June 3, 2024 • 52 mins
In this episode of Wellness Connection MD, Dr. Jim McMinn and health coach Lindsay Mathews dive deep into the world of nutritional supplements. They count down their top 10 favorite supplements, explaining the science and research behind each one.
Some of the supplements covered include a quality multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D, probiotics, curcumin, bioflavonoids, magnesium and more. For each supplement, they review studies showing the potential benefits for conditions like heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, arthritis, and more.
As an added bonus, they also discuss the main causes of death and disease, and then list the supplements that have been shown to help with these conditions.
They also discuss the importance of getting supplements from reputable brands, looking out for drug interactions, and working with your doctor. Throughout the episode, Dr. McMinn and Coach Lindsay emphasize taking an evidence-based approach to using supplements safely and effectively.
Whether you're new to supplements or already taking some, this information-packed episode will equip you with the knowledge you need to optimize your supplement regimen for better health and wellness.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Wellness Connection MD podcast.
I'm Dr McMinn.
Ever wonder if the supplementsyou're taking are really doing
any good for you, or whatsupplements should you take in
order to improve your overallhealth?
Well, we have just the show foryou today.
In today's podcast, we'llreview for you our top 10
evidence-based lists ofsupplements.
So kick back and enjoy the show.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Welcome to the Wellness Connection MD podcast
with Dr McMinn and Coach Lindsay, where we bring you the latest
up-to-date, evidence-basedinformation on a wide variety of
health and wellness topics,along with practical take-home
solutions.
Dr McMinn is an integrated andfunctional MD and Lindsay
Matthews is a registered nurseand IIN certified health coach.
Together, our goal is to helpyou optimize your health and
wellness in mind, body andspirit.
(00:53):
To see a list of all of ourpodcasts, visit McMinnMDcom and
to stay up to date on the latesttopics, be sure to subscribe to
our podcast on your favoritepodcast player so that you'll be
notified when future episodescome out.
The discussions contained inthese podcasts are for
educational purposes only andare not intended to diagnose or
treat any disease.
Please do not apply any of thisinformation without approval
(01:14):
from your personal doctor.
And now on to the show with DrMcMinn and Coach Lindsey.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Hello and welcome to Wellness Connection MD, the
evidence-based podcast on allthings wellness.
We thank you so much forjoining us today.
I'm Dr Jim McMinn.
I'm here with our co-host,nurse, certified health coach,
Ms Lindsay Matthews.
Good morning, coach.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Good morning, dr Mack .
Good to be back with you.
Listeners, so listeners, asalways, we come to you today to
bring to you honest,commercial-free, unbiased,
up-to-date, evidence-based,outcomes-oriented information,
along with practical solutionsin order to empower you to
overcome your healthcarechallenges and to optimize your
(01:59):
wellness in mind, body andspirit, and to become the great
captain of your ship which youare when it comes to your health
and wellness.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
And so today we're going to take a dive into the
fascinating world of nutritionalsupplements.
We do recommend supplements inour practice over the years, and
often with excellent resultsand rarely with any downside
effects.
After many years and thousandsof patients using supplements,
we found that most supplementsfall into the category of might
help and probably won't hurt.
So today we're going to giveyou our top 10 countdown of our
(02:30):
favorite supplements and, sincewe're always evidence-based
along the way, we're going to doour best to support the use of
these supplements with somesolid science.
But first we have just a coupleof brief housekeeping duties to
take care of.
Our podcast remains commercialfree, so that we can stay
unbiased, and we're not here tosell you anything and we're not
going to waste your time withany annoying commercials.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
But it does cost money to produce these podcasts.
So think of us like publicradio and consider making a
contribution to help us keep itcoming to you.
So there's a couple ways thatyou can contribute.
First, if you buy nutritionalsupplements, then consider
(03:12):
purchasing physician-gradesupplements from Fullscript
Dispensary at a 10% discount.
You can see the link toFullscript below in the show
notes, or go to mcmindmdcom andthe link is also there at the
bottom of the homepage underhelpful links.
It's quite simple Just click onthe link and they'll guide you
through the process.
It's a win-win you get thosehigh quality supplements at a
discount and we get your supportfor the show and we are forever
(03:33):
grateful for that.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
You can also safely make a contribution to the show
directly via credit card or byPayPal at the support, the show
link which is in the show notes.
And please don't forget tosubscribe to the show and tell
your friends and family about usso we can keep this valuable
information coming to you.
And again, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
And now Dr Mack, on to the show.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Well, all right, Coach, as you know, we often
begin the podcast with a truestory about a real patient, and
when it comes to supplements, wehave so many patients that we
could talk about.
However, there's one guy thatcomes to mind.
He's really a super nice guywho came in with many complaints
, one of which was arthritis.
He was a real active guy, anactive farmer.
He had aches and pains all over, mainly in most of his joints
(04:13):
knees, hips, hands, especially.
So I came up with a treatmentplan for him, and one of the
things I got him on was a fairlyhigh dose of curcumin, which is
a readily available,inexpensive and safe herbal
therapy.
He and I could hardly believethe relief he got from this
curcumin.
As expected, he never had anynegative downside effects from
the curcumin and he had lastingrelief.
This was about 10 years ago and, to my knowledge, he's still
(04:35):
taking it Now.
I'm not saying that curcuminwould have such a dramatic
effect for all people, but itsure worked for my farmer friend
.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I love that story.
So why the choice of curcumin?
We always strive to beevidence-based and there's many
studies which support the use ofcurcumin for arthritis.
So, for example, there was astudy published in the journal
Biomed Central comparingcurcumin to a commonly
prescribed powerful NSAID drugcalled Voltaren.
And before we get into theresults, let me just set the
(05:04):
stage.
Some of the side effects ofVoltaren, especially for
long-term use like this, includeulcers, heart failure, kidney
failure, increased risk of heartattack and stroke, just as a
few.
While with curcumin it'spossible to have side effects,
they're really rare and mild.
So in fact, we've used it onhundreds of patients and we
really don't recall anycomplaining of side effects from
(05:27):
taking curcumin.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
And here's what the study found, coach, the curcumin
was just as good as the fancyhigh-risk drug for pain relief.
In the study, people alsoreported fewer side effects with
the curcumin.
For example, none of the studysubjects taking curcumin needed
any treatment for stomachtrouble, but 28% of those people
taking the Volterra neededtreatment.
And oh, by the way, thosetaking curcumin lost, on the
(05:49):
average, about 2% of their bodyweight after just about four
weeks, whereas the Volterragroup did not have any of these
benefits.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Unfortunately, you know, dr Mack, when we're in
nursing school and then, I'msure, for you, in medical school
, we mainly learn about drugsand surgery and we never learn
about the other valuablesupplements, valuable tools like
supplements Again, ball of themoney, just saying doc.
However, an integrativemedicine approach gives us that
expanded toolbox.
(06:16):
It provides a wide array ofsupplements as part of the
toolbox and these can be a gamechanger for some patients and
also side bonus.
They're usually safe and costeffective.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
The bottom line, coach, is that learning about
supplements and addingsupplements to the therapeutic
toolbox allowed me to become abetter doctor and to help more
patients, some of whom are notresponding to traditional
medical therapies or were havingunwanted side effects to
traditional medical therapies,or who just didn't want to take
more and more drugs.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Right.
So we do want to be clearlisteners from the get-go that
supplements do not take theplace of a proper diet and also
supplements are not for everyoneand not all people will respond
well to supplements.
Some people do need to go orstay on their medications and
supplements should be taken withthe knowledge and blessing of
your medical provider as part ofyour overall treatment plan.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It's also worth noting, coach, that supplements
are not FDA regulated, which Isee as good news and bad news.
On the one hand, it means thatsupplements are not officially
approved to treat reallyanything, so people can use them
for whatever they want.
Also, because they're not FDAapproved as a drug, people don't
need a prescription for them,which makes them more accessible
and sometimes more costeffective.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
The lack of FDA regulation also means that
they're not regulated forquality, though, so when you buy
a capsule of some supplement atyour neighborhood drugstore
online, you don't really knowwhat's in it.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Years ago.
There's an interesting articleIf I recall, it was the New York
Times which described aninvestigation about common
supplements.
They took a bunch of bottlesfrom the shelf at about four
major supplement retailers.
They analyzed the contents andfound that many of the
over-the-counter supplements didnot contain the ingredients
that were claimed on the label.
In some cases, there wereactually other potentially
harmful substances, and that'swhy we always encourage you to
(07:59):
get your supplements from areputable manufacturer.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
And before we get to the specific supplements, let's
briefly touch on the topic ofscientific evidence.
The reason for this is thatdoctors often bash supplements,
saying that there's noscientific evidence that they
work.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
But you know, coach, there's really an undeniable
bias in the medical literatureagainst natural therapies like
supplements.
Medical journals tend to bebiased towards drugs and surgery
.
As always, they follow themoney and look who funds the
studies.
Also, look who pays for the adsin the journals.
It's mainly the drug companies.
In the New England Journal ofMedicine it's been around for
over 200 years and yet you'llhardly ever see a study about
(08:39):
the health benefits of spinach,for instance, and we all know
that eating more spinach is goodfor you.
But there is little money to bemade in journals or drug
companies in performing andpublishing studies about spinach
or even cheap supplements.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
So here's another consideration that we think is
important Listen to theubiquitous Ask your Doctor ads
on TV these days.
They're quite quick to tell youhow great they make you feel.
You see those happy, smilingfaces on the TV, but then the
quite low, fast voice comes onto describe the terrible side
effects, which include blah,blah, blah, blah, blah and death
.
So these drugs are also oftenoutrageously expensive.
(09:15):
For instance, just onetreatment of the cancer drug
Chimera by Novartis costs about$475,000.
Yeah, novartis costs about$475,000.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Yeah, wow, coach, that's pretty amazing $475,000
for one treatment.
Right, that's incredible and youlook at what that's doing to
the cost of healthcare, it'sjust unbelievable.
Yeah, and a lot of these adsthat they talk about on TV with
the Ask your Doctor ads, theyhave this level of evidence
called Mikey Likes it.
In other words, uncle Billytook so-and-so and he feels
(09:46):
better, right, and that's likesome of the worst science you
can ever and that's justnon-science, quite frankly.
And so.
But yet you know, over and over, that's what you hear on those
ads.
You know I took so-and-so, Ifeel better.
Well, of course you're gettingpaid to say that, right.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Right.
So you have to really watch outfor that.
It's just once againnon-science.
So if you have a drug thatcosts a fortune and has a long
list of potentially terribleside effects, then by right
there should be a very high barof evidence to justify the cost
and risks.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
However, if you have a supplement, for instance a
daily multivitamin, that issuper cheap and hardly ever has
side effects, then you know, inmy opinion, the bar of evidence
might be lower.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Since there was relatively less evidence for
many supplements, I actuallyfelt that I needed to build my
own body of evidence.
For instance, if I commonlyrecommended a super green powder
for a bunch of patients andmost of them came back and said
they felt better and had no sideeffects, then to me that begins
to look like evidence that Ican take into consideration for
my future patients.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
So the bottom line is that the evidence bar for a
cheap supplement that isunlikely to hurt you is
different from an expensive drugthat has frequent and sometimes
severe side effects.
However, we always must haveour radar screen up for quackery
.
There are a lot of folks andcompanies out there just trying
to make a buck, just trying tosell something.
You know, we've been goingthrough cabinets at our house
(11:06):
and where we moved in with myin-laws and I love them so much,
but sometimes they buy intothose TV ads and I found several
bottles of like a ketosupplement you know it's like.
You know it had that branding onthe front metabolism burner and
I flip it over and the firstingredient is corn syrup.
Yeah right, you know, so nothelpful.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Yeah, it's interesting too, coach.
I think that sometimes, whenyou look at a supplement like,
for instance, a metabolismburner, they also put on these
words like super duper ormetabolism burner plus or
whatever.
They add these words that makeyou think this is some great
product, when in fact it's abunch of garbage.
You always have to have yourradar screen up, and that's
difficult to do.
That's why we're bringing thisto you and we're doing our best
to make this evidence-based andas we move forward, you might
(11:52):
get tired of some of the studieswe're quoting to you, but we
want to let you know we've doneour homework on this Exactly.
But anyway, let's now move onto discussing some of the
different kinds of supplements.
I've broken them down into thefollowing vitamins, minerals,
herbs, hormones, amino acids,peptide therapy, biologics and
food substances.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
The herbs can be broken down further into the
following Western.
So an example of that would bechamomile tea, which is often
used for sleep.
Then we have the category ofAyurvedic herbs.
An example of this would beashwagandha, which has many
potentially wonderful beneficialproperties.
It's often used for stress,energy and just overall
(12:34):
well-being.
