Are Supplements good for You?
According to Penn Medicine, based on legal claims, it is wrong for companies to state that their products can heal, treat, or cure any disease.
More than ¾ of Americans take dietary supplements.
What is a supplement?
The word supplement means something that enhances or boosts the performance of another thing.
Dietary supplements come from food sources to enhance the quality of human health when consumed. They may come in different forms like tablets, liquids, or capsules.
What you should know about supplements.
The average citizen of any country feels they are healthy when they take supplements. A lot of individuals have tons of them in their homes. Not because they feel any illness, but because they believe taking them makes them healthy. Which is not bad because most individuals do not receive all the necessary nutrients from their meals.
To some degree these dietary supplements are very effective, and most of them may provide the results their manufacturers have claimed.
However, most of these supplements may have negative effects on your body, probably because you took more than your body can absorb or not enough to make a difference. For example, too much vitamin A can cause headaches or damage to your liver and other vital organs.
Some vitamins could lead to an increase in bleeding from a little wound or change a person's response to anesthesia if taken before surgery. Other supplements, such as St. John’s Wort, may reduce the effectiveness of certain medications. Antioxidant supplements, like vitamin C and E, reduce the effectiveness some cancer chemotherapy.
Should supplements replace drugs?
If you take prescription medications, always talk to your doctor before stopping the medication or taking a new supplement. These practices have led to increased health risk for many people.
Everyone has different health needs and health conditions, which can make balancing prescription medications and supplements very challenging for some.
Therefore, before you are given any medication, your healthcare provider should ask you some questions. They need to be sure a medication meant to treat you doesn't harm you. Some supplements manufacturers may not acknowledge this because they want to make sales.
How important is my doctor's advice on the supplement to use?
A doctor's advice is very important.
As a personal example, one time I was spending a holiday with my aunt. Her neighbor heard of a certain supplement, and without much research she got some for herself. My aunt suggested she speak with her antenatal healthcare provider before taking the supplement. But she didn't listen. After three days she lost her baby.
Was the supplement bad?
Not necessarily. But in this situation, it may have contributed to the death of her unborn baby.
Some supplements can be harmful in certain situations and health conditions. This unfortunate situation may have been avoided if the neighbor had spoken to health practitioners before starting a new supplement.
Can supplements replace a healthy diet?
If you can get the necessary essential minerals and vitamins from a natural healthy diet, taking supplements isn’t necessary.
No matter the benefits you feel you are getting from a particular supplement, it is always better to get your nutrients from you diet. Nothing can replace a nutritious, natural, non-processed foods diet.
This does not mean that supplements are bad. But too many individuals now focus their attention on supplements instead of eating healthy foods.
Conclusion
Supplements claim to help you get the nutrition that you need, but it is always better to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs from your meals if possible. Getting proper nutrition can be a challenge. Juggling medications and supplements can make this even more difficult.
Here are some tips that may help you:
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Take supplements as recommended by your doctor to fill in the gaps in your diet.
- Research the supplement brands, some are a better quality than others.
- Never replace your prescription medications with supplements without talking to your doctor first.
- Never start a new supplement without talking to your doctor if you have been diagnosed with a medical condition or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
- Talk to your doctor if you have questions regarding the supplements you are currently taking.
- Make a list of all of the medications and supplements you take, how much you take, and why you take them. Keep a copy of this list at home with your other health information and another copy with you in your purse or wallet. Update the list every time a change is made to your medications or supplements. Give the list to your doctor every time you see them or are admitted to the hospital for any reason.
Sources
https://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/DS_WhatYouNeedToKnow.pdf
Thank you for reading the Write Shift RN blog.
Disclaimer: This article was written as a guest post for Write Shift RN LLC's blog. The information in it may not be wholly fact-checked or edited, allowing the reader to see the writer's work and skills firsthand. This information is not intended as medical advice. It is for informational and educational purposes only. Always talk to your doctor or other qualified healthcare providers about any questions or concerns you may have regarding medical conditions.
