Taking vitamins and mineral supplements safely

Most of us can get all the vitamins and minerals we need by eating a balanced diet however, due to aggressive farming methods and use of synthetic fertilizers, the food produced in many countries today is deficient in nutrients, especially in minerals. We have known for decades that depleted soils equal diet deficiencies and that most important are the lacking minerals needed to make proper use of vitamins. This is why taking daily vitamins/mineral pills became so popular, it was seen as a way to supplement this lack in our foods.

Luckily since the 80’s we have started to understand the importance of organic foods and whole foods again. There is a better opportunity now to have nourishing food when we make smarter food choices. Organically grown foods and wild or grass fed meats are more closely balanced with the exact combinations of required nutrients. Foraging natural, fresh, wild foods has the optimal balance. The body is complex and needs a wide variety of vitamins and nutrients to ensure proper growth and to maintain proper system functions. Every function of each cell in all of the organs, muscles and tissues requires the exact combination of vitamins and mineral nutrients in order to function in healthy form.
Our bodies cannot truly process refined and altered foods. If a food is processed so that elements are removed or added in, then the body has a harder time to digest, assimilate and use it. A whole food is already perfectly designed with a balanced combination of nutrients to nourish some part of the body in a specific way. (A whole food would be an egg, a blueberry or bone broth, as opposed to an egg white, extracted anthocyanins or collagen removed from the bone broth.)

​Just as each whole food is naturally designed with the perfect combination of vitamins, nutrients, micro nutrients, when you take a vitamin or mineral supplement this balance is altered. An example is taking a Calcium pill. The body cannot make use of this mineral unless it can also find Magnesium and Vitamin K stored in excess the body. These beneficial combinations are found naturally in foods, but not always in vitamin pills. It is also important to understand that the majority of supplements made today are synthetic and are made to mimic the way natural nutrients act in our bodies, so the body can have difficulty recognizing and assimilating them in order to put them to good use.

Homeopaths understand that whole, organic foods are the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need and rarely suggest taking pills or synthetic supplements. When whole foods are not enough, you can supplement with whole ‘Super’ foods such as organic powdered greens, wheat grass, barley grass and sprouts, and basic green foods such as kale, spinach etc. Start the powdered greens 1/4 tsp per day for 3/4 days and then 1/2 tsp. The maintenance amount is 1 tsp/10 grams per day. Other super foods/whole foods that are great immune builders include Royal Jelly from bees, and Stinging nettle tea. Broths such as miso and bone broth are good as well. Miso stimulates digestion so it is good to have a 1/2 hour before a meal. Kelp, Alfalfa, Beet root, and other whole food dried herbs can be helpful as well. If you are vegetarian or vegan, there are choices that are alternatives to meat and dairy whole foods.
If feel you need to supplement with a pill, make sure you know why you need it and how to balance it correctly, and always choose a well designed, balanced product made from natural whole food sources that are organic preferably. Avoid synthetic choices, they may be cheaper on the shelf but they may cause more problems than the ones you are hoping to solve.

When there may be problems in the uptake or assimilation of certain minerals or vitamins and the body cannot use what is being provided by whole foods or natural supplements, homeopathy can be an effective solution. In this case it doesn’t matter how much you try to supplement with a pill, the body is not going to be able to use that material and will need to either eliminate it or accumulate it in the body somewhere. If we use an example again, Calcium is taken to keep bones strong and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, however it is also notorious for creating other problems. It increases the risk for heart attack and stroke since it is believed that without enough vitamin D to help absorb it, the extra Calcium can settle in the arteries instead of the bones and form plaques that threaten the heart and brain. Excess Calcium can also cause muscle pain, mood disorders, abdominal pain and kidney stones as well as other abnormal Calcium deposits.

By looking at the reason for poor assimilation and use of Calcium and providing a natural solution for that imbalance, the body can again start to use the Calcium provide in whole foods in a proper combination and avoid the risks of using Calcium supplements. This is the same for all the various vitamins, minerals and trace minerals needed for the body to perform optimally. Ask your homeopath for more information on how remedies or cell salts may be the better choice to a daily multi or specific vitamin.