Now that you have some guides for choosing nutrient supplements there is something else critical for you to understand about supplements. Not all supplements are nutrients. Some supplements do not supply nutrients at all but are intended to alter your physiology.
The first rule of supplement safety is to distinguish nutrients (that are inherently very safe) from other categories of supplements that may or may not be entirely safe. This may seem self-evident to you but I am often surprised by the failure to get this fundamental distinction right.
This knowledge would prevent many of my MD colleagues from embarrassing themselves with that ignorant droning of “we just don’t know if it safe” when referring to a nutrient while prescribing a drug instead. And this basis for categorizing supplements will make keeping your supplementation program safe much simpler.
In the United States, a supplement is any product that “enhances the diet and improves the health of an individual.” These supplements may contain both vitamins and minerals or herbs and other botanicals. (1)
Supplements that contain only naturally occurring nutrients are not experimental. They occur in your food and in your body already. Your body uses these supplements as food. They are generally safe for everyone to use long term as needed.
Herbs are different. First, although they occur in nature, they would not occur in your body unless you put them there. Secondly, your body does not generally use them as food. So why take them at all? They are use to change your metabolism or some aspect of your physiological function.
If altering your physiology sounds familiar it may be because that’s what drugs do. For that reason, herbs and drugs are more similar than herbs and nutrients. Think of herbs as mild mixtures of naturally occurring compounds that have drug-like effects. And, think of drugs as refined, purified, isolated, and concentrated distillations of herbs. Since neither drugs nor herbs occur in your body naturally, taking either is inherently experimental. Therefore, you must use some caution when taking them.
There is one example of an herb that has survived into our modern culture. Considering its effects will instantly teach you volumes. Coffee is an herb. You know it alters your physiology. It has a group of alkaloids that act as stimulants. One of them is caffeine. You know that this altering of your physiology can be useful at times. Yet you also know that coffee is not helpful for all situations and that too much can be toxic.
Problems with herbs are relatively rare. But when you’re looking for the best performance and highest standards for you life, it’s important to stay within safe limits.
For instance, St. John’s wort was extremely popular at one time because of its ability to improve symptoms of depression. And even today, a great many people benefit from it. (2)
But along with the good comes the bad. For instance, St. John’s wort interacts with certain drugs that have in a few rare cases proven fatal. (2)
Next time, we will lay down some guidelines on how to use herbs safely.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, M.D
1 Dietary Supplements: Natural Foods vs.” Drugs’ as Therapy. Phillip Moffetone M.D. Maffetone Research. Spring 2005, Volume 1, No. 1.
2 Update on Common Dietary Supplements. Katherine Gundling, MD. Emergency Medicine. March 2005.