What’s up with Supplements?
Supplementation is generally targeted at a specific deficiency or organ to help support the body whilst we address the deeper root cause, because supplementation alone is not the answer, but rather a tool for targeted nutritional support whilst the underlying root cause is worked on.
Supplementation is aimed at supporting the body nutritionally with targeted support for a period of time. Whether it is used to support nutritional deficiencies, help an underperforming organ or address a digestive issue or targeted organ support, supplementation is a tool used by practitioners to enhance digestive function whilst the underlying root cause of dysfunction is addressed. It’s an additional support on top of a whole foods nutrient dense diet, designed to assist the body through a challenge, well that’s the perspective from a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
However, not everyone out there looks at supplements the way that we do as FNTPs, and that is often evidenced by client’s supplement stashes that they bring to their appointments and the protocols we see them taking. Lately, I’ve seen many examples and heard experiences from various clients on how and why they have been using supplementation. This is why I feel the need to clarify supplementation from a holistic perspective, addressing some key points of difference on how we as Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioners use this nutritional tool.
My aim is that the more clarity and empowered we are around our diet and nutritional support, the better choices and health decisions we can make….so here we go.
Firstly, supplements are not a replacement for a properly prepared nutrient dense diet. Hence why Functional Nutritionists look at your health challenges from a root cause perspective and address concerns with a food first approach. Learning how to eat properly and how to prepare a good meal are some of the most vital health skills that you can learn, and they will enable you to take more control of your health journey for the rest of your life. This is the cornerstone of good health.
However, if your body needs additional targeted support whilst you are addressing the root cause and adjusting your diet we can use supplementation in a targeted manner. We use it to focus on addressing core digestive supports rather than a symptom based approach, as we are looking at overall body function and root cause work first and foremost.
In a similar way, you can't out supplement a bad diet. No supplement can do what a good quality, naturally grown and nutrient dense diet can do, as there is a synergy within the food that is not easily replicated by a synthetic stand alone nutritional supplement. The combination of cofactors and minerals that are in perfect balance and ratios within proper food is uniquely bio-available in every possible way, as it's in a form your body and cells understand.
For this reason, what brand and type of supplement you ingest matters - they are not all created equal and some are more bio-available than others. This is why if you are supplementing, high quality food-based supplements which are bio-available are preferred.
Often more is not better, and staying on the same supplement for years is not ideal because your body changes over time and it will have different needs at different times.
We need to pay attention to this, and again, this is why functional nutritionists look at you from a bio-individual perspective - we find food based nutritional supports or targeted supplements to address underlying deficiencies, conditions, organ function support or targeted outcomes.
We use bio-available forms so that your body needs less of them and knows what to do with them. We teach you why you may need supplementation and why we may use them for certain periods of time, rather than blanketing you with a list of supplement for life.
Like anything, supplements can be an additional stressor to the body if they are not needed or you are getting too much of the wrong thing - that's why it's important to test and not guess.
When used correctly and with proper direction, the right supplements at the right time can add significant value to your health and healing journey, which is why you should find a practitioner you can trust to support you through your health challenge. This way you learn how to use supplementation alongside a properly prepared nutrient dense diet, so that ultimately they support you into better health and well-being.
For anyone who has been addressing health challenges long term, I think you all know how supplement graveyards are formed as you buy one supplement for this issue, and another supplement for that - thinking this one supplement will be the answer to all of your health issues.
I get it - I've been there. But there is a better way, a way where you actually learn how to feed your body from the inside out. It's not a quick fix, but it is a lifestyle to a better you - one that has good digestion, more energy, clearer skin, better mood and a zest for life, so you can follow your passion in life. This is a root cause approach, and it's designed to get to the root of your bodies dysfunction whilst treating you as a whole being, not just the symptom.
The analogy I’ll provide for this is, imagine an apple tree, where the apples are blotchy and deformed but the tree looks normal. Western medicine will address the symptom, which is the apple and they will generally treat just the apple - injecting it, medicating it, cutting out the bad parts or just getting rid of the apple completely.
Alternatively, with a foundational approach FNTPs see the apple tree as a whole, the roots, trunk, branches, leaves and apples as well as everything around the tree like the air, soil, water and sun. We look at how the tree functions, provide nutritional support, take away stressors and see what’s in the environment that may be contributing to the health of the tree, knowing that it is all interconnected, and that the apples are just the outer reflection of the internal health of the tree. So that’s how we look at you, as a whole person, and that’s how our approach differs and why we look at supplementation from a completely different viewpoint to many.
So, if you need help with your supplementation and nutritional support, or you feel overwhelmed with the volume of health information out there and you'd like some clarity around your health and what steps to take, then reach out or book an appointment and take your next steps towards your health goals.
