NATURAL HEALTH SOLUTIONS

Q. Hello, My doctor has recommended I start taking medication for a chronic problem I have been having that seems to be getting worse. I would like to try to treat these health concerns naturally before resorting to drugs. I have read so much and am so overwhelmed by which supplements to use. How do I know what is "the best" supplement? Where do I start? Should I buy them all? How long do I take them? ...etc, etc. Help!!

A. I know first hand how overwhelming all of this can be. We are learning more everyday about the use of vitamins, minerals and plant substances to treat a wide variety of disease and illness. As interest and research in the natural health field grows, so do our choices. Which company? Which dose? What really works? ... there's so much to know.

For starters, take a step back and think about what your individual needs are. What are your symptoms? What are the symptoms that are worrying you the most? What do you think is at the root of the problem? What are your current lifestyle habits, good or bad? Eating habits, exercise, and sleep hygiene can help to determine where to start in terms of the type of supplementation and lifestyle changes that are right for you.

I also know supplements are costly and buying a "bag full o' health"is not always an option. More is not always better. Don't hesitate to buy only a few products at a time. I have a general rule of 3. Unless absolutely necessary, I try to limit taking anymore than 3 supplements to address the same issue. Otherwise, it's just too hard to ever know what is actually working.

My rule of 3's carries through to how long I try a treatment out, as well. Give your treatments three months before giving up on them. The hope is that you will notice a change well before this, but you should not get overly discouraged if at one month, there has been little change. There is a well accepted rule in the Naturopathic community that you need to allow one month for every year you have had a specific health concern. To be honest, this is a fairly arbitrary number, but the point is that treatment duration can be determined in relation to how long the disease process has been going on. If you have a problem you have been struggling with for the last 10 years, you cannot expect it to disappear after only a few weeks of treatment. Our supplemental needs vary according to our overall health, age, sex, etc. There are a few supplements that I would consider indefinite recommendations, in that it is my belief that they can and will provide you with significant and applicable health benefits indefinitely. There are others that are suggested either as a means to relieve a symptom, correct a deficiency or support a system that is being taxed in your current state. Remember that the great thing about many natural remedies is that can be used to remind the body of a process that it should be doing on its own. Sometimes a little short term reminder can be just what the body needs to kick start it's own processes and continuing to take the supplement actually becomes of no use at all.

Lastly, it is important to keep in mind the numerous and varied circumstances that leave us more susceptible to disease. Again, the point being that there IS SO MUCH variation, from genetics to diet, from stress to environmental factors, no one has exactly the same story. Similarly, what one patient with a certain disease considers a normal symptom may vary greatly from another. All that being said, how can we expect that one treatment will work for every patient with the same disease? We can't. You may find the amazing product that "cured" your neighbour has no effect on you. Don't be discouraged. You will find something that helps. All this choice may be more confusing, but it also means there's a much better chance of finding that one thing that works for you.

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