And then the third categorywe've got is Chinese herbs, and
an example of that would beginseng, which is sometimes
recommended for cognitivefunction, vitality as well as
many other potential benefits.
But that whole world of Chinesemedicine herbs are a whole
different ballgame.
It is, and we would really needto have a specialist on the
show to really do that justice.
(12:54):
Maybe one day we will.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, I would love to yeah for sure.
And the next category is calledhormones.
An example of this is DHEA,which is readily available over
the counter as a supplement.
Most hormones, quite frankly,are not sold as supplements.
For instance, you can't go outand buy estrogen pills or
testosterone pills over thecounter, but the DHEA you can.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
An example.
Next category, an example ofamino acids that could be
creatine, which people sometimestake with the intent for
improving strength, power andmuscle growth, and also it can
be great for enhanced recovery.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And peptides are the next one.
They are short chains of aminoacids linked together.
An example of peptide therapyis Sormorelin, that's
S-O-R-M-O-R-E-L-L-I-N, which isa synthetic version of naturally
occurring growth hormonereleasing hormone.
Claims include anti-agingbenefits, athletic performance,
weight loss and many others.
However, I have found thatthese peptide therapies can be
(13:48):
quite expensive and, in my mind,when it comes to the science,
the jury's really still out onthese.
A lot of claims have been made,A lot of people are making a
lot of money off of these, butthe supporting science to me has
been weak at best.
I'm just not convinced when itcomes to these.
I find, Coach, a lot of thehigh-end anti-aging clinics do
these and a lot of guys who havea lot of money are paying big
(14:10):
money for them.
But show me the evidence.
I just never have found them tobe that effective.
So anyway, I'm not high on thepeptide therapy at this point,
although I keep an open mind.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Yes, right, Biologics would be our next category.
An example of that would beprobiotics.
Some examples of foodsubstances being used as
supplements would be super greenpowders, prebiotics, protein
powders and fish oil.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
There are two ways to look at supplements.
Number one would be those thatwould probably help most people
for general, all-purpose healthand wellness, and then number
two would be those I mightrecommend for specific diseases.
So let's move on to our top 10list of supplements.
Coach for general, all-purposeuse.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
And, along the way, we'll make some specific brand
recommendations when appropriatein order to give you some
clarity as to exactly what toget.
As we stated above, you neverquite know what you're getting
with some of these brands, soyou got to be careful, buyer
beware.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
And let me be abundantly clear, we have
absolutely no financial interestin any particular brand.
So we're just going to shootstraight with you, based on our
many years of observation andthousands of patients.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
And I would say the good majority of these are on
our own personal counters aswell.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
You got it.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Our first recommendation is to start with
the good multivitamin.
There are a few companies thatwe can vouch for when it comes
to this good multivitamin.
Douglas Labs and IntegrativeTherapeutics have great products
.
Our favorite multivitamin isOne by Pure Encapsulations O-N-E
, and here's why I find thatmost people can only take so
(15:41):
many pills in a day, andalthough the other brands I
mentioned are good, you got totake four to six to get the
recommended daily dose, but withone multivitamin it is so
simple it's one pill a day.
Chug down one pill and you'redone, and it is chocked full of
good stuff.
Pure Encapsulations makes highquality product that you can
(16:02):
trust, and they tend to be onemore cost effective than some
other high quality brands.
So bottom line, it's one is ournumber one choice for a good
multivitamin.
One other thing I would addthat I like about this
supplement is that it'smethylated.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yeah, there we go, the.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
B vitamins in the one are methylated.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
So, yeah, it's a great product.
It has vitamins, minerals,herbs.
It's just really, as I said,chock full of good stuff.
So we highly recommend it.
I can just imagine some of myother doctor colleagues rolling
their eyes.
Lindsay, I've heard it athousand times.
They tell their patientsvitamins only make for expensive
pee.
In other words, they're sayingthat the vitamins pass right
through you.
You just pee it out.
It doesn't do you any good.
Well, let's take a look at whatthe science says, because, as
(16:43):
you know, this podcast isevidence-based.
So anyway, according to thefindings from a large nationwide
clinical trial published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, taking a multivitaminshowed an estimated 3.1 fewer
years of memory loss compared tothe control group who took a
placebo.
In other words, themultivitamin group was an
estimated 3.1 years younger interms of their memory function
(17:05):
than the placebo group.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Compared to placebo, folks in the multivitamin group
had significantly betterimmediate recall at one year as
well as across the three yearsfollow-up.
So I think that's prettyfantastic.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
It is yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And isn't that one of all of our greatest fears?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Is to not remember.
So also, since vitaminsupplementation is safe,
accessible and relativelyinexpensive, the researchers
suggested that it could beuseful for a whole population,
health intervention as well.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, I would agree.
And another way thatmultivitamins can help you is
eye health, specifically maculardegeneration, which is quite
common and can cause significantvision loss.
Large clinical trials conductedby the National Eye Institute
found that a specificcombination of high-dose
antioxidants and zinc could helpslow the progression of macular
degeneration.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
They have come up with specific recommendations
for this, which is known as theAREDS2 formula.
The ingredients needed toreduce macular degeneration
include, with that, vitamin C,vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein
and zeaxanthin.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Wonderful, yeah, and it's really in specific doses of
each of those.
But unfortunately the 1-MVI orthe 1-multivitamin doesn't have
quite all these ingredients.
They're not exactly in the samequantity that is recommended
for this purpose.
So I actually supplement my onemultivitamin with an eye
formula called Preservision,which was recommended by my eye
doctor Many years ago.
I heard a wise doctor say therewere three things that are most
(18:37):
important to folks as they getolder.
Now, people as we get older, wewant to be able to think, we
want to be able to see, and wewant to be able to think.
We want to be able to see andwe want to be able to move.
So we have solid evidence thatour simple multivitamin regimen
helps with two out of three ofthose things.
Not too bad coach for somethingthat's cheap, readily available
and harmless.
Yes, agreed so those doctors whosay it only helps you have
(18:57):
expensive pee, I'm not buying it.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Right, no.
So the next supplement we willrecommend and, by the way, these
are not in any particular orderso that's fish oil.
Let's take a look at thescience behind it.
So, for heart health, ameta-analysis of randomized
controlled trials showed thatfish oil supplementation can
reduce the risk ofcardiovascular events like heart
(19:21):
attack and stroke inindividuals with a
cardiovascular history or onesthat have elevated risk factors.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Another article from Harvard Medical School looked at
the benefits of fish oil andthey found a significant benefit
of fish oil over placebo.
The fish oil reduced the numberof heart attacks and strokes
and reduced the need for heartstent procedures and also
reduced mortality.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Subsequent meta-analysis, which included
data from over 10 studies, foundfish oil omega-3 supplements
lowered risk for heart attackand death from coronary heart
disease.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And now, Coach, let's take a look at how fish oils
affect brain health andcognitive function.
A study published in thejournal Nutrition found that
higher intake of fish oil wasassociated with better
performance on cognitive testsin older adults.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
And then moving on into the inflammation and
autoimmune disorders, ameta-analysis of randomized
controlled trials showed thatfish oil supplementation can
reduce inflammatory markers inindividuals with various health
conditions, and there's also areview article from 2020 that
was published in Auto ImmunityReviews Journal that suggested
(20:29):
that fish oil has beneficialeffects in the management of
autoimmune diseases such asrheumatoid arthritis and lupus,
because of thoseanti-inflammatory properties.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
And now let's turn to the effects of fish oil on
mental health.
A meta-analysis of clinicaltrials found that fish oil
supplementation has beneficialeffects on the treatment of
depressive disorders, and astudy published in the Journal
of the American College ofNutrition found that fish oil
supplementation can reducesymptoms of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, alsoknown as ADHD, in children.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
I love these studies.
This is exciting.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, it really is, isn't it Coach?
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Yes, high-quality scientific studies also support
the use of fish oil supplementsfor menstrual pain, rheumatoid
arthritis, psoriasis, atopicdermatitis, osteoarthritis and
no, I'm not doing a pharmacommercial right now.
So we also see that fish oilhelps with improved immune
(21:26):
function, gut health, especiallyin situations like irritable
bowel disease.
It improves gut motility andcan improve the gut microbiome.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
How about you?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
there.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Look at them, apples, let's put it in the water
supply, agreed.
So studies also show thatregular supplementation with
fish oil tends to reduce thefrequency and severity of
migraine headaches, and severalstudies have suggested that fish
oil supplementation can reducethe risk of breast cancer.
For instance, a meta-analysisof 26 studies published by the
British Medical Journal in 2013found that higher intake of fish
(21:57):
oil was associated with a 14%lower risk of breast cancer.
That's significant, coach.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Yes, it's really a jack-of-all-trades fish oil.
Randomized double-blindplacebo-controlled trial found
that supplementation with a highdose of fish oil for three
months led to significantimprovements in fatigue, sleep
quality and mood in people withchronic fatigue syndrome.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Another study reported that the chronic
fatigue syndrome patients whoreceive fish oil supplementation
experience a reduction inphysical and mental fatigue, as
well as improvements in overallhealth status and quality of
life.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
And then let's talk about its effect on anxiety.
Systematic review andmeta-analysis published in the
Journal of Clinical Medicinefound that fish oil
supplementation has significantanti-anxiety reducing effects,
particularly in those withclinical anxiety disorders or
elevated anxiety levels.
Many other studies have alsoshown similar results in the
(22:53):
reduction of anxiety and stresswith fish oils.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
You know, coach, it seems like anxiety is an
epidemic and of course there's alot of stuff going on in this
world these days, but I'm justsaying I think that there's
something to this fish oilbusiness.
When it comes to that, themechanism of action seems to be
inflammation.
Neuroinflammation is huge andcan be, I think, the root cause
of lots of things, whether it beanxiety, depression, as well as
(23:18):
a lot of our neurodegenerativediseases, and so I think that
getting that powerfulanti-inflammatory effect from
fish oils can be helpful withall those things.
Now we do have a recommendationfor a particular brand when it
comes to fish oil.
With some supplements we're notthat picky.
For the most part, vitamin C isvitamin C, so you get the cheap
brand, but when it comes tofish oil, it really does matter.
(23:40):
Many fish oils are rancid.
The patient tastes fish orburps fish.
Sometimes they have heartburnwe see it all the time and
there's also a significantconcern about contamination with
mercury when it comes to fish.
So we strongly recommendsomething called Pure Omega
Ultra HP Soft Gels by IntegratorTherapeutics or the Pure Omega
Liquid Fish Oil by IntegratorTherapeutics.
We've had thousands of patientson this supplement and we never
(24:01):
heard any complaints abouttasting fish or burping fish or
heartburn and that kind of stuff, and also Integrative
Therapeutics does a great job oftesting and documenting the
purity of their products,including being mercury-free, so
I think you can trust them.
And before we leave the issue offish oil, I have a caveat I
would like to make on this issue, and there was just an article
(24:22):
that came out a couple of weeksago from the British Medical
Journal.
So the data seems to beevolving and they look into what
we call subgroup analysis andwhat they found was some groups
do better with officials thanother groups.
For instance, if you have apre-existing heart condition,
pre-existing AFib, versussomebody who's not, you're going
to have different outcomes, butI think that's true probably
for all supplements.
(24:43):
They go on in the article toadmit that the evidence remains
mixed and they suggest need forfurther research before
conclusions are reached aboutthis issue.
So I won't go into any furtherdetails about this, but stay
tuned.
As I said, I think the evidenceis evolving and we'll let you
know if we hear anything further.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
You know, in our house we started our kiddos on
fish oil just anecdotally, asbabies Like I think we started
both of them when they were lessthan six months old, just
squirting out a capsule on aspoon.
And now they, they love it.
Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
They just take a taste of it.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Just you know.
Just they love it.
Yum, just the middle of eatinga bowl of ice cream, I can give
them a scoop, literally.
I can give my children a scoopof fish oil while they're eating
something sweet, and it doesnot faze them.
They like it.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I remember years ago I was kind of experimenting and
there was this not the WholeFoods, I think it was.
There was this really wonderfulpina colada flavor fish oil.
Yes, I know exactly what you'retalking about.
Oh my gosh, it's like dessert.
Yes, you know, the liquid fishoils are not bad.
You can get them that have kindof a lemon flavor or orange
flavor and they're really notbad at all.
One nice thing about theliquids is you get a whole bunch
(25:48):
at one time.
I think to really get thebenefit from fish oils you need
about three grams a day of thecombined EPA and DHA.
You could take anywhere fromthree up to 12 grams.
You really can hardly overdosewith fish oils.
So the nice thing about theliquid is, if you get one
tablespoon of the liquid, boom,you've got five grams right
there.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
So it's kind of nice and so.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
I think it's a really easy way to just get in your
adequate amounts.
Yes, agreed but try some ofthat pina colada fish oil yes.
