There are hundreds of supplements out there. All formulated to support various functions and areas of our bodies. If you’ve never tried supplements before or don’t know where to begin – keep reading!

Obviously we want to support all of our body’s needs and that can be difficult to achieve from food alone. But sometimes the amount of choices in the land of natural supplements can get a bit overwhelming or confusing – what to try first?? To help give your body a solid baseline, or introduce it to supplements gently, I recommend the following three supplements be included in your daily routine:

Magnesium
If I could only choose ONE supplement it would be magnesium. This mineral is essential to the function of most of the cells in your body. Magnesium supports energy production, relieves muscle and nervous tension, and can be taken by both kids and adults. There is evidence to suggest that magnesium supplementation can support energy cell production and metabolism, reduce migraine frequency, and assist with relief of fibromyalgia symptoms and muscular pain. Magnesium is also quick to take effect at the optimum dosages and most people begin noticing a difference within the first week of taking it consistently.

Fish Oil
Omega3 would be first equal and is ultimately important for brain health, brain function and inflammation control. When you’re working towards optimal brain-body communication with your chiropractor, including fish oil is a logical part of supporting your brain’s ability to accurately control your body’s functions. It’s also an excellent support for improving mood and cognition as well as reducing joint pain and inflammation.

Probiotics
Your gut microbiome can make or break all of your best efforts with your body. It affects everything from mood and hormone production to digestion. It also factors heavily in the amount of nutrients your body absorbs and can become significantly compromised following a course of antibiotics. Gut bacteria even directly stimulates neurotransmitters which send messages back and forth from the brain – so it needs to be healthy! I can’t encourage you enough to make probiotics a regular addition to your daily routine so that any other efforts to improve your nutritional health are being well absorbed by your body.

Do your research on different supplement brands

Different Brands
When it comes to selecting these supplements, pay close attention to the differences between “over the counter” products available at your pharmacy or supermarket versus “practitioner only” products which are only available through approved healthcare providers. The ones available from practitioners are generally far more potent, pure, and absorbable than the generic options found in a supermarket or pharmacy. Often we find that people need to take multiple doses of supermarket/pharmacy products to achieve the equivalent nutrients of a single dose in a practitioner product. This is because a single dose of a practitioner product is much higher in nutrients and purity than a single dose of a generic one.

Talk with us at your next appointment about the nutritional support you can start adding to your own routine. We offer the Metagenics range of supplements to our patients, which must be recommended by the chiropractor. If you have any friends or family who could use our help, bring them in for a Complimentary Chat or contact us for more information.

References:

1. The Gut Microbiome and the Brain – Journal of Medicinal Food (2014)
2. Deficient energy metabolism is associated with low free magnesium in the brains of patients with migraine and cluster
   headache – Brain Research Bulletin (2001)
3. Prophylaxis of migraine with oral magnesium: results from a prospective, multi-center, placebo-controlled and doubleblind
   randomized study – Cephalalgia: an international journal of headache (1996)
4. Management of fibromyalgia: rationale for the use of magnesium and malic acid – Journal of  Nutritional Medicine (1992)
5. Magnesium and exercise – Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2002)
6. Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA and DHA: Health Benefits Throughout Life – Advances in Nutrition (2012)
7. Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Lutein/Zeaxanthin, or Other Nutrient Supplementation on Cognitive Function: The AREDS2 Randomized Clinical Trial. – JAMA (2015)