Hi Sweet Friends,
This week I’m introducing you to one of my personal doctors. Kenneth Bock, Integrative M.D., is the captain of my healing team. Dr. Bock’s expertise and advice are essential to my wellness and so is his lovely friendship. I’m lucky enough to have Bock Integrative in my backyard, but for those of you who do not have a Dr. Bock of your own (I’ll tell you how to find an integrative practitioner later in the blog), I’ve brought him to my home and yours with this Chat & Chew episode to discuss supplements.
Over the years, I’ve received thousands of questions about supplements. Here’s the sitch, there is no one-size-fits-all supplement prescription, but there are some basics that will help to get you started. In addition to the three supplements I talk about with Dr. Bock, I’ve included additional recommendations below.
You might be asking yourself, why can’t I get everything my body needs from a well-balanced diet? I sure wish we could. Unfortunately, that often isn’t the case in today’s world. Modern farming practices and environmental issues have depleted the vitamins and nutrients in our food. Plus, everyone’s nutritional needs are unique, especially when facing a health challenge.
Think of supplements as your insurance policy. This is why I completely agree that the best way to proceed with creating a supplement program is with the guidance of a trained professional. Magazine articles and cleansing fads can lead you down a confusing road that wastes your time and money. A trained professional will look under your hood (so to speak) and carefully analyze where you’re deficient and why. They’ll also offer nutrition advice to complement your protocol. After about 3-4 months you’ll want to schedule a follow up to see how it’s all working. Quick story: A few years ago I was deficient in CoQ10, even though I was taking the proper dosage. Turns out my body didn’t like (or absorb) the brand I was taking. Once I moved to a new brand, my levels balanced out. I never would have known if I wasn’t under supervision.
Word to the wise (and let’s take a deep breath together): It’s easy to get overwhelmed by supplements, but integrating them into your life doesn’t need to become a second job. I may take a lot of supplements today, but I didn’t start full tilt boogie. My supplement routine has built up and changed over time and yours can too (if you’d like). Plus, you may not need to take it to the lengths that I have. Sister Kris is one complicated broad and like it or not, I need more help than the average (yet stunning) Jane.
It’s all about turtle power. Slow and steady. Take your time, choose quality over quantity, and figure out what works best for your beautiful bod. Flexibility helps too. I’m not perfect (surprise!). I forget to take my supplements and sometimes I’m naughty about going to the doctor regularly, but on the whole, I try my best to prioritize my health and adjust my routine to life in the present moment.
For example, when I’m on the road, I don’t carry every single supplement known to man. While traveling, I pack my B12, Vitamin D, probiotic, adrenal herbs, magnesium (helps keep the trains moving on time, AKA travel constipation!), omega 3’s and green powder (I like Amazing Grasses brand–for when I can’t get fresh green juice). Use the information in this blog and my Chat & Chew conversation with smarty-pants Dr. Bock as your stepping stone. Ready? I truly hope this post helps you on your quest for sound advice and answers.
Here’s an overview of my supplement showdown with Dr. Bock:
Dr. Bock Tip: If possible, get tested by an integrative MD who can tailor a supplement program for your unique needs and prescribe pharmaceutical-grade supplements. If this is not possible (location or finances), make sure you choose high-quality supplements at the store or online. They may be more expensive, but your long-term health is worth the investment. And in case you’re interested, Garden of Life and Pure Encapsulations are a couple other over-the-counter supplement brands I trust.
How can you find an Integrative Doc? It’s always ideal to get a referral from a pal or family member, but when that isn’t possible, the world wide web offers some great resources. Check out the directories below and interview your doctors to make sure they’re the right fit for your healing team. Another bonus to seeing an experienced integrative MD is that they have vetted supplement companies for you and selected the top quality brands.
I’m new to probiotics. When is the best time to take them?
No, these substances are synthetic hormones that have actually been removed for
pureness, yet are a whole lot closer to the same hormonal agents as well
as amino acids that you have in your body now.
One of the most significant differences between their knees substances and also standard steroids is that these options are visiting be able to bind to receptors on your cells, whereas steroids will certainly function to travel right into the nucleus to produce the outcomes you want.
This was very helpful – thank you! I was diagnosed with lymphoma last year. Kris, are you able to share who your integrative oncologist is? Thanks!
Hello Kris, you are very inspirational. You have truly inspired me on my Journey with Crazy Sexy Cancer, you see when I saw your interview for the first time I was very emotional and overwhelmed at the same time, I also was diagnosed in 2014 with the same form of I like to call it abnormal cells, this has tuned my whole world upside down. I had radiation about a year ago and I am now on this Natural journey, thankfully being born in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago I already have some knowledge about herbs and plants, do I juice and try to eat 80%raw 20%cook. But still need help in the recipes department in what is good to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I truly thought I was the only one out there with this rare form of abnormal cell or dis-ease in my body. I hope we can keep in touch or better yet meet you someday in the near future. Please feel free to share any Wisdom about my Journey. Shalom.
Thank you so much Kris and Dr. Bock! I have been vegan for 11 years and really like the vegan supplements from http://www.globalhealingcenter.com. I especially feel their Vegansafe B-12 supplement has made a huge difference in how I feel. I also like the SUNTREX D3 (vegan vitamin D3 derived from Lichen).
Thank you for all of this! Im going through the links now. I am recently diagnosis (breast ca) and I’m trying to sort through all the info. Do you have a favorite product list? Or ones you use at home? Vitamix? Berk (forgot the rest) water filter? Other home items that help us move to healthier? I love all the recipes and home ideas. Just trying to decide on blender, supplements, and water filter…. thank you❤️
Thanks for sharing this inspirational interview with us.
I am taking supplements for metastatic breast cancer and they are really a struggle for me, I take about 18 a day and swallowing them makes me feel sick, anyone else had this problem or decreased the amount?