It's really good Okay.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
But try some of that pina colada.
It's really good.
Okay, that's very good, solet's move on.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Then let's talk about vitamin D.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
That's our next one on the docket.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Coach, before we get going with that, I have another
brief true story to tell you,and I always shoot straight with
it.
These are real patients.
But I saw a nice lady in hermid thirties came into the
clinic one day.
Her main complaint, and reallyher only complaint, was severe
depression, to the point ofconsidering suicide.
She felt that really there wasno hope.
She had been depressed sinceshe was a kid.
In fact she could neverremember not being depressed in
(26:48):
her entire life.
She had been through all sortsof therapy talk therapy,
psychoanalysis, you name it.
She had been on everyantidepressant drug in the book
and she let me know that I washer last stop.
The buck stopped here.
It was really kind of quite aresponsibility for me, coach.
I hate to say it, but I reallywas quite concerned about her.
People often came to me becausewhat their traditional doctors
(27:09):
were doing was just not working.
They were hoping that I couldthink outside the box and
magically find some miracle curefor them, and this was always
challenging for me.
It was quite a predicament, butI always did my best to rise to
the occasion and, quite frankly, coach, sometimes I really
surprised myself at how wellsome of this functional stuff
did.
I mean I didn't bat 100%, but alot of them I was able to help,
even though they had failedother therapies.
(27:30):
But in this case it didn't makesense for me to repeat the
things that had already beendone.
So I put on my functionalmedicine thinking cap and asked
the big question why does shehave depression?
In regular medicine we tend tofocus on two things diagnosis
and treatment.
And as regular medicine doctorswe tend to look at the
treatment paradigm through drugglasses.
That's the way we werebrainwashed in medical school
(27:52):
and residency into thinking.
In this case it was prettysimple the diagnosis of
depression and it's pretty clearthat the appropriate treatment
would be Prozac or one of hisfirst cousins right.
But in the functional medicinespace we tend to think deeper
and we dig and dig and dig andtry to find out why does she
have the problem?
And I have a whole list ofpotential causes of depression.
I'll have to do a separatepodcast on that someday.
(28:14):
It's pretty interesting really.
So as I did my workup on her andtried to find out her why, I
found that her vitamin D levelwas super low.
I mean it was like the lowestI'd ever seen.
Coach, literally it should beanywhere from 50 to 100.
I think Harvard Medical Schoolsays something like 40 to 80.
But hers was 5.
I've never seen one so low, soI supplemented her with a
(28:35):
vitamin D3.
And next time I saw her coach,she looked like an entirely new
person.
It was amazing.
The light bulb, which had beendark for years, was now glowing
brightly.
Her depression was completelygone.
She was cheerful, had a bigsmile on her face.
She was very grateful as well,and for the first time in her
conscious life she was living onthe sunny side of life.
It was absolutely amazing,coach, and I was mighty happy
(28:58):
for her.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I love that story and now listeners, I know you guys
are asking why, right?
So there are numerousexplanations for this amazing
recovery.
Vitamin D is believed to play arole in regulating various
neurobiological processes thatmay contribute to the
development of depression, sovitamin D receptors are present
(29:26):
in brain regions involved inmood regulation, suggesting a
direct influence on neuralpathways related to depression.
Vitamin D also hasneuroprotective and
anti-inflammatory properties,which may help mitigate the
neuro inflammation and oxidativestress that are often
implicated in depression.
Or that vitamin D is involvedin the synthesis and regulation
of neurotransmitters likeserotonin and dopamine, which
(29:47):
are crucial for mood regulationand impact depression.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
In Cirrus, Coach, a study showed that at least half
of Americans are deficient invitamin D.
One study suggested that thevast majority of African
Americans and Hispanics havesuboptimal vitamin D.
One study suggested that thevast majority of
African-Americans and Hispanicshave suboptimal vitamin D levels
.
Several studies have foundassociations between vitamin D
deficiency and increased risk ofcognitive decline, dementia,
neurological disorders likeAlzheimer's, Parkinson's and
stroke.
On the other hand, a highervitamin D level this is kind of
(30:14):
interesting, Coach.
If you look at those things Ijust mentioned, there's
definitely associations betweenlower vitamin D levels and all
those things I just talked about.
On the other hand, highervitamin D levels are associated
with better cognitiveperformance, larger brain
volumes and lower risk ofdementia and stroke.
As you know, Coach, for most ofour patients, their doctors had
never checked their vitamin Dlevels, and this includes all
patients, not just depressedpatients.
For instance, with thedepressed woman, she had been to
(30:37):
doctors all her life fordepression and nobody had ever
checked her levels, even thoughthere is a clear connection.
Let's take a look at some ofthe studies on this, Coach.
A meta-analysis showed thatthose with the lowest vitamin D
levels had the greatest risk ofdepression.
Another study showed that 40%of depressed subjects had severe
vitamin D deficiencies.
So one could ask why isn'tevery depressed patient screened
(31:00):
for vitamin D levels?
I don't get it, coach.
Doctors and mental healthprofessionals just turn to their
knee-jerk response, which is,very simply, get out the
prescription pad and write forProzac and do a little
counseling.
I'm just saying, coach, we'rereally missing the ball here and
, quite frankly, this patientsuffered all her life because
nobody ever bothered to checkher vitamin D.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
That's profound.
So we also got to mention,though, that you can take too
much vitamin D and it can becometoxic, and for that reason we
always monitor levels.
Our target range for the labswas 50 to 100.
There is a bit of a safetymargin, since you typically
don't get toxic until you'reover 150.
Most folks did well with 5,000IU vitamin D3 per day, but it
(31:51):
depends on the starting level,so I don't recall anyone coming
back with a toxic level on adose of just 5,000.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
So work with your doctor and get your levels
tested and get into the optimalrange.
And now let's move on to thenext supplement on our top 10
list, and that is probiotics.
Probiotics are livingmicroorganisms, in this case
bacteria, which are introducedinto the body, which are
intended to maintain or improvethe good bacteria in the body.
The discussion about probioticsusually pertains to the gut,
(32:17):
although there are instanceswhere probiotics can also be
beneficial for vaginal or sinushealth.
There seems to be agut-everything connection
gut-brain, gut-bone, gut-skin,gut-sinus, etc.
And one of the most importantthings that regulates gut health
is the status of the gutmicrobiome.
So as we improve the microbiomeof the gut, this can have
far-reaching benefits for theentire rest of the body.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
So let's take a look at the evidence for taking
probiotics.
Probiotics improve digestivehealth.
They help to treat digestiveissues like diarrhea,
constipation, inflammatory boweldisease like ulcerative colitis
or irritable bowel syndrome.
They help to reduceantibiotic-associated diarrhea
by restoring gut flora balance.
(33:01):
They boost immune function andcertain probiotic strains can
stimulate the immune system andmay help reduce the risk and
duration of respiratoryinfections and UTIs.
Urinary tract infections.
Some probiotics may promoteweight loss by preventing
dietary fat absorption,increasing feelings of fullness,
improving gut bacteriaassociated with maintaining a
(33:23):
healthy weight.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Yeah, they also help lower LDL, the bad cholesterol,
which may benefit heart health.
They may alleviate someallergies.
Probiotics taken duringpregnancy or infancy may help
prevent or reduce the severityof certain allergies, like
eczema, in children.
Probiotics may improve mentalhealth, including reducing the
symptoms of anxiety anddepression due to the gut-brain
connection.
And finally, probiotics mayhelp with lactose intolerance,
(33:48):
oral health, vaginal health andsinus health.
There are some studiessuggesting that probiotics can
also reduce the incidence ofcolon cancer.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Well, let's be clear that you can get all the
probiotics through the food thatyou eat too.
That would include things likeyogurt, kefir, kombucha,
sauerkraut and kimchi, but mostof us don't get enough of that
in our diet or any of that, sosupplementation with a good
probiotic can help.
We do have some favorite brandsto recommend Orthobiotics by
Orthomolecular or TherabioticComplete by Clare Labs,
(34:20):
megaspore Biotic is also afavorite too, so there's some to
check out.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Also, I'll mention, if you're interested or
concerned about the vaginalmicrobiome products like
Proflora.
Women's Probiotic byIntegrative Therapies has a
couple of bacterial strains thatare particularly helpful for
maintaining healthy vaginalflora.
Also, one more thing before weleave this issue of probiotics.
I've heard the criticism thatprobiotics only temporarily
colonize the gut, for a fewweeks.
Therefore they don't do anygood in the long term.
(34:47):
But since we're anevidence-based podcast, let's
take a look at some of thescience.
See what that has to say.
While probiotics may notpermanently colonize the gut,
their temporary presence cantrigger long-term changes in the
gut microbiome composition andactivity.
Probiotics can help restore thebalance of beneficial and
harmful bacteria in the gut, andthis improved balance can
persist even after theirprobiotic supplementation stops.
(35:09):
Probiotics can modulate theimmune system and reduce
inflammation in the gut.
These anti-inflammatory effectscan have lasting effects on the
gut, health and overall health.
Some studies have found thatbenefits of probiotics, such as
improved symptoms of irritablebowel syndrome and reduce risk
of antibiotic-associateddiarrhea, can persist for months
after discontinuing theprobiotic use.
Since probiotics influence thegut-brain axis, they can have
(35:32):
lasting effects on brainfunction and behavior, even with
temporary gut colonization.
So, in summary, whileprobiotics themselves may be
only transient.
They can trigger changes in thegut microbiome immune function,
gut-brain axis and provide manyhealth benefits even long after
stopping the supplementation.
Now that we've cleared up thatissue, let's take a look at
(35:52):
prebiotics.
They are related to probiotics,but they're not quite the same.
Prebiotics are defined assubstances, typically high-fiber
foods, that are introduced intothe body that act as food for
the microbiome.
Again, you can get this throughthe food you eat, and examples
of that would be things likefruits, vegetables, beans, whole
grains, garlic, onions andartichokes.
It's certainly worth trying toget the prebiotics you want
(36:14):
through the food you eat.
However, I take fibersupplements like ground flax,
psyllium and a prebioticsupplement from Douglas Labs
called microbiome fiber.
By the way, a good Ayurvedicprobiotic is called Trifala.
You might want to check thatout as well.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Our next member of the top 10 family is
bioflavonoids, aka justflavonoids.
These are a class of biologicalpigments found extensively in
plants, such as various fruits,vegetables, berries, onions,
coffee, chocolate, citrus tea,red wine, flowers and seeds.
Over 10,000 distinctbioflavonoid compounds have been
(36:51):
isolated and identified.
The ones that are most commonlyused for health purposes
include quercetin, rutin,luteolin and fisetin.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Yeah, the bioflavonoids have gained
attention to theiranti-inflammatory and
antioxidant effects.
Studies suggest that they mightbe helpful for cardiovascular
health and eye health.
They may also act as anantimicrobial.
For example, some flavonoidshave the antiviral properties
against influenza.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
They have neuroprotective benefits by
reducing oxidation andinflammation, which are
important in brain and nervoussystem.
Health Studies have shownbenefits to cognitive function
and Alzheimer's prevention withbioflavonoids.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Some flavonoids appear to have anti-cancer
benefit.
For instance, hesperidin fromcitrus may help prevent gastric
cancer.
Quercetin may be effectiveagainst colorectal cancer and
some other studies suggest thatluteolin can actually be helpful
for breast cancer.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
Certain bioflavonoids have been shown to be a
prebiotic food source to ourbeneficial bacteria in the gut
microbiome.
So start with a diverse dietabundant in color, which is what
we call the rainbow diet, andthen, if needed, focus on any
individual flavonoid supplements, depending on your unique
health goals.
There are many productsavailable online which have a
(38:08):
combination of some of the mosthelpful bioflavonoids.
If you get a combo product,then make sure that it has
quercetin in it.
One good one that we like torecommend is Bioflavonoid
Complex by Douglas Labs.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
So next up on our top 10 list is curcumin, which is
one of the active ingredientsfound in the spice turmeric.
It has powerfulanti-inflammatory and
antioxidant, anti-diabetic,antimicrobial and antiviral
effects.
It is said to have beneficialeffects for the heart, cancer
prevention and blood sugarregulation.
We see that both bioflavonoidsand curcumin act as
anti-inflammatories.
(38:43):
So let's take a moment just totalk a bit about the chronic
inflammation, since inflammationreduction is one of the
curcumin's claims to fame.
By the way, we did a wholepodcast on inflammation.
It's number 33 if you want tocheck that out.
But here's the definition ofinflammation Chronic
inflammation is a persistentimmune response that occurs when
the body's defense systemremains active, even when
there's no immediate threat frominfections or injuries.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
All of the top four causes of disease that kill us
heart disease, cancer, diabetes,neurodegenerative diseases.
