Some of the most common midlife and menopause questions that I receive are about nutritional supplements.
There are FOUR main considerations unpacked in this video with wholistic educator, women's health advocate, retired internal medicine physician assistant and fempreneur, Dana Kantara!
Vitamins play an important role in health and most medical organizations recommend supplements of some kind to augment a clean, healthy diet. However, studies have revealed that most bottles on the shelves at pharmacies or chain stores do not contain what is listed on the label.
Make sure your nutritional supplements are:
Pharmaceutical Grade - to understand what that means and how you know, see the video. This ensures bio-availability, solubility and accuracy of ingredients and dosages that are listed on the labels.
Methylated - this ensures that the supplement can be easily integrated into the physiology of the body because some people cannot methylate folate and B12 so their nutrients must be taken in a methylated form to reduce inflammation.
Tested for impurities - some supplements have been found to contain banned substances, houseplants, dust or other toxins so it's important to ensure quality control measures are protective.
Filled with Bio-active ingredients - all supplements have fillers which can contain inactive, inert or even toxic ingredients. Some companies will choose to use superfoods, additional nutrients or antioxidants (ie. broccoli extract, tumeric, curcumin) that may provide additional health benefits.
Foundational lifestyle includes a healthy diet (Mediterranean has the best science), exercise (low intensity cardio, HIIT and strength training), restorative sleep (with copious sleep hygiene) and stress release (somatic practices, meditation, mindfulness). Did I say great sex? - that too!
The next layer to this foundational lifestyle program includes nutritional supplements and individual needs vary based on many factors. Some supplements cannot be taken with certain prescriptions while some prescriptions actually create nutritional deficiencies. In fact, birth control pills and menopausal hormone therapy (mHT) that contain estrogen and progesterone create specific nutritional needs for women who are take them. All this should be discussed with your healthcare provider to ensure that you are taking the supplements recommended for optimal health (and not taking ones that may be harmful, useless or overly expensive).
*If you are interested in a customized nutritional supplement regime that takes into account all of the above factors - complete your personalized health assessment HERE. For people who are serious about their health, Dr. Hansen is willing to review your health assessment in a virtual conversation ($50 USD). Email directly to support@drcatherinehansen.com (subject line: I'm ready to order my vitamins).