Supplements I Take

Many people ask me about supplements. "Hey Dr. John, what do you think about ________? All my friends are taking _______, and they are doing great!" 

Monkey See....Monkey Do!!!

Well, here are my recommendations. I've studied them, read about them, sat in formal classrooms and listened to professors discuss them. I've been taking supplements on and off for the last 40+ years and have seen many claims about them. Some work and some don't. Just because one works for your friend/relative/convincing TV salesman, doesn't mean it will work for you, nor, does it tell you how much you need! 

All of my recommendations are backed up by excellent research, clinical trials, and my experience/education in the healthcare field.

But first, let's get some important things out of the way.

1. I'm not selling anything

2. I'm not paid by any supplement company, nor on any supplement board of directors

3. Your health is my main concern

Simple. Just like that. You get my recommendations without bias, financial, or otherwise. Don't you wish all recommendations were like that? 

OK...here we go....in order of priority and importance. Realize I am NOT pregnant, lactating, injured, or in a serious diseased state. If I was, I would be adding some, or not taking certain supplements. Your needs would be very different as well, and my recommendations would change. Also, if you are taking prescription medications, some supplements would not be wise to combine with them. 

VERY IMPORTANT: The further down the list you go, the more serious about supplements you can get. Start with the first one or two, and see how your health will improve. Then as you get better, and better at it, which means consistency and compliance, then move down the list and add more into your habits. As in Alice in Wonderland, "Just how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go Alice?" This list is only a BASIC LIST. I sometimes do other supplements based upon my current temporary needs. If you need one on one advice, please contact me and I can advise you. 

First and Foremost: "I eat real food!!!" I eat things I recognize....like fish, chickens, beef, eggs (please don't remove the yokes...they are good for you), turkey meat that looks like it came from a real turkey....NOT pressed into a round disc in cellophane. Vegetables that I know actually grew out of the ground without additives. Fruit that came from a plant....NOT rolled into a "Fruit Roll Up" for goodness sake! And I DON'T mix powders into some gooey mess and force it down my cake-hole. I eat lots of nuts as a snack and a little bit of dairy products from cows and sheep. Read labels. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. And if you wouldn't have that additive sitting on your pantry shelf, then it shouldn't go in your mouth!

Also, those who are familiar with my food advice know I DO NOT EAT GRAINS, SUGARS, OR BEANS. They are not healthy for you because they raise your blood sugar too much, increase your blood fats and triglycerides, and stimulate fatty weight gain. This is what clogs your arteries....not dietary fat. My diet recommendations are to consume a more normal carbohydrate level at under 100 grams/day. One bagel is about 30 grams, whole wheat bread is about 20 grams per slice (so 40 grams/sandwhich), and an English Muffin is 30 grams....thats 100 right there. And we haven't even considered all the other carbs in your daily veggies/fruits. 

You don't need all these carbs unless you are working out at a very intense level of activity EVERDAY! And I mean INTENSE HIGH EXPLOSIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE....in order to burn off all that gooey sugars from the carbs. Then maybe a few more carb grams/day, but you better get your BUTTS to the gym to work it off. Otherwise your insulin, the hormone that stores sugars/carbs, will turn all those carbs into fat.

If you eat grains, sugars, or beans, you will get fat, your arteries will clog, and your abdomen (go ahead and look down at your stomach right now!!!) will get larger every year. That is happening to our population right now based upon bad advice from the last 30 years. More on that in another letter....

I only buy things around the perimeter of the market....meat/poultry/fish, dairy, and produce. Stay out of the center isles of the market. Those are what I call the "killing fields"...just about anything in there is NOT healthy food and will NOT produce a healthy body.

 Junk Food

OK...that's enough about food. I have another message about real food coming in the future and will talk about what exactly we should eat. But just remember my first sentence: Eat Real Food. If you eat real food, you won't need a lot of expensive supplements. That's where most of your "supplements" will come from. I will have recipes and suggestions what to eat for different meals and how this will help you be fit and loose weight if necessary.

Alright already....let's talk about supplements. 

1.Multi vitamin/mineral capsule

Buy the best one you can afford. Make sure it's in CAPSULE form. Easier absorbed. I've even seen powders. Brands: Twin Labs, Solgar, and a few others. Our food supply is not always the best and a lot of it comes from very depleted soils. The plants can only absorb what's in the soil. So a little "insurance" of vits/minerals is your best place to start.

Amount: Better to take 1 in AM, and 1 in PM. Find the "Two-a-Day" one. 

2. Fish oils

Liquid form is best. Then capsules if you can't do the liquid, or when traveling. Try different brands, since some are easier to swallow, and taste better. I switch to Cod Liver Oil in the winter time to get more Vit. D. Brands: Carlson's is the best and the cleanest from pollutants, pesticides, and heavy metals...all those really are not good for you! Another brand is Pharmax Fish Oil. Great stuff and VERY pure. No heavy metals. Other brands I just don't trust. Fish oils are such an important supplement, that I don't trust any other out there.

Amount: 2-3 grams per day

3. Vitamin D

Wow! This is so important this time of the year, I can't emphasize it enough. This vitamin, which actually acts more like a hormone in your body than vitamin, is responsible for many functions that keep you well this time of the year. It stops influenza in its tracks and gives it a knockout punch! It should be the first priority, but I must in all honesty place it here at #3 for balance, synergy, and integration with other vitamins/minerals. I like the liquid forms out there on the market. Better absorbed this way.

Amount: 5000-8000 international units per day

4. Probiotics

Cultured milk products are VERY good for your intestines. They provide the beneficial bacteria that protect us from bad bacteria. We need the good guys to stop the bad guys in our intestines. Lactobacillus is the major strain of beneficial bacteria and need to be constantly fed and populated in our guts in order to protect us. Products such as yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, cultured sour cream, etc. are the best. Try different brands. Some have "better" taste than others, and have improved over the past 40 years. Even cheese have the good bacteria as well. 

Amount: Everyday I have one of these products

That's it....simple...

Wishing you the best in health always,

Dr. John

John Mitchell, DC, DAAPM

Doctor of Chiropractic

Diplomate American Academy of Pain Management