Supplements Can Be a Saving Grace for the Undisciplined (Part 3 of 3)

Author’s note: There is research to support everything here. The studies are not listed in this article. There are links to other Whole Health Web articles that will go into more detail and will list the studies. Simply click on the links provided below; they will give you more complete information. Need to see the first two parts of this series? [Click for Part 1] [Click for Part 2]

Goody, Goody, I Can Take Vitamins and Not Change Anything!

First, don’t be thinking, “Goody, goody, I can take vitamins and not change anything.” That is expensive and often fails. Supplements can help, but they are not the whole answer. As much as possible, focus on diet; it is cheaper and it works better. When dealing with a chronic health problem, think of removing straws from a camel’s back. Don’t think, “What can I take to fix this?” Think, “What is contributing to this problem and what can I do about it?” Also, these are just ideas and examples. Do not think of this material as a personal treatment plan.

Inflammation and Disease:

Most of the advice on WholeHealthWeb.com is about reducing inflammation and dealing with core health issues. About 2/3 of us are walking around in an inflamed state. Almost all chronic diseases involve inflammation. Taking Curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation. There are other anti-inflammatory supplements, but that is a whole other article.

The Microbiome:

Lots of polyphenols and fiber from a variety of vegetables feed a healthy microbiome. Sugar and processed foods can give you an unhealthy microbiome. There are some strategies that have helped people with poor dietary habits.

  • Berberine tends to kill undesirable bacteria while leaving beneficial bacterial alone. A common dose is 500 mg, 3x/day.
  • Probiotics have been widely researched and found to not only help digestive health, but also improve things for sufferers of allergy, asthma, and a number of other problems.
  • Saccharomyces boulardii will displace other microbes and take over the digestive tract. When you stop taking it, it goes away. Some practitioners use it in rotation with berberine (and sometimes other antimicrobials) and probiotics. They give the Saccharomyces for two weeks, then stop it. They then give the berberine and probiotics for the next two weeks. They repeat three times.
  • Citrus Pectin is soluble fiber that can help nourish a healthy microbiome.

There are so many ways to address the microbiome. You get the best results when you focus on diet.

“Leaky Gut” (Intestinal Permeability)

Poor diet, poor digestion, and an unhealthy microbiome can irritate the intestinal lining to the point where things that belong outside of the body get into the body. Technically, everything in your GI tract is outside of the body. Irritation and inflammation damages the intestine enough so peptide, proteins, and even microbes can get in. This can lead to system wide inflammation, allergies, autoimmune disease, and whole lot of other health problems. A diet that encourages a healthy microbiome can help a lot.

“How to Heal Leaky Gut” is a long and involved topic. A healthy diet, good digestion, and a healthy microbiome form the foundation. Some supplements may also help.

  • Bone broth is perhaps the best thing for healing leaky gut. Some may find it difficult to make and store it (click here for a recipe). There are supplements that can help.
  • Glycine helps heal leaky gut by reducing intestinal inflammation, supporting the regeneration of epithelial cells, and protecting tight junction integrity so undigested food particles cannot escape into the bloodstream.
  • Colostrum (especially bovine colostrum) helps manage leaky gut by repairing the intestinal lining, sealing the microscopic gaps between cells, and reducing overall inflammation.
  • Phosphatidylcholine (PC) helps repair and manage a “leaky gut” primarily by acting as the main structural building block for the gut’s protective mucus layer and the cell membranes of the intestinal lining.

Fortunately, the intestinal lining repairs itself quickly when the irritation is removed. The challenge is reducing the things that continue to damage it while providing the raw materials needed for repair.

Insulin Insensitivity

There are all kinds of pharmaceuticals that can “block sugar”. Of course, the best place to block sugar is in the mouth. This is one area where supplements can help, but the real culprits are sugar and carbohydrates. Look up the “glycemic load” of foods. Try not to eat anything with a glycemic load greater than 10. Here are some supplements that can help, but please monitor your blood sugar and make sure you consult with your doctor. We are not telling you how to treat diabetes here—even though the supplements often help a lot.

  • Berberine works similarly to metformin. It also has cardiovascular benefits and can even help lower cholesterol. Dosage depends of severity of blood sugar issues, but between 500 and 1000 mg, 3x/day is common.
  • Magnesium is necessary for anyone with insulin insensitivity. It causes you to excrete a lot of magnesium. Magnesium also helps with blood sugar control.
  • Lipoic acid can help control blood sugar levels and lipids—especially triglycerides. It has been used (200 mg, 3x/day) to help with neuropathy and to forestall damage done to organs by diabetes.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids also help to control blood sugar and lipids.

Liver Support

This is a vast topic, and the liver has over 500 functions. Here we are just going to discuss fatty liver and detoxification with glutathione. The liver is your body’s detoxification system. Most of the time it does not need to be “cleansed”; it needs the nutrients necessary to do its job. Diet is a huge help here. One of the most important substances involved in detoxification is glutathione, often called the body’s master antioxidant.

  • Phosphatidylcholine is good liver support and has been shown to help with fatty liver (which is common in people with insulin insensitivity).
  • Lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant and helps recycle glutathione, which is vital for your body to remove toxins.
  • Selenium is necessary for the production of glutathione.

Once again, there are many other supplements. Just a few of the main ones are named here. Here is a longer article on the liver: The Liver: More Than Detox—A Major Control Center for Health.

Stress/Cortisol

Chronic stress can contribute to inflammation, digestive problems, poor sleep, insulin resistance, and a host of other health issues. Whenever possible, address the source of the stress. Supplements may help you cope, but they are really just a Band Aid. They rarely solve the underlying problem. Whole Health Web has many articles on stress and what to do. Click the links below.

What a Rat Can Teach You About Stress

Stress, Mindset and Healing

Reset Your Stress System — Sleep, Mindfulness & Movement

Your Body Thinks It’s Being Chased

Stress Supplements:

These can help, but will not solve the entire problem. Also, this is not a very complete list.

  • B Complex: Stress increases the body’s need for B vitamins.
  • Ashwagandha: An herb that may help moderate cortisol and support a healthy stress response.
  • Magnesium: Commonly depleted by stress and may help with relaxation and sleep.
  • Vitamin C: The adrenal glands contain high concentrations of vitamin C and use it during periods of stress.

As far as diet goes, do the best you can. If possible, follow the Roadmap to Health for 30 days. It will help you understand the connection between diet and how you feel. If you eat junk food, don’t beat yourself up about it. In fact, delight in it. You might as well; it won’t be any worse for you if you enjoy it, AND it might even help your cortisol levels.

If there is one lesson I hope you take away from this article, it is that health is rarely about one thing. It is not one vitamin deficiency, one bad meal, one stressful day, or one miracle supplement. Chronic health problems are usually the result of many small factors adding up over time. Think of them as straws on a camel’s back. Every healthy meal removes a straw. Better sleep removes a straw. Less stress removes a straw. A healthier microbiome removes a straw. Supplements can remove a few straws as well. You do not have to be perfect. You simply have to keep moving in the right direction.

If you like the “straws on the camel’s back” analogy, Whole Health Web offers several free downloadable PDFs that use this concept to explain chronic health problems. Click here to see the free Camel’s Back series.