These are all caused byinflammation.
Beyond that is a list ofdiseases associated with
inflammation that goes on and on, including things like
arthritis.
So the fact that curcumin issuch a powerful
(39:27):
anti-inflammatory explains whyit might be effective against so
many of our health problems.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
Let's take a look at curcumin.
An 18-month double-blindplacebo-controlled trial out of
UCLA found that curcumin led toimprovements in memory and
attention in adults.
Even more impressively, brainscans performed pre and
post-treatment showed objectivedecreases in plaque and tangle
accumulation in the brainregions modulating mood and
memory.
These findings collectivelysuggest that curcumin has
(39:53):
anti-amyloid, anti-inflammatoryeffects and may protect the
brain from neurodegeneration,which is the main issue causing
Alzheimer's, parkinson's and ALS.
Speaker 3 (40:03):
Curcumin has also been found to have a positive
effect on depression and anxiety.
A meta-analysis of eightrandomized controlled trials
concluded that curcuminsupplementation was more
effective than placebo inreducing depressive symptoms,
particularly in individuals withmajor depressive disorder.
Similar studies have also foundcurcumin to be effective for
(40:24):
anxiety.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Some studies also suggest curcumin may be
effective for MS, with betterenergy, mood and fewer lesions.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
When it comes to the heart.
Several studies have indicatedthat curcumin may improve
various risk factors forcardiovascular disease, such as
reducing inflammation, improvingendothelial function,
regulating lipid levels.
Curcumin lowers the LDL, thebad cholesterol, and
triglycerides, and it increasesHDL, the good cholesterol.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Some research has suggested that curcumin may have
beneficial effects on metabolicdisorders such as improving
insulin sensitivity, reducinginflammation associated with
obesity and regulating bloodsugar levels.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Curcumin surprise surprise may also be helpful for
gut health.
It has been found to reduceinflammation and to reduce
histological damage in the colonassociated with inflammatory
bowel disease like ulcerativecolitis and Crohn's disease.
Another clinical trial showedthat curcumin supplementation
improved irritable bowelsyndrome symptoms like abdominal
(41:25):
pain and bloating, and bowelhabit abnormalities.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Some research suggests that curcumin may help
maintain gut barrier integrityand prevent the increased leaky
gut which is associated withvarious gastrointestinal and
other inflammatory conditions.
Curcumin has also been found tomodulate the gut microbiome,
potentially promoting the growthof beneficial bacteria and
inhibiting the growth of harmfulbacteria.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
A study titled Effect of Curcumin on Rheumatoid
Arthritis.
A systematic review andmeta-analysis concluded that
inflammation levels and clinicalsymptoms in patients with
rheumatoid arthritis can beimproved simply by curcumin
supplementation.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
And we don't routinely recommend curcumin as
a weight loss drug.
But interestingly, a studyentitled the Effects of Curcumin
on Weight Loss Among Patientswith Metabolic Syndrome and
Related Disorders and relateddisorders a systemic review and
meta-analysis of randomizedcontrolled trials found that
curcumin intake among patientswith metabolic syndrome and
related disorders was correlatedwith a significant reduction in
body mass index and weight.
Speaker 3 (42:25):
Next up on the curcumin hit list is liver
health.
Several clinical trials inpatients with non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease have foundthat curcumin supplements can
reduce liver fat content, lowerliver enzyme levels and decrease
markers of inflammation andoxidative stress.
Compared to the placebo.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
Turning now to the effects of curcumin on female
reproductive disorders like PCOS, studies have found that
curcumin supplementation canreduce insulin resistance, lower
body mass index, reduceinflammation, decrease levels of
triglycerides, totalcholesterol and LDL cholesterol
in women with PCOS.
It also tends to beneficiallyregulate hormone levels, improve
ovarian function and improvemenstrual regularity.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
And another common female reproductive concern is
endometriosis, and curcumin hasbeen shown to reduce
inflammation, reduce the sizeand number of lesions and
provide a degree of pain reliefand improve quality of life for
patients with endometriosis.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
That's great, you know.
I tell you, I've seen somepatients with that, Lindsay.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Yes, it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Terrible, terrible, terrible, and so anything we do
to help with that.
And, by the way, there's awonderful book I'll mention
right now called the PeriodRepair Manual.
I forget the author's name butoh my gosh, it's so good.
And anybody who has anythinglike PCOS or endometriosis or
any kind of period issue,menstrual issue.
I highly recommend it for folks.
It should really be requiredreading for patients and doctors
(43:50):
.
But anyway, studies have alsoshown benefits of curcumin with
autoimmune disease, chronickidney disease, cancer and lung
disease.
It may be also helpful inCOVID-19.
Studies have suggested thatpeople who take curcumin along
with COVID-19 infection havemilder symptoms and shorter
hospital stays.
One problem with curcumin is itis poorly absorbed and rapidly
metabolized and rapidlyeliminated.
(44:11):
One way to improve absorptionis to take it along with some
black pepper.
And there's also a productcalled Theracumin.
By Integrative Therapeuticsthey managed to make
nanoparticles out of curcumin.
I looked up some of the studieson this and it seems to be
legit.
One study from the BiologicalPharmacological Bulletin
entitled Innovation Preparationsof Curcumin for Improved Oral
(44:32):
Bioavailability found thathealthy human volunteers
administered orally 30milligrams of Theracumin or
curcumin.
For improved oralbioavailability found that
healthy human volunteersadministered orally 30
milligrams of theracumin orcurcumin powder.
There was a 27-fold higherabsorption with the theracumin
than that of the curcumin powder.
And moving on now, the nextsupplement I would like to
recommend is an herbal cocktail.
You can find these online oryou can make an effort to get
herbs in your diet.
(44:53):
However, one thing I do is tomake a combo herbal tea.
I got this idea from awonderful book called the Prime
about Ayurvedic medicine.
In the book, the authorpromoted something called CFC
tea, which stands for cumin,fennel and coriander.
I've added some ginger powder,ashwagandha powder and some
(45:13):
herbs de Provence.
What I do?
I have a dedicated coffeegrinder and in the grinder I put
about half a teaspoon of eachherb along with just a bit of
each powder.
I grind it up and then make atea out of it, and I put a
little bit of honey in it, and Ido this just about every day.
It's a great, inexpensive andeasy way to get a lot of helpful
herbs without swallowing abunch of pills.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
And we are listeners, if you could see, right now
we're in the kitchen of DrMack's beautiful home.
Now we're in the kitchen of DrMack's beautiful home and we are
drinking our tea, and it islovely.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
Every time Lindsay comes over we have some CFC tea
together.
It's nice.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
It's great, so good.
So let's move on and take alook at magnesium.
It's an essential mineral thatplays a vital role in many
bodily functions, and adequateintake is associated with
several health benefits.
So dietary sources of magnesiuminclude things like whole
grains, nuts, seeds, leafygreens and legumes.
There are several differenttypes of magnesium supplements
(46:04):
you'll see on the shelf, sothose names are mag oxide, mag
citrate and mag threonate.
We tend to recommend themagnesium oxide.
It's the most bioavailable anda dosage there could be anywhere
between 100 to 400 milligramsper day.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
And sometimes you can even go up higher than that.
I remember in the ER we used togive intravenous mag a couple
grams, and so it's really prettybenign.
Magcitrate's also good.
There's a popular product outthere called Calm C-A-L-M
magnesium which you can get overthe counter.
It's meant to help people relaxand go to sleep.
I've had some patients who'vedone quite well with this.
However, for many folks theMagcitrate does tend to cause
(46:43):
diarrhea or at least some loosestools, but for those who tend
to be on the constipated side,this could actually be a great
choice.
Mag-3 and 8 seems to be thebest when it comes to to brain
function.
Speaker 3 (46:53):
Now let's take a look at some of the studies
concerning the health benefitsof magnesium.
Several studies have found thatmagnesium supplementation can
improve insulin sensitivity andhelp regulate your blood sugar
levels for people with diabetesor insulin resistance.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Some studies suggest that oral magnesium
supplementation can reduce thefrequency of atrial fibrillation
in certain groups, such asheart failure patients, those
with kidney disease and obesepatients.
Clinical trials have alsodemonstrated significant
reductions in both systolic anddiastolic blood pressure,
especially in individuals withhypertension or those with a
high risk of developinghypertension.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
And let's also look at some of the benefits of
magnesium for brain health.
Studies have shown benefits forcognitive function,
particularly in older adults andthose with mild cognitive
impairment or Alzheimer'sSymptoms of depression and
anxiety.
Magnesium has also been shownto improve sleep quality and it
helps prevent migraine headachesand reduce the frequency and
(47:50):
severity of those headaches.
Speaker 1 (47:52):
Some studies have found that magnesium
supplementation may improve bonemineral density and reduce the
risk of osteoporosis, especiallyin older adults and
postmenopausal women.
Several clinical trials havealso reported magnesium
supplementation can helpalleviate various symptoms
associated with PMS, such asmood changes, anxiety, fluid
retention and cramping suggeststhat magnesium supplementation
(48:17):
may enhance exercise performance, potentially by improving your
energy metabolism, reducinglactate accumulation and
supporting muscle functions.
And now on to our lastsupplement in our top 10 parade,
and this is just taking a goodbrain health support formula.
Let me take just a moment toset the stage here.
Cardiovascular disease is thenumber one cause of death.
However, worldwide, disordersaffecting the nervous system are
(48:39):
the leading cause of illnessand disability, affecting up to
43.1% of the world's population,according to a recent article
in the prestigious Journal ofLancet Neurology.
Speaker 3 (48:50):
So it makes sense to put a high priority on
prevention of these nervoussystem disorders, starting with
diet and lifestyle modalitiesand also adding some targeted
supplementation.
Some of the ingredients whichhave some scientific backing
which you might include orconsider in a formula for brain
health would be curcumin,quercetin, ginkgo biloba,
(49:12):
gachicola, then Pocitine, bacoba, monterrey, alpha, gpc,
adazanthin, huperzine A,resveratrol and Acetyl
L-Carnitine.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
There are many such brain support formulas on the
market, but you're never goingto find a product that contains
all the above ingredients.
The one that I take is calledCogniAid by Designs for Health.
I've tried a bunch of them andthis seems to work well for me.
I've had a lot of patients whotestified they could tell the
difference.
So that about does it for ourtop 10 list.
There are many others thatcould be considered as kind of
an honorable mention list, butfor the sake of time we won't go
(49:47):
into those today.
Okay, now we're closing out nowwith a few pearls of wisdom.
Before you start taking asupplement, look for potential
drug supplement interactions.
You can ask your doctor orpharmacist, or you can find this
information on websites such asWebMD Interaction Checker or
Drugscom Interaction Checker.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
In an attempt to be thorough, we have covered a lot
of ground.
However, if you're like me, youcan only take so many pills, so
you want to choose wisely,based on your particular need,
and for most of us, there arekind of four basics a good
(50:25):
multivitamin a probiotic,vitamin D and fish oil.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Always work with your healthcare provider to make
sure that the supplements anddosing are appropriate for you.
Coach, I think that'll about doit for this episode of the
Wellness Connection MD.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
We hope we're able to sharesomething with you that was
helpful for you.
After all this, why don't we dothe podcast?
Speaker 3 (50:37):
Don't forget to check us out at mcminnmdcom, where
you can find lots of greatresources and check out the
Wellness MD blog Also.
Please help us grow thispodcast by telling your friends
and family about us.
Share on your social media,please.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
And take a moment to rate us on iTunes.
These reviews really do help usout.
We've had some feedback fromsome folks that this could be a
little bit difficult to do, sowe have a dedicated page on the
website to explain exactly howto do this for you, step-by-step
, and you can find this atmcmindycom forward slash reviews
.
If you want to reach out to meby email, you can do so at
drmcminn, at yahoocom.
(51:15):
You can also find me atfacebookcom, slash mcminnmd or
instagramcom, slash mcminnmd.
I'll have all our links at thebottom of the page for you at
our homepage at mcminnmdcom.
And now leave us with a Coach.
Lindsay Pearl of Wisdom.
Speaker 3 (51:31):
Well, thanks, dr Mack .
You know we said this at thebeginning, but I think it's
worth a revisit.
That, and I'll just say it andit may be in a different way
there is no magic pill and, atthe end of the day, no
supplement will replace diet andexercise, and so that's just
always so important to beconsistent with that.
And we've talked about that80-20-90-10 rule where you know
(51:54):
majority of the time you'redoing all those right things,
but gosh, I hope you listenersenjoyed this podcast, though
it's so highly practical.
I hope you enjoyed getting tosee.
You know, these are some of ourbrands.
Welcome to the kitchen here, youknow we're telling you these
are what's on our shelves andwhat we see is important.
