Q: Why do you not recommend supplements? Not even a good multivitamin/mineral supplement?
A: I don’t recommend supplements because there is a very real possibility of harm outweighing any benefit. Why waste your money on something not proven to be beneficial and possibly harmful? Recent medical studies have shown that supplements don’t supply the same benefits of the ingredient found naturally in food. It makes more sense to get the nutrients you need by eating locally grown fresh foods from reputable producers. To learn more about the locally grown food movement click here.
Further Reading:
Supplements That Have Been Shown to Lower High Blood Pressure – LiveStrong.com
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Supplements for specific purposes do help (a little) but, like drugs, they must be carefully individualized. Food is the most powerful drug but, again, the diet must be customized for your metabolism type. The best “supplement” for high blood pressure is consistent aerobic exercise. Somehow people have no problem going to a doctor for prescription medication but think there is a “universal recommendations” for supplements and diet, just because they are “natural”. Find a good integrative doctor.
the above reply is a typical reply from a Pharma controlled Doctor who uses a Text Book approach for all replies, like the other Gentleman with “Blood Pressure” telling him to go back to where he is being hurted from in the first place
As if presctiptions aren’t harmful!! Give me a break. I think we might possibly take our chances with supplements, we take our chances to do nothing, and we take major chances to take pharma gotchas.
Personally I believe in supplements, the one I have had the most success with thus far is when I added a cinnamon supplement twice a day – my blood pressure went way down!
Interesting, cinnamon. I’ve heard this before, but discounted it. How long have you been using the cinnamon?
Oh lord . . if everyone could GET “locally grown fresh foods from reputable producers” and everyone had the MONEY to be able to eat this way–this answer would make some sense. What utopia does this doctor live in?!!
the body is a chemistry experiement. I find that incremental changes in diet and supplements (very small doses,) can have a huge effect on how I feel. I am now doing tons of research on nutrition and performing little experiments with changes in diet and some supplements. I do think food is a drug. I have seen what carbs (fast metabolizing carbs that is,) do to my BP and have largely eliminated them. Cutting down on sugar radically as well. Huge differences. Not on BP meds anymore. Now reading about fats and learning a lot about good and bad fats. And yes, there are good ones! Am planning on adding the cinammon for blod sugar control. Re Supplements-just don’t go crazy-don’t overload and do your homework. You can’t just take a huge dose of one thing- you have to learn what goes with what and be conservative-that will keep you safe. Many modern supplements are derived from food sources and are very bio available.
In post menopausal women, calcium and Vitamin D are needed supplements. With minimal to negative levels of estrogen, women need Calcium and Vitamin D to maintain bone. Frequently, a bone building type drug like Fosamax is essential. Your premenopausal bones are maintained with estrogen. Your postmenopausal bones without estrogen need at least Calcium and Vitamin D supplements at a minimum.
Suplements cause more harm than benefits?
I have never heard in my life more stupid answer from any doctor.
(and I’m almost 70.)
Doctors tend to be the MOST misinformed people around when it comes to nutrition. Our food is so defunct that it is ESSENTIAL to supplement. Flipping 80% of us do not have enough magnesium – and blood tests are problematic when it comes to diagnosing this (see Carolyn Dean, a Mg expert) which has myriad bad effects – high BP being only one. Also almost 100% of us suffer from insufficient carboxylation of K-dependent proteins (carboxylation is activation) which means that we inappropriately deposit calcium in our arteries…a HUGE CAUSE of high BP. See clinicaltrials.gov and enter vitamin K (they are still befuddled about the difference of K1 and K2, but look into it and be amazed as the profound effects of insufficiency of K2 – and the new food guidelines just exacerbate this). And good old D is also mostly lacking in us, in spite of the dopes of the FNB of the IOM and their recent terrible “findings.”
High BP would mostly disappear if we weren’t so malnourished. And since our food is defunct, supplements with information are the only way to go. Missing potassium is also the norm and also causes high BP. And we need more REAL salt, since the Cl in NaCl is needed to make the hydrochloric acid we use to digest our food and acquire its nutrients. Those on PPIs are set up to fail because they are malnourished. In short, look into nutrition – and not from the ADA, who is funded by the food industry. You’ll be surprised.
Can you tell me a prescription medication without side effects. Prescribed drugs cause many many deaths per year. Ever heard of a supplement that caused a death?? Neither have I. If a supplement works, use that before any big Pharma medication. If Big Pharam could patent supplements they would.
In fact, they have managed to patent a fish oil at $1.00 a pill that has no parallel studies I could find with purified fish oil sold over the counter to show that it is better.
That statement couldn’t be further from the truth! Ask yourself why the nutritional supplement businesses are some of the most profitable and successful businesses around…..and ask yourself why Big Pharma continually plots to try to get them over regulated. Why? They don’t want you to use them because then you might not take all the medications doctors are rampantly prescribing! The best thing a person can do is to do their own research. Think about how one drug company took a fish oil supplement and actually made their own version of it, claiming that it is essential in heart health! And those get major advertising, even on television. If that statement were true, would that be happening? Think about it.
This doctor is primarily interested in selling RESPeRATE and shilling for Big Pharma . Obviously Big Pharma supplies her only information on supplements and she must not do any independent research. There are MANY MANY prescription meds where the harm out weighs the benefit. Side effects of prescription drugs are many and sometimes even lead to death. Have you ever heard of a supplement (vitamins and herbs) causing death??
So it would seem. Dr R is pretty conservative when it comes to unconventional treatment of high BP, with the exception of Resperate.
A normal American diet will provide all the vitamins needed, however, it may not provide all the minerals,
usually included in supplements, that are needed.
The normal american diet does not supply all the needed vitamins and other substances because of growing practices in this country. Also, american diets usually do not contain enough fruits and vegetables. Oh, I forgot, Congress has just classified PIZZA as a vegetable for school lunches.
What’s up with that?==it is the Pizza lobby!!!!
I disagree with Dr. R. I do find Resperate helpful, but also find supplementing with Arginine, Potassium, and Magnesium to have help tremendously as well.
Supplements are wonderful things when used properly. Much better than medication, and usually far healthier. Of course, exercise and a proper diet are the keys, but a supplement can be a terrific aid in the effort to lower BP.
But are not medications also harmful???????
Way! See Marcia Angell’s lovely book, The Truth About the Drug Companies. See The Statin Side Effects study by Beatrice Golomb. Drugs are profitable and if our food weren’t so lousy, we wouldn’t need supplements. But our food IS lousy, so we do. Supplements are much preferable to Rx drugs and have more benefits than just suppressing symptoms…they offer optimal health.
Try to find a medication without side effects. Many are synthesized from natural herbs and then have a big price tag attached. Big Pharma always has their hand in our pockets.
Why is this “Dr.” even here and answering concerned questions of people who vivist this site, have you any idea how often she has been so off base? vague, and really skirts around the question. This answer is so obvious, of whee she is coming from.
Most of the time. I read what she says for entertainment—not good information.
Sorry about the mis-spellings, but that just so upset me, with her.
Well that is the most narrow minded view Prescription drugs cause a lot of harm especially when The Dr is not current. Vitamins can cause harm but I think the good for the most part outweigh the harm there are a lot of knowledgable Alternative Health professional There is also a few Knowledgable MDs who are versed in alternative they are usally busy and difficult to get into. Some times a prescription is neede but most times with some effort and the correct support you can avoid most of these drugs.A prescription is what caused a strlke I had no hypertension after this stroke another prescription led me into Hypertension .but with stuborness I am gradually getting off the drugs. So its possible. Any Dr that has a closed mind I would change but then some Drs say that to cover themselves.