HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT HEALTH AND NUTRITION:
1. What do you mean by supplement?
• A nutritional dietary or food supplement (or just plain supplement),as defined by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1004,is ‘ a product that is intended to supplement the diet to enhance health and that contains one or more of the following : vitamins,minerals,herbs,or other botanical,amino acids,and substances such as enzymes and metabolites. It can also be extracts or concentrates,and may be found in tablet,capsule,softgel,gelcap,powder or liquid forms.Whatever their form may be,DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella or “foods” not drugs.
2. What do nutritional supplements do?
• Nutritional supplements refers to the vitamins,minerals,amino acids,essential fatty acids and glycol-nutrients necessary to keep a strong immune system,replace and repair dying and damaged cells and remove toxins from the body.In order to remain or become healthy we need 16 vitamins,70 minerals and trace minerals,12 amino acids and essential fatty acids in our daily diet.Supplements provide what you diet is missing.
3. Why do we need to take supplements?
• Nowadays,it is difficult to acquire and maintain all the nutrients that our body needs. Even fresh fruits and vegetables are also now lacking nutritional content due to the nutrients deficit in the soil. Taking supplements can provide the essential nutrients that are lacking in our diet and prevent detrimental effects of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.It can also help to restore and rebuild the body’s immune system and achieves optimum health protection.
4. Who tests the supplements?
• Manufacturers of dietary supplements products are required to use “Good Manufacturing Practices” (GMPs) and are sole responsible for their content.The manufacturer is also responsible for ensuring that the “Supplements Facts” label and ingredient list are accurate,that the dietary ingredients are safe and that the content matches the amount declared on the label. And our partner,Nature’s Way is the first industry recognized GMP facility in America.
5. Who can take supplements?
• Any person aged more than 1 year old can take food supplements. However,the content and ingredients of a particular supplements should be identified in order to know if contradicted to a particular age group. Dosage of a particular food supplements may also vary according to the age, weight and health condition of an individual. Advice from a medical health care provider should seek first for proper dosage of a particular supplement. One should also take note of any history of allergy to a certain organic component to avoid untoward allergic reaction.
6. When is the right time to take food supplements?
• Most of the food supplements are taken in 30 minutes-1 hour before meal time or 2 hours after meal time. This will enhance the dissolution of capsule and hasten the absorption of the nutrients. Make sure to drink plenty of water when taking supplements.
7. Why do I have headaches during the early phase of taking supplements?
• Any changes to your diet or nutrients levels can trigger the body to clear out toxins that have been hindering your overall health for some time. Your body starts to detoxify and undergoes healing process.This period sometimes can cause spots, headaches and general malaise, but should resolve within a couple of weeks. You can aid your body in its efforts to detoxify by drinking plenty of water, eating a clean diet (avoid meat, dairy product, fats, fried foods,etc.) and plenty of food fibers to aid toxin elimination via bowels.
8. How long will I be taking supplements?
• The length of time you will require dietary supplementation depends on the reason you are taking them. The two biggest mistakes most people make when starting a supplement program is that they don’t take enough time to really make a difference and they don’t stick with it long enough their body to make the the necessary repairs or complete the detoxification process.And it usually takes 11 months to replace all the cells in our body. We recommend for at least 4 to 6 months therapeutic period starting at a low dose and gradually increasing up to the maximum recommended dose to reach the desirable beneficial effects.After such time,dosages will be reduced into its maintenance dose,yet still achieving its health benefits.
9. Where should I store my dietary supplements?
• Store them in a cool dry place below 30’C. Do not refrigerate as a moisture can adversely affect stability of tablets and capsules. 10. When I take several dietary supplements together,how can I be sure that I am not taking much of certain vitamins and minerals?
• Avoid taking supplements more than the recommended maximum dose to prevent toxicity and adverse effects unless under direct supervision from your medical health and provider. Do not take more than the following dose: Vitamin A (retinol) 300mcg (10,000IU), Vitamin D 25 mcg (1,000IU),Selenium 200 mcg,Copper 5 mg,Iron 24 mg,and Zinc 15 mg. Vitamin A (retinol) supplementation during pregnancy should not exceed 2500 IU,as high dose Vitamin A has been shown to cause fetal abnormality.
11. Why does my urine turn bright yellow when I take food supplements?
• Food supplements containing Vitamin B complex,especially Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) cause the change in color of your urine. It is sign that your body is absorbing well the Vitamin B Complex and any excess to your need will be passed out in the urine.
12. Can I take nutritional supplements if I am pregnant?
• Women who are pregnant are usually in need of nutritional supplements.However,one should first identify all the ingredients present in a certain supplements to ensure all the contents will only provide benefits both to the pregnant women and the growing fetus. Supplements rich in folic acid,zinc and omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish and flax seeds are all vital to the healthy development of the baby.It is also important to inform your medical health care provider about the supplement you are taking for proper dosaging.
13. It is ok to take dietary supplements while on medication?
• Supplements provide vitamins and minerals normally found in our foods. Some medications increase the need for specific nutrients, particularly Vitamin c, Folic Acid and Vitamin B complex. There are occasions,when supplements enhance the effects of certain medication,thus giving maximum beneficial effects or if not,complement to their good effects.However,some supplements may interfere with some medications,that is why caution should be taken into consideration.Adverse drug- nutrient interactions are actually quite rare. If in doubt, seek the advice of both conventional and alternative/nutritional medicine.
14. If I can’t swallow tablets or capsules,what alternative can I do in order to take the supplements?
• Supplements in the form of tablets can be crushed and capsule can be open up,then mix the tablet powder form and all the capsule contents into liquid either in water or juice.
15. What do you recommend for someone with allergies?
• Decrease intake of food that can cause allergies such as chicken, lamb, dairy products. Increase intake of food with anti-inflammatory components such as oily fish (sardines, mackerel and salmon) and seeds (flaxseed, sunflower and pumpkin). Taking in fish oil supplements 1 gram a day will give 300mg of EPA and 200 mg of DHA can provide anti-inflammatory effects....