We're literally drinking thetea right now that we described
to you in this podcast and theseare important things and we
(52:17):
appreciate you listening.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Well, thank you, coach, for your pearl wisdom,
and that should wrap it up.
Thanks again so much forlistening.
We really appreciate it.
This is Dr McMinn.
Speaker 3 (52:25):
And this is Coach Lindsey.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
Take care and be well , thank you.
Welcome to the Wellness Connection MD podcast.
I'm Dr McMinn.
Ever wonder if the supplementsyou're taking are really doing
any good for you, or whatsupplements should you take in
order to improve your overallhealth?
Well, we have just the show foryou today.
In today's podcast, we'llreview for you our top 10
evidence-based lists ofsupplements.
So kick back and enjoy the show.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Welcome to the Wellness Connection MD podcast
with Dr McMinn and Coach Lindsay, where we bring you the latest
up-to-date, evidence-basedinformation on a wide variety of
health and wellness topics,along with practical take-home
solutions.
Dr McMinn is an integrated andfunctional MD and Lindsay
Matthews is a registered nurseand IIN certified health coach.
Together, our goal is to helpyou optimize your health and
wellness in mind, body andspirit.
(00:53):
To see a list of all of ourpodcasts, visit McMinnMDcom and
to stay up to date on the latesttopics, be sure to subscribe to
our podcast on your favoritepodcast player so that you'll be
notified when future episodescome out.
The discussions contained inthese podcasts are for
educational purposes only andare not intended to diagnose or
treat any disease.
Please do not apply any of thisinformation without approval
(01:14):
from your personal doctor.
And now on to the show with DrMcMinn and Coach Lindsey.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Hello and welcome to Wellness Connection MD, the
evidence-based podcast on allthings wellness.
We thank you so much forjoining us today.
I'm Dr Jim McMinn.
I'm here with our co-host,nurse, certified health coach,
Ms Lindsay Matthews.
Good morning, coach.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Good morning, dr Mack .
Good to be back with you.
Listeners, so listeners, asalways, we come to you today to
bring to you honest,commercial-free, unbiased,
up-to-date, evidence-based,outcomes-oriented information,
along with practical solutionsin order to empower you to
overcome your healthcarechallenges and to optimize your
(01:59):
wellness in mind, body andspirit, and to become the great
captain of your ship which youare when it comes to your health
and wellness.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
And so today we're going to take a dive into the
fascinating world of nutritionalsupplements.
We do recommend supplements inour practice over the years, and
often with excellent resultsand rarely with any downside
effects.
After many years and thousandsof patients using supplements,
we found that most supplementsfall into the category of might
help and probably won't hurt.
So today we're going to giveyou our top 10 countdown of our
(02:30):
favorite supplements and, sincewe're always evidence-based
along the way, we're going to doour best to support the use of
these supplements with somesolid science.
But first we have just a coupleof brief housekeeping duties to
take care of.
Our podcast remains commercialfree, so that we can stay
unbiased, and we're not here tosell you anything and we're not
going to waste your time withany annoying commercials.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
But it does cost money to produce these podcasts.
So think of us like publicradio and consider making a
contribution to help us keep itcoming to you.
So there's a couple ways thatyou can contribute.
First, if you buy nutritionalsupplements, then consider
(03:12):
purchasing physician-gradesupplements from Fullscript
Dispensary at a 10% discount.
You can see the link toFullscript below in the show
notes, or go to mcmindmdcom andthe link is also there at the
bottom of the homepage underhelpful links.
It's quite simple Just click onthe link and they'll guide you
through the process.
It's a win-win you get thosehigh quality supplements at a
discount and we get your supportfor the show and we are forever
(03:33):
grateful for that.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
You can also safely make a contribution to the show
directly via credit card or byPayPal at the support, the show
link which is in the show notes.
And please don't forget tosubscribe to the show and tell
your friends and family about usso we can keep this valuable
information coming to you.
And again, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
And now Dr Mack, on to the show.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Well, all right, Coach, as you know, we often
begin the podcast with a truestory about a real patient, and
when it comes to supplements, wehave so many patients that we
could talk about.
However, there's one guy thatcomes to mind.
He's really a super nice guywho came in with many complaints
, one of which was arthritis.
He was a real active guy, anactive farmer.
He had aches and pains all over, mainly in most of his joints
(04:13):
knees, hips, hands, especially.
So I came up with a treatmentplan for him, and one of the
things I got him on was a fairlyhigh dose of curcumin, which is
a readily available,inexpensive and safe herbal
therapy.
He and I could hardly believethe relief he got from this
curcumin.
As expected, he never had anynegative downside effects from
the curcumin and he had lastingrelief.
This was about 10 years ago and, to my knowledge, he's still
(04:35):
taking it Now.
I'm not saying that curcuminwould have such a dramatic
effect for all people, but itsure worked for my farmer friend
.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I love that story.
So why the choice of curcumin?
We always strive to beevidence-based and there's many
studies which support the use ofcurcumin for arthritis.
So, for example, there was astudy published in the journal
Biomed Central comparingcurcumin to a commonly
prescribed powerful NSAID drugcalled Voltaren.
And before we get into theresults, let me just set the
(05:04):
stage.
Some of the side effects ofVoltaren, especially for
long-term use like this, includeulcers, heart failure, kidney
failure, increased risk of heartattack and stroke, just as a
few.
While with curcumin it'spossible to have side effects,
they're really rare and mild.
So in fact, we've used it onhundreds of patients and we
really don't recall anycomplaining of side effects from
(05:27):
taking curcumin.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
And here's what the study found, coach, the curcumin
was just as good as the fancyhigh-risk drug for pain relief.
In the study, people alsoreported fewer side effects with
the curcumin.
For example, none of the studysubjects taking curcumin needed
any treatment for stomachtrouble, but 28% of those people
taking the Volterra neededtreatment.
And oh, by the way, thosetaking curcumin lost, on the
(05:49):
average, about 2% of their bodyweight after just about four
weeks, whereas the Volterragroup did not have any of these
benefits.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Unfortunately, you know, dr Mack, when we're in
nursing school and then, I'msure, for you, in medical school
, we mainly learn about drugsand surgery and we never learn
about the other valuablesupplements, valuable tools like
supplements Again, ball of themoney, just saying doc.
However, an integrativemedicine approach gives us that
expanded toolbox.
(06:16):
It provides a wide array ofsupplements as part of the
toolbox and these can be a gamechanger for some patients and
also side bonus.
They're usually safe and costeffective.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
The bottom line, coach, is that learning about
supplements and addingsupplements to the therapeutic
toolbox allowed me to become abetter doctor and to help more
patients, some of whom are notresponding to traditional
medical therapies or were havingunwanted side effects to
traditional medical therapies,or who just didn't want to take
more and more drugs.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Right.
So we do want to be clearlisteners from the get-go that
supplements do not take theplace of a proper diet and also
supplements are not for everyoneand not all people will respond
well to supplements.
Some people do need to go orstay on their medications and
supplements should be taken withthe knowledge and blessing of
your medical provider as part ofyour overall treatment plan.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
It's also worth noting, coach, that supplements
are not FDA regulated, which Isee as good news and bad news.
On the one hand, it means thatsupplements are not officially
approved to treat reallyanything, so people can use them
for whatever they want.
Also, because they're not FDAapproved as a drug, people don't
need a prescription for them,which makes them more accessible
and sometimes more costeffective.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
The lack of FDA regulation also means that
they're not regulated forquality, though, so when you buy
a capsule of some supplement atyour neighborhood drugstore
online, you don't really knowwhat's in it.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Years ago.
There's an interesting articleIf I recall, it was the New York
Times which described aninvestigation about common
supplements.
They took a bunch of bottlesfrom the shelf at about four
major supplement retailers.
They analyzed the contents andfound that many of the
over-the-counter supplements didnot contain the ingredients
that were claimed on the label.
In some cases, there wereactually other potentially
harmful substances, and that'swhy we always encourage you to
(07:59):
get your supplements from areputable manufacturer.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
And before we get to the specific supplements, let's
briefly touch on the topic ofscientific evidence.
The reason for this is thatdoctors often bash supplements,
saying that there's noscientific evidence that they
work.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
But you know, coach, there's really an undeniable
bias in the medical literatureagainst natural therapies like
supplements.
Medical journals tend to bebiased towards drugs and surgery
.
As always, they follow themoney and look who funds the
studies.
Also, look who pays for the adsin the journals.
It's mainly the drug companies.
In the New England Journal ofMedicine it's been around for
over 200 years and yet you'llhardly ever see a study about
(08:39):
the health benefits of spinach,for instance, and we all know
that eating more spinach is goodfor you.
But there is little money to bemade in journals or drug
companies in performing andpublishing studies about spinach
or even cheap supplements.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
So here's another consideration that we think is
important Listen to theubiquitous Ask your Doctor ads
on TV these days.
They're quite quick to tell youhow great they make you feel.
You see those happy, smilingfaces on the TV, but then the
quite low, fast voice comes onto describe the terrible side
effects, which include blah,blah, blah, blah, blah and death
.
So these drugs are also oftenoutrageously expensive.
(09:15):
For instance, just onetreatment of the cancer drug
Chimera by Novartis costs about$475,000.
Yeah, novartis costs about$475,000.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Yeah, wow, coach, that's pretty amazing $475,000
for one treatment.
Right, that's incredible and youlook at what that's doing to
the cost of healthcare, it'sjust unbelievable.
Yeah, and a lot of these adsthat they talk about on TV with
the Ask your Doctor ads, theyhave this level of evidence
called Mikey Likes it.
In other words, uncle Billytook so-and-so and he feels
(09:46):
better, right, and that's likesome of the worst science you
can ever and that's justnon-science, quite frankly.
And so.
But yet you know, over and over, that's what you hear on those
ads.
You know I took so-and-so, Ifeel better.
Well, of course you're gettingpaid to say that, right.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Right.
So you have to really watch outfor that.
It's just once againnon-science.
So if you have a drug thatcosts a fortune and has a long
list of potentially terribleside effects, then by right
there should be a very high barof evidence to justify the cost
and risks.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
However, if you have a supplement, for instance a
daily multivitamin, that issuper cheap and hardly ever has
side effects, then you know, inmy opinion, the bar of evidence
might be lower.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Since there was relatively less evidence for
many supplements, I actuallyfelt that I needed to build my
own body of evidence.
For instance, if I commonlyrecommended a super green powder
for a bunch of patients andmost of them came back and said
they felt better and had no sideeffects, then to me that begins
to look like evidence that Ican take into consideration for
my future patients.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
So the bottom line is that the evidence bar for a
cheap supplement that isunlikely to hurt you is
different from an expensive drugthat has frequent and sometimes
severe side effects.
However, we always must haveour radar screen up for quackery
.
There are a lot of folks andcompanies out there just trying
to make a buck, just trying tosell something.
You know, we've been goingthrough cabinets at our house
(11:06):
and where we moved in with myin-laws and I love them so much,
but sometimes they buy intothose TV ads and I found several
bottles of like a ketosupplement you know it's like.
You know it had that branding onthe front metabolism burner and
I flip it over and the firstingredient is corn syrup.
Yeah right, you know, so nothelpful.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Yeah, it's interesting too, coach.
I think that sometimes, whenyou look at a supplement like,
for instance, a metabolismburner, they also put on these
words like super duper ormetabolism burner plus or
whatever.
They add these words that makeyou think this is some great
product, when in fact it's abunch of garbage.
You always have to have yourradar screen up, and that's
difficult to do.
That's why we're bringing thisto you and we're doing our best
to make this evidence-based andas we move forward, you might
(11:52):
get tired of some of the studieswe're quoting to you, but we
want to let you know we've doneour homework on this Exactly.
But anyway, let's now move onto discussing some of the
different kinds of supplements.
I've broken them down into thefollowing vitamins, minerals,
herbs, hormones, amino acids,peptide therapy, biologics and
food substances.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
The herbs can be broken down further into the
following Western.
So an example of that would bechamomile tea, which is often
used for sleep.
Then we have the category ofAyurvedic herbs.
An example of this would beashwagandha, which has many
potentially wonderful beneficialproperties.
It's often used for stress,energy and just overall
(12:34):
well-being.
And then the third categorywe've got is Chinese herbs, and
an example of that would beginseng, which is sometimes
recommended for cognitivefunction, vitality as well as
many other potential benefits.
But that whole world of Chinesemedicine herbs are a whole
different ballgame.
It is, and we would really needto have a specialist on the
show to really do that justice.
(12:54):
Maybe one day we will.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah, I would love to yeah for sure.
And the next category is calledhormones.
An example of this is DHEA,which is readily available over
the counter as a supplement.
Most hormones, quite frankly,are not sold as supplements.
For instance, you can't go outand buy estrogen pills or
testosterone pills over thecounter, but the DHEA you can.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
An example.
