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In this episode of The Functional Medicine Radio Show, Dr. Carri’s special guest Josh Gitalis talks about daily supplements and why everyone should be taking them.
Josh is a Clinical Nutritionist and is an expert in the fields of clinical detoxification and therapeutic supplementation. As a leader in his field, Josh teaches Clinical Nutrition for several natural health colleges and is the first Canadian nutritionist to be accepted into the Institute for Functional Medicine and is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner.
Main Questions Asked:
- What’s the difference between essential and nonessential nutrients?
- What are some common misconceptions about supplements?
- What can you say about junk research?
- What are the most important daily supplements we should be taking?
Key Points made by Josh:
- The traditional daily supplements are vitamins and minerals. Other supplements include probiotics, herbs, and glandulars.
- One of the first deficiencies discovered was scurvy.
- Supplements can be used for maintenance and therapeutic purposes.
- Essential nutrients must be consumed in your diet, whereas nonessential nutrients can be produced naturally within the body.
- Common misconceptions about supplements are that we don’t need them or that they don’t actually work.
- Our environments and diets have changed the way we get nutrition over the past hundred years.
- Nutritional supplements make up the deficiencies our bodies face every day.
- A single study isn’t sufficient to draw conclusions from, but the media often runs with a story if it will get viewers.
- Supplements and the effectiveness depend on the proportion in the body.
- Not all supplements are created equal. You often pay for what you get.
- The dosage on the label is usually wrong since it’s targeted towards the lowest common denominator.
- Most people require between 4,000 and 10,000 IU’s of vitamin D. The only way to know exactly what the optimal amount to take is to do a blood test. The odds are good that you are vitamin D deficient.
- Supplementation protocols should be tailored to each individual person.
- Most supplements are short term solutions. They either speed up or slow down the body’s natural processes.
- Supplementation protocols are meant to supplement a proper diet.
- Vitamin D, probiotics, a high quality multivitamin, and a balanced essential fatty acid are good supplements for everyday use.
- Consult a naturopath or functional medical doctor to schedule an assessment to learn what kind of supplements you should be taking.
Resources Mentioned:
Book – Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again
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