Supplements
I would love to believe that you could get all the minerals and vitamins you need from your diet. Maybe in Costa Rica where everything is organic and not commercially grown but not here in America. Unfortunately, as I review thousands of blood tests over the course of any year I am confronted with the fact that most patients can’t get the best levels without taking any supplements.
It’s like miracle grow…you will still get tomatoes without using fertilizer but adding miracle grow produces obviously better results. It’s obvious with tomatoes but less obvious with people but no less important.
Obviously, I recommend supplements to all my patients and having just updated the list, thought I would share it with you. These are the very same supplements I recommend to all my patients. Sure, I am happy to converse about collagen, peptides, creatine, etc. but it’s all about the basics. I am not going to justify why I use these supplements here…that’s a book, not an article, but these are the ones I have consistently used for years.
The most important supplement I recommend is Omega 3 / Fish oil. Every cell membrane of every cell in your body needs Omega 3 for proper function and simple blood work will show you just how deficient you are. The classic recommendation is Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil with lemon flavor in the green glass bottle. For those who prefer a capsule I recommend the Parasol brand. Take enough to get your Omega 3/6 ratio down to 4.
Next comes Vitamin D with K2. I use Bronson Labs. I recommend 5,000 I.U.’s a day. Many doctors are afraid of higher doses of vitamin D but my mentors have used higher doses for decades without any issues. A “normal” level of Vitamin D is not an optimal level. How many women have died from broken hips that could have been avoided if they had adequate levels of Vitamin D?
Next comes the B vitamins. Many people in America have a genetic issue with methylation. It’s a process by which the body processes chemicals to make them more usable. Some people are better at methylation than others…it’s a genetic thing not something you can modify with any effort. So if there is a question of whether you properly methylate…why not resolve the issue by using the B vitamins that are already methylated. DoubleWood supplements makes a methylated multi-vitamin that fits the bill. It’s not like the traditional multi-vitamin…it only contains the B’s but it has all the B’s in all the right formats.
Next is Magnesium. I recommend a minimum of 500mg a day. I usually recommend a brand called Natural Calm. It’s powdered Magnesium Citrate. For capsules, I like Mag Enhance by Intelligent Labs.
Finally, I recommend fiber daily…Metamucil, Opti-Fiber, Paleo Fiber are the brands I like.
So now you know what I recommend to all my patients regardless of age, sex or inclination. I recommend Consumerlab.com as the best resource to check that your supplements are just what they say they are and are free from contaminants, have the right amount etc.
As always, do your own research, check with your health care team, have your levels checked etc. I am not giving you medical advice, etc. etc. etc.
Until next month, get well and stay well.
JT BARRY MD