Next category, an example ofamino acids that could be
creatine, which people sometimestake with the intent for
improving strength, power andmuscle growth, and also it can
be great for enhanced recovery.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And peptides are the next one.
They are short chains of aminoacids linked together.
An example of peptide therapyis Sormorelin, that's
S-O-R-M-O-R-E-L-L-I-N, which isa synthetic version of naturally
occurring growth hormonereleasing hormone.
Claims include anti-agingbenefits, athletic performance,
weight loss and many others.
However, I have found thatthese peptide therapies can be
(13:48):
quite expensive and, in my mind,when it comes to the science,
the jury's really still out onthese.
A lot of claims have been made,A lot of people are making a
lot of money off of these, butthe supporting science to me has
been weak at best.
I'm just not convinced when itcomes to these.
I find, Coach, a lot of thehigh-end anti-aging clinics do
these and a lot of guys who havea lot of money are paying big
(14:10):
money for them.
But show me the evidence.
I just never have found them tobe that effective.
So anyway, I'm not high on thepeptide therapy at this point,
although I keep an open mind.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Yes, right, Biologics would be our next category.
An example of that would beprobiotics.
Some examples of foodsubstances being used as
supplements would be super greenpowders, prebiotics, protein
powders and fish oil.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
There are two ways to look at supplements.
Number one would be those thatwould probably help most people
for general, all-purpose healthand wellness, and then number
two would be those I mightrecommend for specific diseases.
So let's move on to our top 10list of supplements.
Coach for general, all-purposeuse.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
And, along the way, we'll make some specific brand
recommendations when appropriatein order to give you some
clarity as to exactly what toget.
As we stated above, you neverquite know what you're getting
with some of these brands, soyou got to be careful, buyer
beware.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
And let me be abundantly clear, we have
absolutely no financial interestin any particular brand.
So we're just going to shootstraight with you, based on our
many years of observation andthousands of patients.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
And I would say the good majority of these are on
our own personal counters aswell.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
You got it.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Our first recommendation is to start with
the good multivitamin.
There are a few companies thatwe can vouch for when it comes
to this good multivitamin.
Douglas Labs and IntegrativeTherapeutics have great products
.
Our favorite multivitamin isOne by Pure Encapsulations O-N-E
, and here's why I find thatmost people can only take so
(15:41):
many pills in a day, andalthough the other brands I
mentioned are good, you got totake four to six to get the
recommended daily dose, but withone multivitamin it is so
simple it's one pill a day.
Chug down one pill and you'redone, and it is chocked full of
good stuff.
Pure Encapsulations makes highquality product that you can
(16:02):
trust, and they tend to be onemore cost effective than some
other high quality brands.
So bottom line, it's one is ournumber one choice for a good
multivitamin.
One other thing I would addthat I like about this
supplement is that it'smethylated.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yeah, there we go, the.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
B vitamins in the one are methylated.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
So, yeah, it's a great product.
It has vitamins, minerals,herbs.
It's just really, as I said,chock full of good stuff.
So we highly recommend it.
I can just imagine some of myother doctor colleagues rolling
their eyes.
Lindsay, I've heard it athousand times.
They tell their patientsvitamins only make for expensive
pee.
In other words, they're sayingthat the vitamins pass right
through you.
You just pee it out.
It doesn't do you any good.
Well, let's take a look at whatthe science says, because, as
(16:43):
you know, this podcast isevidence-based.
So anyway, according to thefindings from a large nationwide
clinical trial published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, taking a multivitaminshowed an estimated 3.1 fewer
years of memory loss compared tothe control group who took a
placebo.
In other words, themultivitamin group was an
estimated 3.1 years younger interms of their memory function
(17:05):
than the placebo group.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
Compared to placebo, folks in the multivitamin group
had significantly betterimmediate recall at one year as
well as across the three yearsfollow-up.
So I think that's prettyfantastic.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
It is yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
And isn't that one of all of our greatest fears?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Is to not remember.
So also, since vitaminsupplementation is safe,
accessible and relativelyinexpensive, the researchers
suggested that it could beuseful for a whole population,
health intervention as well.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, I would agree.
And another way thatmultivitamins can help you is
eye health, specifically maculardegeneration, which is quite
common and can cause significantvision loss.
Large clinical trials conductedby the National Eye Institute
found that a specificcombination of high-dose
antioxidants and zinc could helpslow the progression of macular
degeneration.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
They have come up with specific recommendations
for this, which is known as theAREDS2 formula.
The ingredients needed toreduce macular degeneration
include, with that, vitamin C,vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein
and zeaxanthin.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Wonderful, yeah, and it's really in specific doses of
each of those.
But unfortunately the 1-MVI orthe 1-multivitamin doesn't have
quite all these ingredients.
They're not exactly in the samequantity that is recommended
for this purpose.
So I actually supplement my onemultivitamin with an eye
formula called Preservision,which was recommended by my eye
doctor Many years ago.
I heard a wise doctor say therewere three things that are most
(18:37):
important to folks as they getolder.
Now, people as we get older, wewant to be able to think, we
want to be able to see, and wewant to be able to think.
We want to be able to see andwe want to be able to move.
So we have solid evidence thatour simple multivitamin regimen
helps with two out of three ofthose things.
Not too bad coach for somethingthat's cheap, readily available
and harmless.
Yes, agreed so those doctors whosay it only helps you have
(18:57):
expensive pee, I'm not buying it.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Right, no.
So the next supplement we willrecommend and, by the way, these
are not in any particular orderso that's fish oil.
Let's take a look at thescience behind it.
So, for heart health, ameta-analysis of randomized
controlled trials showed thatfish oil supplementation can
reduce the risk ofcardiovascular events like heart
(19:21):
attack and stroke inindividuals with a
cardiovascular history or onesthat have elevated risk factors.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Another article from Harvard Medical School looked at
the benefits of fish oil andthey found a significant benefit
of fish oil over placebo.
The fish oil reduced the numberof heart attacks and strokes
and reduced the need for heartstent procedures and also
reduced mortality.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
Subsequent meta-analysis, which included
data from over 10 studies, foundfish oil omega-3 supplements
lowered risk for heart attackand death from coronary heart
disease.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
And now, Coach, let's take a look at how fish oils
affect brain health andcognitive function.
A study published in thejournal Nutrition found that
higher intake of fish oil wasassociated with better
performance on cognitive testsin older adults.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
And then moving on into the inflammation and
autoimmune disorders, ameta-analysis of randomized
controlled trials showed thatfish oil supplementation can
reduce inflammatory markers inindividuals with various health
conditions, and there's also areview article from 2020 that
was published in Auto ImmunityReviews Journal that suggested
(20:29):
that fish oil has beneficialeffects in the management of
autoimmune diseases such asrheumatoid arthritis and lupus,
because of thoseanti-inflammatory properties.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
And now let's turn to the effects of fish oil on
mental health.
A meta-analysis of clinicaltrials found that fish oil
supplementation has beneficialeffects on the treatment of
depressive disorders, and astudy published in the Journal
of the American College ofNutrition found that fish oil
supplementation can reducesymptoms of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, alsoknown as ADHD, in children.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
I love these studies.
This is exciting.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, it really is, isn't it Coach?
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Yes, high-quality scientific studies also support
the use of fish oil supplementsfor menstrual pain, rheumatoid
arthritis, psoriasis, atopicdermatitis, osteoarthritis and
no, I'm not doing a pharmacommercial right now.
So we also see that fish oilhelps with improved immune
(21:26):
function, gut health, especiallyin situations like irritable
bowel disease.
It improves gut motility andcan improve the gut microbiome.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
How about you?
Speaker 3 (21:36):
there.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Look at them, apples, let's put it in the water
supply, agreed.
So studies also show thatregular supplementation with
fish oil tends to reduce thefrequency and severity of
migraine headaches, and severalstudies have suggested that fish
oil supplementation can reducethe risk of breast cancer.
For instance, a meta-analysisof 26 studies published by the
British Medical Journal in 2013found that higher intake of fish
(21:57):
oil was associated with a 14%lower risk of breast cancer.
That's significant, coach.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Yes, it's really a jack-of-all-trades fish oil.
Randomized double-blindplacebo-controlled trial found
that supplementation with a highdose of fish oil for three
months led to significantimprovements in fatigue, sleep
quality and mood in people withchronic fatigue syndrome.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Another study reported that the chronic
fatigue syndrome patients whoreceive fish oil supplementation
experience a reduction inphysical and mental fatigue, as
well as improvements in overallhealth status and quality of
life.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
And then let's talk about its effect on anxiety.
Systematic review andmeta-analysis published in the
Journal of Clinical Medicinefound that fish oil
supplementation has significantanti-anxiety reducing effects,
particularly in those withclinical anxiety disorders or
elevated anxiety levels.
Many other studies have alsoshown similar results in the
(22:53):
reduction of anxiety and stresswith fish oils.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
You know, coach, it seems like anxiety is an
epidemic and of course there's alot of stuff going on in this
world these days, but I'm justsaying I think that there's
something to this fish oilbusiness.
When it comes to that, themechanism of action seems to be
inflammation.
Neuroinflammation is huge andcan be, I think, the root cause
of lots of things, whether it beanxiety, depression, as well as
(23:18):
a lot of our neurodegenerativediseases, and so I think that
getting that powerfulanti-inflammatory effect from
fish oils can be helpful withall those things.
Now we do have a recommendationfor a particular brand when it
comes to fish oil.
With some supplements we're notthat picky.
For the most part, vitamin C isvitamin C, so you get the cheap
brand, but when it comes tofish oil, it really does matter.
(23:40):
Many fish oils are rancid.
The patient tastes fish orburps fish.
Sometimes they have heartburnwe see it all the time and
there's also a significantconcern about contamination with
mercury when it comes to fish.
So we strongly recommendsomething called Pure Omega
Ultra HP Soft Gels by IntegratorTherapeutics or the Pure Omega
Liquid Fish Oil by IntegratorTherapeutics.
We've had thousands of patientson this supplement and we never
(24:01):
heard any complaints abouttasting fish or burping fish or
heartburn and that kind of stuff, and also Integrative
Therapeutics does a great job oftesting and documenting the
purity of their products,including being mercury-free, so
I think you can trust them.
And before we leave the issue offish oil, I have a caveat I
would like to make on this issue, and there was just an article
(24:22):
that came out a couple of weeksago from the British Medical
Journal.
So the data seems to beevolving and they look into what
we call subgroup analysis andwhat they found was some groups
do better with officials thanother groups.
For instance, if you have apre-existing heart condition,
pre-existing AFib, versussomebody who's not, you're going
to have different outcomes, butI think that's true probably
for all supplements.
(24:43):
They go on in the article toadmit that the evidence remains
mixed and they suggest need forfurther research before
conclusions are reached aboutthis issue.
So I won't go into any furtherdetails about this, but stay
tuned.
As I said, I think the evidenceis evolving and we'll let you
know if we hear anything further.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
You know, in our house we started our kiddos on
fish oil just anecdotally, asbabies Like I think we started
both of them when they were lessthan six months old, just
squirting out a capsule on aspoon.
And now they, they love it.
Oh, wow, yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
They just take a taste of it.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Just you know.
Just they love it.
Yum, just the middle of eatinga bowl of ice cream, I can give
them a scoop, literally.
I can give my children a scoopof fish oil while they're eating
something sweet, and it doesnot faze them.
They like it.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I remember years ago I was kind of experimenting and
there was this not the WholeFoods, I think it was.
There was this really wonderfulpina colada flavor fish oil.
Yes, I know exactly what you'retalking about.
Oh my gosh, it's like dessert.
Yes, you know, the liquid fishoils are not bad.
You can get them that have kindof a lemon flavor or orange
flavor and they're really notbad at all.
One nice thing about theliquids is you get a whole bunch
(25:48):
at one time.
I think to really get thebenefit from fish oils you need
about three grams a day of thecombined EPA and DHA.
You could take anywhere fromthree up to 12 grams.
You really can hardly overdosewith fish oils.
So the nice thing about theliquid is, if you get one
tablespoon of the liquid, boom,you've got five grams right
there.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
So it's kind of nice and so.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
I think it's a really easy way to just get in your
adequate amounts.
Yes, agreed but try some ofthat pina colada fish oil yes.
It's really good Okay.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
But try some of that pina colada.
It's really good.
Okay, that's very good, solet's move on.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Then let's talk about vitamin D.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
That's our next one on the docket.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Coach, before we get going with that, I have another
brief true story to tell you,and I always shoot straight with
it.
These are real patients.
But I saw a nice lady in hermid thirties came into the
clinic one day.
Her main complaint, and reallyher only complaint, was severe
depression, to the point ofconsidering suicide.
She felt that really there wasno hope.
