Do Vitamin Supplements Really Work? Understand what your body is telling you.

by MaryAnn Russell

During my years of consumer research and exploration of health and wellness I noted a curious pattern emerge. The various health regimes I adopted, whether vitamins, super green foods, Chinese herbs, or homeopathic remedies, seemed to stop working.

This had nothing to do with commitment, discipline or dedication, as you will see below. I simply felt my regimen was no longer effective. Perhaps this has something to do with my body’s ability to utilize and absorb certain nutrients. At one point in my journey I was taking highly concentrated frozen super “uber” greens delivered right to my door in ice packs and…. an elite patented, stack of amino acids to release growth hormone (anti-aging).

Unbounded energy and clarity was the result and I thought I had discovered the Holy Grail of health and anti-aging. What has happened to my Holy Grail of health? One day, nearly a year later I had reached “the ceiling” and stopped taking both supplements. Now days I only take the elite amino acids for endurance when skiing.

My experience with alternative and complementary medicines were similar to that of vitamin supplementation and diet. Whether it be acupuncture, chiropractic or various types of body work, I would clearly “hit a ceiling” when I instinctively knew I had gained the maximum benefit and it was time to move on.

A lot of people get discouraged when they think something they have discovered is helping them one day and then the next day they are not experiencing those same benefits. Instead of disappointment, perhaps you can see it as your body’s intelligence at work. Your body’s own innate healing intelligence telling you that its done everything it can with a particular regime. You may have actually benefited with what you have done so far but there are other things to discover.

I once knew a practitioner who tested his patients before treating them to determine what their body’s priority was for that day. The patient may have come in for a chiropractic adjustment but he found they needed a vitamin supplement for their nervous system. Perhaps the chiropractic adjustment would be more effective when the nervous system was addressed first. When it comes to nutrition and vitamins, your body is going to absorb and utilize what it can at the time.

Your body’s ability to absorb and utilize nutrition will be a factor in your overall state of health. The body’s healing intelligence is always seeking a state of balance. Paying attention to your body’s signals is a simple but powerful way to progressively improve your health.

Your needs for vitamins and nutrition will vary due to lifestyle demand and age. The progress that has been made in the preventative and holistic health industry is remarkable but the choices for products and vitamins can be overwhelming at times.

Breakthroughs in science are now influencing the ways we choose our health products. Biological fluids (urine, saliva and blood) are now being tested in a way that maps out nutritional and hormonal imbalances. Genetic testing and assessments are no longer the next frontier.

Assessing your genetic predisposition for disease and addressing your lifestyle demands is now the way forward in heath and wellness. Health conscious consumers are looking to science and research to determine which vitamins will address these specific ares of health:

* Bone and Joint health

* Heart health

* Neurological health

* Improved Immune health

* Energy and Performance

* Slowing down the aging process and skin repair

* Loss of sleep and nervousness

* Sexual vitality

What we do know is that your body’s innate intelligence is constantly adapting and seeking balance. Varying your vitamin supplements just makes sense; what you need during one stage of your life will certainly differ during another stage. I continue to research the best sources of vitamins and nutrition for myself at any given time. The approach is one of complementary, supplying where there is lack in order to complete it. I highly recommend you adapt this approach for your own optimum health.

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