Herbal Supplements
What are supplements?
If it were true that we were able to get everything we need in the form of a pill, our experience of life would be different. Radically different. We all know that we can’t buy love, beauty or peace, yet we often fall prey to the promise of a pill. In our preference to avoid the use of prescription medications, we often turn to natural supplements believing that if we find the “right” natural therapies, our health complaints will resolve. We lose sight of the fact that supplements were intended to be used as exactly that, “supplemental” support, rather than something that is incorporated into our daily regimen, and before we know it our cabinets are filled with more natural therapies than we can count.
The Importance of Maintaining Nutritional Nourishment
But let’s face it. We are all human, change is hard and the majority of us are more willing to take nutritional or herbal supplements than make radical changes to the way we live our daily lives. With our focus on what pills we can take rather than what we can change in the way we live our lives, we keep our attention and intention on that which is outside of us, believing that finding the right supplements can finally help us feel, sleep and look better. In this mindset we are more likely to attribute any improvements in our health complaints to the supplements we are taking, rather than the dietary and lifestyle modifications that were simultaneously made. We lose sight of the humbling truth: the foundation of our health is set by the way we live our lives. How we live our day is how we experience our day. How well we treat our bodies has significant impact on the level of health we experience. When we fail to nourish, honor and respect the needs of our souls, we often fail to also nourish, honor, and respect the needs of our bodies. When we underestimate the importance of eating wholesome nutrient dense food, getting sufficient restorative sleep and staying adequately hydrated, we naturally turn to nutrient and herbal supplements to help offset the pain and discomfort we feel that are influenced by, if not directly a result of, the unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits that we have adopted.
Nutrient and Herbal Supplements to Restore and Maintain Health
As a Naturopathic Doctor, I never prescribe nutrient and herbal supplements as a natural equivalent to a medication that would otherwise be prescribed by a conventional doctor. Instead, natural supplements are prescribed with the understanding that they are to be “supplemental support” therapies used to restore and maintain the health of all of our organ systems when the body has reached a state of dis-ease that cannot be reversed through modifications to diet and lifestyle alone. With this approach, the amount of supplementation that is recommended is limited to only those therapies that are integral and necessary to restore the body to an integrated state of wholeness and balance.
Because not all supplements are created equal and many products sold over the counter may contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins, I recommend only those that are medical grade and of the highest quality.