The Great Pill Debate

I am a nurse at an Alzheimer's home.  While completely different from my previous nursing experience in cancer and ICU, it is quite eye-opening and I am still learning a lot.  I have the greatest little old patients alive: one who calls me by "Unis", another who thinks we are best childhood friends and always asks me about my sister, and another little old man who is the resident "ladies' man" and has several women constantly trying to sit by him during bingo.  These people make my job awesome.  Period.

One big part of my job is, of course, managing medications.  Many medications I hand out are, no doubt, beneficial.  They help ease the anxiety, fear, and confusion that Alzheimer patients so often have.  Other medications are crucial for controlling diabetes.  Some, however, I wish I didn't have to give....


....I was setting up meds. the other day, and noted to my colleague what a bunch of bologna it was that one poor little lady had 15 pills to take that morning, most of them supplements: vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B, iron, potassium, a multivitamin for women, a multivitamin for the elderly, and on and on and on!!  (Just for the record, when I am 92 and--heaven forbid--if I ever have Alzheimer's, please do not shove 15 horse pills down my throat every morning.  I refuse!)  Some of you may be thinking, "But, Holly, vitamins are good!  Essential!  They make us healthier!"  To which I respond, "Yes, you're right.  But is it essential to get vitamins and minerals in pill form every day?"  In my humble opinion, the answer is simply,"yes" and "no".
Contradictory, I know.  But not really.  At all.  Okay, explanation:

While many people are moving away from the tendency to run to their MD for a prescription for every little malady, what they don't realize is that they are then often running straight into the arms of a million supplements that may not always be the best thing for them either.  Don't get me wrong, there are some excellent supplement companies--that my husband has become acquainted with through chiropractic school--that offer very beneficial products, which I will get into later.  But if there is one thing that nutrition classes, seminars, and books have taught me (often via my husband), it is that the best "multivitamin" we can give our bodies is a colorful, diverse diet full of all the nutrition a healthy body needs.  If a non-symptomatic (or generally healthy) person is eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, and meat (I know vegetarians would disagree on this one), then is there really a need to take a daily multivitamin??  I don't believe so.

Besides providing energy, food's greatest purpose is to give us the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients we need in a readily available, and most easy-to-absorb way possible.  It is far better to get your vitamins from a natural, whole food source rather than a lab-made supplement that is structurally identical to that particular vitamin.  It's just more natural.  Yes?  So if you're generally healthy and looking to make sure your body is getting all the good stuff it needs, I'd say shy away from the 15 pills a day.  Try new fruits, new vegetables, new grains, and different herbs to your diet.  The greater the variety of food you eat, the more likely it is that you'll be getting all the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy.  Within the past few months, we have really tried this in our home and it is wonderful to rediscover all different varieties of foods after being stuck in a rut of just cooking enchiladas, stew, and chicken pot pie for years.

So then, what about all the research that shows all the benefits that taking zinc and vitamin c supplements has in boosting the immune system and fighting off disease?  Well, that's where I say, bravo!  Supplements can be a wonderful thing.....most especially to someone in an immune-compromised state, someone who is ill or struggling with pain, or someone who may merely be deficient in certain nutrients.  So if you are not feeling completely healthy and are looking for supplements to boost your health, strength, and physical well-being, then I suggest doing some shopping before you start popping the pills that are on the pharmacy isle in the grocery store.

I'm still sorting out which supplements and providers I think are "the best", but here are a few to look into that are available through naturopathic and chiropractic doctors.  (I would recommend supplements that are available through a practitioner.  They often have the most research and science-based evidence to back their effectiveness.  The reason some of these companies like to supply their products through a practitioner is to ensure that their products are used properly and that their use is monitored since supplements can have a very potent effect on the body just like a drug your MD would prescribe.)


Standard Process:  This company boasts of using whole foods to create all their supplements, which basically means that their multivitamin is made of mashed up plants, animal organs, etc.  It sounds kind of gross, but it follows with the idea that the best source of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients comes from our food.  These supplements often do not provide the high doses that would be most beneficial for those who have more compromised health or chronic conditions.  I do recommend their cod liver oil, which is especially beneficial for women. 

Metagenics:  This company, in conjunction with Nutrition Dynamics, offers a wide variety of products: supplements, "green drinks", antioxidant creams, cleanses, protein powders, fish oil, and essential oils.  Their supplements are excellent, containing the higher doses of vitamins and herbs needed for those suffering from chronic and acute illness.  There is a lot of great research that backs the efficacy of their products and both Garrett and myself have been very impressed with the quality and purity of their products and the lack of "crap" that are so often included in many other supplements (extra sugar, fake sugar, preservatives, food coloring).

Apex:  This is a newer company that also offers a variety of supplements.  I don't know much about them as we are just starting to use some of their products for trial, but so far, so good!  It seems to be a quality company.


So those are just a few supplement companies that may be worth asking your practitioner about.  I would advise anyone to approach the pill-poppin' with caution.  I truly believe that the less pills and powders we can put in our bodies and the more variety of foods that we can eat, the better.  But I also believe that the Lord inspired the men and women who discovered modern medicine as well as those who have tapped into the healing powers of natural supplements and herbs in order to help restore our bodies to physical health.