefully be taking until I am very old. Remember, I am a 60 year old male.  Things are a bit different for females (even though the government and the media want us to think we are all the same… we are NOT):

A food based (*not* chemical supplements like “One-A-Day”) multi-vitamin *without* Iron (for young people this may be all you need until you get into your 40’s)

Extra Vitamin C (I choose liposomal because it’s much easier on the stomach than the cheaper stuff)

Extra Vitamin D

Extra Zinc

Extra Magnesium

Extra Potassium

There are a few other supplements I use and some I rotate in for the winter, and even a couple of herbal remedies that I take as well, but (for me), I’ve found this list to be what I will absolutely buy and take for the rest of my life.   These are the supplements that I would skip a meal to buy if I had to. 

If you haven’t tried supplements as a way to manage your health, it may be worthwhile to do so.  *Most* supplements do not interact with prescriptions drugs, but if you are someone who is on pharmaceuticals, it might be a good idea to speak with your *trusted* health care professional before starting supplementation. 

I am a true believer in managing our own health to the furthest degree possible.  Like I always say, any time we can do something ourselves, we grant ourselves more liberty.   The government desperately wants to start making supplements “by prescription only” like they have done in Canada and in Europe.  They’ll have a lot harder time doing that if we are all taking them.