Should We Take Supplements? If So, Which Ones?

There is certainly no shortage of information about supplements. Dr. Collins is generally of the opinion that neither the vitamin industry nor the medical industry are reliable sources of information regarding dietary supplements. Both industries are too heavily biased by their own financial interests to give accurate information. Dr. Collins generally believes the following:

1-Most supplements found in a typical retail store are a harmless waste of money. 2-A small percentage of store-bought supplements are actually HARMFUL! and 3-A very small percentage of supplements are absolutely helpful and even essential for health!

Confused yet?! :-)

The approach that Dr. Collins recommends for most of his patients (individual recommendations may vary due to unique patient circumstances) is to NOT use supplements primarily as a "treatment" for a "medical condition", but rather to safely SUPPLEMENT or COMPLIMENT one's imperfect diet. One should take supplements primarily in order to decrease the likelihood of experiencing longstanding dietary deficiencies that cause chronic, debilitating illness.

With that said, there are approx 5 supplements that evidence shows will give a lot of "bang for the buck" for most people, even those rare people (like Dr. Collins) whose diets are impeccable. These are (in no partcular order):

1-A high-quality vitamin D3 (with K2 added ideally) in PROPER DOSAGE of 5000iu/day permanently (for life).(Individual needs vary somewhat, so everyone should get tested annually in winter months to fine tune the dosage. Most supermarket vitamin D3 supplements do not contain enough dosage and/or contain other low quality ingredients, so buyer beware.

2-A high-quality daily (for life) Omega 3 Supplement derived from high-quality marine (fish oil) source. With fish oil, quality is so important. Studies have shown that many 'supermarket' products are either rancid or even contain toxins such as heavy metals, PCBs, etc.

3-A high-quality daily (for life) 'whole-food-based' multi-vitamin supplement. This is actually a very difficult product to find in a typical supermarket. Many/most so-called once-daily multi-vitamins contain components that are sourced from non-edible sources.

4-A high-quality daily (for life) probiotic capsule containing the appropriate quantities and diversity of live bacterial species to facilitate gastrointestinal function. Again, this is a difficult item to find in a typical retail setting. Cheap and ineffective items can be found in abundnance however.

5-A high-quality bone support supplement containing calcium, magnesium and other vital trace minerals. Dr. Collins recommends this supplement for both women and men.

Finally, examples of high-quality supplements can be found at our office or at our webstore. Click on the image above to view my 5 base supplements for all. Our goal is not necessarily sell you our supplements but to help you learn that the industry is dominated by misinformation and low-quality products.