I saw an ad today from a local health food store, it could be any grocery store insert in the daily newspapers. I thought to myself, why do you we need all this stuff? No wonder clients walk into their doctors’ office in a daze of confusion. There seems to be a vitamin craze don’t you think?

Vitamins are big business and marketing has gone bananas. At Denver Acupuncture Health, I do recommend vitamins but only for the right reasons. Much of the advertising targets our fears around heart attacks and diabetes. There are other reasons to supplement your food sources.

Are we really that sick though as a nation of people I hope not. If we look at Americans and their health, before the 1980’s there is little doubt that we have become a country of health issues. Obesity continues grow as a major problem, and heart attacks along with a rise in diabetes overcome many Americans. Don’t get me going on Alzheimer’s – they are now calling it – Diabetes Type 3.

The Vitamin Craze – Understanding What You Need

The vitamin craze isn’t new my aunt and mom were into it in the 1960’s it’s just reinvented for a new modern market. I think we know more today too. That can be good or bad because it sounds like we need to take handfuls of supplements.

We may need this extra boost because we eat poorly or our bodies’ don’t absorb what we consume. I believe the only way to know is proper blood testing and your own symptoms. Blood work doesn’t show everything.

What are some of some nutrients the insert said you must take and a little about how they may help you live healthy to a ripe old age.

Rising Stars In Supplements

These are the rising stars in supplements:

• Ubiquinol – a form of bioavailabile CoQ10 plays a role in energy production in the heart muscles. Many people are on statins with horrid side-effects; short-term memory loss, joint pain, low libido, erectile dysfunction, and in recent studies are suggesting they may not help to lower cholesterol. [1]I’ve recommended Ubiquinol for years to people who don’t like drugs and are interested in improving their health through better eating.

• Pycnogenol – Contains proanthocyanidins that protect the body’s cell’s and tissues from oxidative damage a major contributor to aging. [2] Pycnogenol naturally occurs in peanut skin, grape seed, and witch hazel bark. It helps circulation problems, allergies, asthma, ringing in the ears, high blood pressure, muscle soreness, pain, osteoarthritis, and diabetes, for instance.I don’t know for sure, but I think this helped the ringing in my ears. I’m confident my restless leg improved once I started taking Pycnogenol.
• Apple Cider Vinegar Capsules is a tonic that promotes normal detoxification and digestion. It might help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes by changing how foods get absorbed from the gut. [3]I have many clients who rave about these capsules especially those with high blood sugar or insulin resistance. If you’re like me though you have to be careful if your digestion is sensitive. Reducing the dose worked for me.
• Nattokinase – supports cardiovascular health by promoting healthy circulation. It’s an enzyme (a protein that speeds up biochemical reactions) that is extracted from a popular Japanese food called natto. Natto is boiled soybeans that have been fermented.[4]This was a surprise find for me. All my years in Chinese medicine and I never tried Nattokinase until recently. It’s amazing and while I’m reluctant to call anything a wonder food, this stuff though really helped my blood pressure.
• Yerba Prima – gentle and non-habit forming, Psyllium husks promote regularity and colon health. There is little research on Yerba Prima though it is a gluten free fiber source that aids many who have food sensitivities.For people who need more fiber this is better than the brand names that contain ‘other things’.
• Ashwagandha helps the body adapt and cope with stress. This is my favorite It’s an Ayurveda herb. It’s medicinal abilities include stress, strain, fatigue, pain, skin diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy they say. [5]We use it as a general tonic and to increase energy. I’m not sure though we think it improves our health. Ancient folklore says it increases longevity.

Denver Acupuncture Health

As I expressed in the beginning, this was in the local newspaper insert.

My thought here at Denver Acupuncture Health is taking what works for you. Use food as your medicine first and get into the vitamin craze only with the rising stars in supplement that you need.

[1] http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/coenzyme-q10/background/hrb-20059019

[2] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/1019.html

[3] Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor’s Guide to Good Health, written by D.C. Jarvis, M.D

[4] University of Chicago researcher, Dr. Hiroyuki Sumi. It is believed that he was who discovered Nattokinase. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/nattokinase-uses-and-risks

[5] http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/herb/ashwagandha