She had been depressed sinceshe was a kid.
In fact she could neverremember not being depressed in
(26:48):
her entire life.
She had been through all sortsof therapy talk therapy,
psychoanalysis, you name it.
She had been on everyantidepressant drug in the book
and she let me know that I washer last stop.
The buck stopped here.
It was really kind of quite aresponsibility for me, coach.
I hate to say it, but I reallywas quite concerned about her.
People often came to me becausewhat their traditional doctors
(27:09):
were doing was just not working.
They were hoping that I couldthink outside the box and
magically find some miracle curefor them, and this was always
challenging for me.
It was quite a predicament, butI always did my best to rise to
the occasion and, quite frankly, coach, sometimes I really
surprised myself at how wellsome of this functional stuff
did.
I mean I didn't bat 100%, but alot of them I was able to help,
even though they had failedother therapies.
(27:30):
But in this case it didn't makesense for me to repeat the
things that had already beendone.
So I put on my functionalmedicine thinking cap and asked
the big question why does shehave depression?
In regular medicine we tend tofocus on two things diagnosis
and treatment.
And as regular medicine doctorswe tend to look at the
treatment paradigm through drugglasses.
That's the way we werebrainwashed in medical school
(27:52):
and residency into thinking.
In this case it was prettysimple the diagnosis of
depression and it's pretty clearthat the appropriate treatment
would be Prozac or one of hisfirst cousins right.
But in the functional medicinespace we tend to think deeper
and we dig and dig and dig andtry to find out why does she
have the problem?
And I have a whole list ofpotential causes of depression.
I'll have to do a separatepodcast on that someday.
(28:14):
It's pretty interesting really.
So as I did my workup on her andtried to find out her why, I
found that her vitamin D levelwas super low.
I mean it was like the lowestI'd ever seen.
Coach, literally it should beanywhere from 50 to 100.
I think Harvard Medical Schoolsays something like 40 to 80.
But hers was 5.
I've never seen one so low, soI supplemented her with a
(28:35):
vitamin D3.
And next time I saw her coach,she looked like an entirely new
person.
It was amazing.
The light bulb, which had beendark for years, was now glowing
brightly.
Her depression was completelygone.
She was cheerful, had a bigsmile on her face.
She was very grateful as well,and for the first time in her
conscious life she was living onthe sunny side of life.
It was absolutely amazing,coach, and I was mighty happy
(28:58):
for her.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I love that story and now listeners, I know you guys
are asking why, right?
So there are numerousexplanations for this amazing
recovery.
Vitamin D is believed to play arole in regulating various
neurobiological processes thatmay contribute to the
development of depression, sovitamin D receptors are present
(29:26):
in brain regions involved inmood regulation, suggesting a
direct influence on neuralpathways related to depression.
Vitamin D also hasneuroprotective and
anti-inflammatory properties,which may help mitigate the
neuro inflammation and oxidativestress that are often
implicated in depression.
Or that vitamin D is involvedin the synthesis and regulation
of neurotransmitters likeserotonin and dopamine, which
(29:47):
are crucial for mood regulationand impact depression.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
In Cirrus, Coach, a study showed that at least half
of Americans are deficient invitamin D.
One study suggested that thevast majority of African
Americans and Hispanics havesuboptimal vitamin D.
One study suggested that thevast majority of
African-Americans and Hispanicshave suboptimal vitamin D levels
.
Several studies have foundassociations between vitamin D
deficiency and increased risk ofcognitive decline, dementia,
neurological disorders likeAlzheimer's, Parkinson's and
stroke.
On the other hand, a highervitamin D level this is kind of
(30:14):
interesting, Coach.
If you look at those things Ijust mentioned, there's
definitely associations betweenlower vitamin D levels and all
those things I just talked about.
On the other hand, highervitamin D levels are associated
with better cognitiveperformance, larger brain
volumes and lower risk ofdementia and stroke.
As you know, Coach, for most ofour patients, their doctors had
never checked their vitamin Dlevels, and this includes all
patients, not just depressedpatients.
For instance, with thedepressed woman, she had been to
(30:37):
doctors all her life fordepression and nobody had ever
checked her levels, even thoughthere is a clear connection.
Let's take a look at some ofthe studies on this, Coach.
A meta-analysis showed thatthose with the lowest vitamin D
levels had the greatest risk ofdepression.
Another study showed that 40%of depressed subjects had severe
vitamin D deficiencies.
So one could ask why isn'tevery depressed patient screened
(31:00):
for vitamin D levels?
I don't get it, coach.
Doctors and mental healthprofessionals just turn to their
knee-jerk response, which is,very simply, get out the
prescription pad and write forProzac and do a little
counseling.
I'm just saying, coach, we'rereally missing the ball here and
, quite frankly, this patientsuffered all her life because
nobody ever bothered to checkher vitamin D.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
That's profound.
So we also got to mention,though, that you can take too
much vitamin D and it can becometoxic, and for that reason we
always monitor levels.
Our target range for the labswas 50 to 100.
There is a bit of a safetymargin, since you typically
don't get toxic until you'reover 150.
Most folks did well with 5,000IU vitamin D3 per day, but it
(31:51):
depends on the starting level,so I don't recall anyone coming
back with a toxic level on adose of just 5,000.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
So work with your doctor and get your levels
tested and get into the optimalrange.
And now let's move on to thenext supplement on our top 10
list, and that is probiotics.
Probiotics are livingmicroorganisms, in this case
bacteria, which are introducedinto the body, which are
intended to maintain or improvethe good bacteria in the body.
The discussion about probioticsusually pertains to the gut,
(32:17):
although there are instanceswhere probiotics can also be
beneficial for vaginal or sinushealth.
There seems to be agut-everything connection
gut-brain, gut-bone, gut-skin,gut-sinus, etc.
And one of the most importantthings that regulates gut health
is the status of the gutmicrobiome.
So as we improve the microbiomeof the gut, this can have
far-reaching benefits for theentire rest of the body.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
So let's take a look at the evidence for taking
probiotics.
Probiotics improve digestivehealth.
They help to treat digestiveissues like diarrhea,
constipation, inflammatory boweldisease like ulcerative colitis
or irritable bowel syndrome.
They help to reduceantibiotic-associated diarrhea
by restoring gut flora balance.
(33:01):
They boost immune function andcertain probiotic strains can
stimulate the immune system andmay help reduce the risk and
duration of respiratoryinfections and UTIs.
Urinary tract infections.
Some probiotics may promoteweight loss by preventing
dietary fat absorption,increasing feelings of fullness,
improving gut bacteriaassociated with maintaining a
(33:23):
healthy weight.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Yeah, they also help lower LDL, the bad cholesterol,
which may benefit heart health.
They may alleviate someallergies.
Probiotics taken duringpregnancy or infancy may help
prevent or reduce the severityof certain allergies, like
eczema, in children.
Probiotics may improve mentalhealth, including reducing the
symptoms of anxiety anddepression due to the gut-brain
connection.
And finally, probiotics mayhelp with lactose intolerance,
(33:48):
oral health, vaginal health andsinus health.
There are some studiessuggesting that probiotics can
also reduce the incidence ofcolon cancer.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Well, let's be clear that you can get all the
probiotics through the food thatyou eat too.
That would include things likeyogurt, kefir, kombucha,
sauerkraut and kimchi, but mostof us don't get enough of that
in our diet or any of that, sosupplementation with a good
probiotic can help.
We do have some favorite brandsto recommend Orthobiotics by
Orthomolecular or TherabioticComplete by Clare Labs,
(34:20):
megaspore Biotic is also afavorite too, so there's some to
check out.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Also, I'll mention, if you're interested or
concerned about the vaginalmicrobiome products like
Proflora.
Women's Probiotic byIntegrative Therapies has a
couple of bacterial strains thatare particularly helpful for
maintaining healthy vaginalflora.
Also, one more thing before weleave this issue of probiotics.
I've heard the criticism thatprobiotics only temporarily
colonize the gut, for a fewweeks.
Therefore they don't do anygood in the long term.
(34:47):
But since we're anevidence-based podcast, let's
take a look at some of thescience.
See what that has to say.
While probiotics may notpermanently colonize the gut,
their temporary presence cantrigger long-term changes in the
gut microbiome composition andactivity.
Probiotics can help restore thebalance of beneficial and
harmful bacteria in the gut, andthis improved balance can
persist even after theirprobiotic supplementation stops.
(35:09):
Probiotics can modulate theimmune system and reduce
inflammation in the gut.
These anti-inflammatory effectscan have lasting effects on the
gut, health and overall health.
Some studies have found thatbenefits of probiotics, such as
improved symptoms of irritablebowel syndrome and reduce risk
of antibiotic-associateddiarrhea, can persist for months
after discontinuing theprobiotic use.
Since probiotics influence thegut-brain axis, they can have
(35:32):
lasting effects on brainfunction and behavior, even with
temporary gut colonization.
So, in summary, whileprobiotics themselves may be
only transient.
They can trigger changes in thegut microbiome immune function,
gut-brain axis and provide manyhealth benefits even long after
stopping the supplementation.
Now that we've cleared up thatissue, let's take a look at
(35:52):
prebiotics.
They are related to probiotics,but they're not quite the same.
Prebiotics are defined assubstances, typically high-fiber
foods, that are introduced intothe body that act as food for
the microbiome.
Again, you can get this throughthe food you eat, and examples
of that would be things likefruits, vegetables, beans, whole
grains, garlic, onions andartichokes.
It's certainly worth trying toget the prebiotics you want
(36:14):
through the food you eat.
However, I take fibersupplements like ground flax,
psyllium and a prebioticsupplement from Douglas Labs
called microbiome fiber.
By the way, a good Ayurvedicprobiotic is called Trifala.
You might want to check thatout as well.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
Our next member of the top 10 family is
bioflavonoids, aka justflavonoids.
These are a class of biologicalpigments found extensively in
plants, such as various fruits,vegetables, berries, onions,
coffee, chocolate, citrus tea,red wine, flowers and seeds.
Over 10,000 distinctbioflavonoid compounds have been
(36:51):
isolated and identified.
The ones that are most commonlyused for health purposes
include quercetin, rutin,luteolin and fisetin.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Yeah, the bioflavonoids have gained
attention to theiranti-inflammatory and
antioxidant effects.
Studies suggest that they mightbe helpful for cardiovascular
health and eye health.
They may also act as anantimicrobial.
For example, some flavonoidshave the antiviral properties
against influenza.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
They have neuroprotective benefits by
reducing oxidation andinflammation, which are
important in brain and nervoussystem.
Health Studies have shownbenefits to cognitive function
and Alzheimer's prevention withbioflavonoids.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Some flavonoids appear to have anti-cancer
benefit.
For instance, hesperidin fromcitrus may help prevent gastric
cancer.
Quercetin may be effectiveagainst colorectal cancer and
some other studies suggest thatluteolin can actually be helpful
for breast cancer.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
Certain bioflavonoids have been shown to be a
prebiotic food source to ourbeneficial bacteria in the gut
microbiome.
So start with a diverse dietabundant in color, which is what
we call the rainbow diet, andthen, if needed, focus on any
individual flavonoid supplements, depending on your unique
health goals.
There are many productsavailable online which have a
(38:08):
combination of some of the mosthelpful bioflavonoids.
If you get a combo product,then make sure that it has
quercetin in it.
One good one that we like torecommend is Bioflavonoid
Complex by Douglas Labs.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
So next up on our top 10 list is curcumin, which is
one of the active ingredientsfound in the spice turmeric.
It has powerfulanti-inflammatory and
antioxidant, anti-diabetic,antimicrobial and antiviral
effects.
It is said to have beneficialeffects for the heart, cancer
prevention and blood sugarregulation.
We see that both bioflavonoidsand curcumin act as
anti-inflammatories.
(38:43):
So let's take a moment just totalk a bit about the chronic
inflammation, since inflammationreduction is one of the
curcumin's claims to fame.
By the way, we did a wholepodcast on inflammation.
It's number 33 if you want tocheck that out.
But here's the definition ofinflammation Chronic
inflammation is a persistentimmune response that occurs when
the body's defense systemremains active, even when
there's no immediate threat frominfections or injuries.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
All of the top four causes of disease that kill us
heart disease, cancer, diabetes,neurodegenerative diseases.
These are all caused byinflammation.
Beyond that is a list ofdiseases associated with
inflammation that goes on and on, including things like
arthritis.
So the fact that curcumin issuch a powerful
(39:27):
anti-inflammatory explains whyit might be effective against so
many of our health problems.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
Let's take a look at curcumin.
An 18-month double-blindplacebo-controlled trial out of
UCLA found that curcumin led toimprovements in memory and
attention in adults.
Even more impressively, brainscans performed pre and
post-treatment showed objectivedecreases in plaque and tangle
accumulation in the brainregions modulating mood and
memory.
These findings collectivelysuggest that curcumin has
(39:53):
anti-amyloid, anti-inflammatoryeffects and may protect the
brain from neurodegeneration,which is the main issue causing
Alzheimer's, parkinson's and ALS.
Speaker 3 (40:03):
Curcumin has also been found to have a positive
effect on depression and anxiety.
A meta-analysis of eightrandomized controlled trials
concluded that curcuminsupplementation was more
effective than placebo inreducing depressive symptoms,
particularly in individuals withmajor depressive disorder.
Similar studies have also foundcurcumin to be effective for
(40:24):
anxiety.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Some studies also suggest curcumin may be
effective for MS, with betterenergy, mood and fewer lesions.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
When it comes to the heart.
Several studies have indicatedthat curcumin may improve
various risk factors forcardiovascular disease, such as
reducing inflammation, improvingendothelial function,
regulating lipid levels.
Curcumin lowers the LDL, thebad cholesterol, and
triglycerides, and it increasesHDL, the good cholesterol.
Speaker 1 (40:54):
Some research has suggested that curcumin may have
beneficial effects on metabolicdisorders such as improving
insulin sensitivity, reducinginflammation associated with
obesity and regulating bloodsugar levels.
Speaker 3 (41:05):
Curcumin surprise surprise may also be helpful for
gut health.
It has been found to reduceinflammation and to reduce
histological damage in the colonassociated with inflammatory
bowel disease like ulcerativecolitis and Crohn's disease.
Another clinical trial showedthat curcumin supplementation
improved irritable bowelsyndrome symptoms like abdominal
(41:25):
pain and bloating, and bowelhabit abnormalities.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Some research suggests that curcumin may help
maintain gut barrier integrityand prevent the increased leaky
gut which is associated withvarious gastrointestinal and
other inflammatory conditions.
Curcumin has also been found tomodulate the gut microbiome,
potentially promoting the growthof beneficial bacteria and
inhibiting the growth of harmfulbacteria.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
A study titled Effect of Curcumin on Rheumatoid
Arthritis.
A systematic review andmeta-analysis concluded that
inflammation levels and clinicalsymptoms in patients with
rheumatoid arthritis can beimproved simply by curcumin
supplementation.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
And we don't routinely recommend curcumin as
a weight loss drug.
But interestingly, a studyentitled the Effects of Curcumin
on Weight Loss Among Patientswith Metabolic Syndrome and
Related Disorders and relateddisorders a systemic review and
meta-analysis of randomizedcontrolled trials found that
curcumin intake among patientswith metabolic syndrome and
related disorders was correlatedwith a significant reduction in
body mass index and weight.
Speaker 3 (42:25):
Next up on the curcumin hit list is liver
health.
Several clinical trials inpatients with non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease have foundthat curcumin supplements can
reduce liver fat content, lowerliver enzyme levels and decrease
markers of inflammation andoxidative stress.
Compared to the placebo.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
Turning now to the effects of curcumin on female
reproductive disorders like PCOS, studies have found that
curcumin supplementation canreduce insulin resistance, lower
body mass index, reduceinflammation, decrease levels of
triglycerides, totalcholesterol and LDL cholesterol
in women with PCOS.
It also tends to beneficiallyregulate hormone levels, improve
ovarian function and improvemenstrual regularity.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
And another common female reproductive concern is
endometriosis, and curcumin hasbeen shown to reduce
inflammation, reduce the sizeand number of lesions and
provide a degree of pain reliefand improve quality of life for
patients with endometriosis.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
That's great, you know.
I tell you, I've seen somepatients with that, Lindsay.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Yes, it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Terrible, terrible, terrible, and so anything we do
to help with that.
And, by the way, there's awonderful book I'll mention
right now called the PeriodRepair Manual.
I forget the author's name butoh my gosh, it's so good.
And anybody who has anythinglike PCOS or endometriosis or
any kind of period issue,menstrual issue.
I highly recommend it for folks.
It should really be requiredreading for patients and doctors
(43:50):
.
But anyway, studies have alsoshown benefits of curcumin with
autoimmune disease, chronickidney disease, cancer and lung
disease.
It may be also helpful inCOVID-19.
Studies have suggested thatpeople who take curcumin along
with COVID-19 infection havemilder symptoms and shorter
hospital stays.
One problem with curcumin is itis poorly absorbed and rapidly
metabolized and rapidlyeliminated.
(44:11):
One way to improve absorptionis to take it along with some
black pepper.
And there's also a productcalled Theracumin.
By Integrative Therapeuticsthey managed to make
nanoparticles out of curcumin.
I looked up some of the studieson this and it seems to be
legit.
One study from the BiologicalPharmacological Bulletin
entitled Innovation Preparationsof Curcumin for Improved Oral
(44:32):
Bioavailability found thathealthy human volunteers
administered orally 30milligrams of Theracumin or
curcumin.
For improved oralbioavailability found that
healthy human volunteersadministered orally 30
milligrams of theracumin orcurcumin powder.
There was a 27-fold higherabsorption with the theracumin
than that of the curcumin powder.
And moving on now, the nextsupplement I would like to
recommend is an herbal cocktail.
You can find these online oryou can make an effort to get
herbs in your diet.
(44:53):
However, one thing I do is tomake a combo herbal tea.
I got this idea from awonderful book called the Prime
about Ayurvedic medicine.
In the book, the authorpromoted something called CFC
tea, which stands for cumin,fennel and coriander.
I've added some ginger powder,ashwagandha powder and some
(45:13):
herbs de Provence.
What I do?
I have a dedicated coffeegrinder and in the grinder I put
about half a teaspoon of eachherb along with just a bit of
each powder.
I grind it up and then make atea out of it, and I put a
little bit of honey in it, and Ido this just about every day.
It's a great, inexpensive andeasy way to get a lot of helpful
herbs without swallowing abunch of pills.
Speaker 3 (45:28):
And we are listeners, if you could see, right now
we're in the kitchen of DrMack's beautiful home.
Now we're in the kitchen of DrMack's beautiful home and we are
drinking our tea, and it islovely.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
Every time Lindsay comes over we have some CFC tea
together.
It's nice.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
It's great, so good.
So let's move on and take alook at magnesium.
It's an essential mineral thatplays a vital role in many
bodily functions, and adequateintake is associated with
several health benefits.
So dietary sources of magnesiuminclude things like whole
grains, nuts, seeds, leafygreens and legumes.
There are several differenttypes of magnesium supplements
(46:04):
you'll see on the shelf, sothose names are mag oxide, mag
citrate and mag threonate.
We tend to recommend themagnesium oxide.
It's the most bioavailable anda dosage there could be anywhere
between 100 to 400 milligramsper day.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
And sometimes you can even go up higher than that.
I remember in the ER we used togive intravenous mag a couple
grams, and so it's really prettybenign.
Magcitrate's also good.
There's a popular product outthere called Calm C-A-L-M
magnesium which you can get overthe counter.
It's meant to help people relaxand go to sleep.
I've had some patients who'vedone quite well with this.
However, for many folks theMagcitrate does tend to cause
(46:43):
diarrhea or at least some loosestools, but for those who tend
to be on the constipated side,this could actually be a great
choice.
Mag-3 and 8 seems to be thebest when it comes to to brain
function.
Speaker 3 (46:53):
Now let's take a look at some of the studies
concerning the health benefitsof magnesium.
Several studies have found thatmagnesium supplementation can
improve insulin sensitivity andhelp regulate your blood sugar
levels for people with diabetesor insulin resistance.
Speaker 1 (47:09):
Some studies suggest that oral magnesium
supplementation can reduce thefrequency of atrial fibrillation
in certain groups, such asheart failure patients, those
with kidney disease and obesepatients.
Clinical trials have alsodemonstrated significant
reductions in both systolic anddiastolic blood pressure,
especially in individuals withhypertension or those with a
high risk of developinghypertension.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
And let's also look at some of the benefits of
magnesium for brain health.
Studies have shown benefits forcognitive function,
particularly in older adults andthose with mild cognitive
impairment or Alzheimer'sSymptoms of depression and
anxiety.
Magnesium has also been shownto improve sleep quality and it
helps prevent migraine headachesand reduce the frequency and
(47:50):
severity of those headaches.
Speaker 1 (47:52):
Some studies have found that magnesium
supplementation may improve bonemineral density and reduce the
risk of osteoporosis, especiallyin older adults and
postmenopausal women.
Several clinical trials havealso reported magnesium
supplementation can helpalleviate various symptoms
associated with PMS, such asmood changes, anxiety, fluid
retention and cramping suggeststhat magnesium supplementation
(48:17):
may enhance exercise performance, potentially by improving your
energy metabolism, reducinglactate accumulation and
supporting muscle functions.
And now on to our lastsupplement in our top 10 parade,
and this is just taking a goodbrain health support formula.
Let me take just a moment toset the stage here.
Cardiovascular disease is thenumber one cause of death.
However, worldwide, disordersaffecting the nervous system are
(48:39):
the leading cause of illnessand disability, affecting up to
43.1% of the world's population,according to a recent article
in the prestigious Journal ofLancet Neurology.
Speaker 3 (48:50):
So it makes sense to put a high priority on
prevention of these nervoussystem disorders, starting with
diet and lifestyle modalitiesand also adding some targeted
supplementation.
Some of the ingredients whichhave some scientific backing
which you might include orconsider in a formula for brain
health would be curcumin,quercetin, ginkgo biloba,
(49:12):
gachicola, then Pocitine, bacoba, monterrey, alpha, gpc,
adazanthin, huperzine A,resveratrol and Acetyl
L-Carnitine.
Speaker 1 (49:25):
There are many such brain support formulas on the
market, but you're never goingto find a product that contains
all the above ingredients.
The one that I take is calledCogniAid by Designs for Health.
I've tried a bunch of them andthis seems to work well for me.
I've had a lot of patients whotestified they could tell the
difference.
So that about does it for ourtop 10 list.
There are many others thatcould be considered as kind of
an honorable mention list, butfor the sake of time we won't go
(49:47):
into those today.
Okay, now we're closing out nowwith a few pearls of wisdom.
Before you start taking asupplement, look for potential
drug supplement interactions.
You can ask your doctor orpharmacist, or you can find this
information on websites such asWebMD Interaction Checker or
Drugscom Interaction Checker.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
In an attempt to be thorough, we have covered a lot
of ground.
However, if you're like me, youcan only take so many pills, so
you want to choose wisely,based on your particular need,
and for most of us, there arekind of four basics a good
(50:25):
multivitamin a probiotic,vitamin D and fish oil.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Always work with your healthcare provider to make
sure that the supplements anddosing are appropriate for you.
Coach, I think that'll about doit for this episode of the
Wellness Connection MD.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
We hope we're able to sharesomething with you that was
helpful for you.
After all this, why don't we dothe podcast?
Speaker 3 (50:37):
Don't forget to check us out at mcminnmdcom, where
you can find lots of greatresources and check out the
Wellness MD blog Also.
Please help us grow thispodcast by telling your friends
and family about us.
Share on your social media,please.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
And take a moment to rate us on iTunes.
These reviews really do help usout.
We've had some feedback fromsome folks that this could be a
little bit difficult to do, sowe have a dedicated page on the
website to explain exactly howto do this for you, step-by-step
, and you can find this atmcmindycom forward slash reviews
.
If you want to reach out to meby email, you can do so at
drmcminn, at yahoocom.
(51:15):
You can also find me atfacebookcom, slash mcminnmd or
instagramcom, slash mcminnmd.
I'll have all our links at thebottom of the page for you at
our homepage at mcminnmdcom.
And now leave us with a Coach.
Lindsay Pearl of Wisdom.
Speaker 3 (51:31):
Well, thanks, dr Mack .
You know we said this at thebeginning, but I think it's
worth a revisit.
That, and I'll just say it andit may be in a different way
there is no magic pill and, atthe end of the day, no
supplement will replace diet andexercise, and so that's just
always so important to beconsistent with that.
And we've talked about that80-20-90-10 rule where you know
(51:54):
majority of the time you'redoing all those right things,
but gosh, I hope you listenersenjoyed this podcast, though
it's so highly practical.
I hope you enjoyed getting tosee.
You know, these are some of ourbrands.
Welcome to the kitchen here, youknow we're telling you these
are what's on our shelves andwhat we see is important.
We're literally drinking thetea right now that we described
to you in this podcast and theseare important things and we
(52:17):
appreciate you listening.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
Well, thank you, coach, for your pearl wisdom,
and that should wrap it up.
Thanks again so much forlistening.
We really appreciate it.
This is Dr McMinn.
Speaker 3 (52:25):
And this is Coach Lindsey.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
Take care and be well , thank you.
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