Clients are always asking me, "How do I know who to listen to? Everyone sounds good, but what's the reality when it comes to taking supplements on a regular basis?"

Vitamin supplementation can become costly, cumbersome and ineffective.

With all the recent promotion of vitamin C, Zinc, vitamin D, Quercetin and more...I felt it important to share information in relation to vitamin toxicity, negative health symptoms and customization to ones individual needs.

First, we must remember that supplements are just that...a compliment to your daily diet, not a replacement. Your body needs macro nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates and fats from whole food sources to do the work required each day to operate and remodel 11 organ systems. Many micro nutrients/vitamins are obtained from a balanced diet. Vitamin supplementation can be a great support when life gets a little hectic, maybe we skip a meal, or eat something quick on the run, but building a habit of relying on supplementation to live well, to keep us safe or to replace our daily nourishment...is not an effective approach to wellness.

Some are eating well and have been taught extra supplementation is harmless, but this is often not the case. For example, excess vitamin A ingestion through multivitamins, fish oil and supplements for eye health, can lead to hair loss, dryness, bone pain, liver damage and high cholesterol. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532916/

Below is the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A. One sweet potato offers more than what's required for optimal health. Having one daily can lead to excess goitrogen ingestion impacting the thyroid, and low level vitamin A toxicity. Imagine combining this with a Centrum silver vitamin, offering more than 1000mcg each day and certain fish oils/omega 3's https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fish-oil-side-effects

We only need 400-900 mcg each day. Ingesting almost 3 times the amount required can definitely cause an issue.
This is just one example of a seemingly harmless approach to good health...slowly robbing someone's vitality.

This topic is so important, I created an online ZOOM workshop just to go through each micro nutrient required, how to test for them and a safe way to customize supplementation. The body is like a complex science project with multiple variables. Everything we ingest, inject, inhale or place on our body, impacts how well our organ systems will function.

Supplements are there to prevent deficiencies, but most are not required on a daily basis and should not be taken just because it sounds like a good idea. It's always good to get blood work done to see whether your body is deficient or in excess, too much can cause just as much harm as too little.

Here's a brief recap of some of the most popular vitamins being recommended due to COVID:

Zinc: is required for several enzymatic functions in the body. It helps with the immune system, fat metabolism, protein synthesis and more. Excess zinc can lower copper levels, leading to skin issues, neurological deficits, respiratory issues and elevated triglycerides. One 6ozs serving of beef offers ones daily zinc requirements, along with iron, protein, B12, alpha lipoic acid and l carnitine. Hyper dosing with a supplement is not as safe or effective https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

If one wants to take an extra zinc when they feel a cold coming on, that may not be a bad idea, but daily intake is often unnecessary and not helpful.

Magnesium: the daily requirements for magnesium is 200-400mg on average depending on sex, age etc. Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, baked potatoes, beef, banana and salmon...offer good sources of magnesium. Excess supplementation can lead to loose stools, nausea, low blood pressure, headache and abdominal cramping. If I can not consume enough magnesium through food, I find benefit in using topical magnesium through magnesium gel on the bottom of the feet or a simple foot soak in 1 cup of epsom salt and warm water.

Vitamin D: is a fat soluble vitamin, storing in the body when one has adequate nutrition and moderate sun exposure. Daily requirements are 400-800iu. Taking 1,000iu+ daily is not necessary, and again...can be dangerous. It may increase the number on the paper for your blood chemistry, but this does not mean it is making you healthier. If one is deficient in vitamin D, it is more important to discover why and address the root cause, than to just hyper dose vitamin D to improve the number. https://www.verywellmind.com/symptoms-of-too-much-vitamin-d-5105134

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is so powerful, it's the main ingredient in rat poison and can cause kidney failure in your pets if they are exposed: https://vet.purdue.edu/addl/news/rodenticide-revolution.php

Quercetin: "Fruits and vegetables are the primary dietary sources of quercetin, particularly citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, sage, tea, and red wine. Olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries such as blueberries, blackberries, and bilberries are also high in quercetin and other flavonoids." https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/quercetin
Taking quercetin can be harmless for most, but for some... it can interact with various medications, cause stomach upset and kidney failure. These nutrients also do not work independently of themselves. One needs calories, carbs, protein and fat to help each independent supplement work correctly in the body. To simplify life and improve overall health, it's often best to consume the healthy foods full of quercetin versus risk poor quality, or excessive dosing from supplementation.

I know just as much as I share here about being conservative, you may find a health expert or study that contradicts what I share. You have to do what resonates with you. My main goal is to save your time, money and health. Efficiency and customization is the key. 😊 Please feel free to email me any questions you have. The vitamin zoom course mentioned above, is one of the best resources to walk you through.

THURSDAY WELL CHECKS WITH KIM THROUGH ZOOM 7PM EST

With so much confusion when it comes to health, and all of the stress that comes with COVID...many have been dealing with depression, fear and frustration. Many of us need support just keeping our mind right and helping to sort through the chaos.

I'd love to help with weekly well checks...checking in our mental health and offering simple solutions to living well through a unique time in history. If you'd like to join me for Thursday night date nights at 7pm through ZOOM kicking off on 2/17/2022, email me at info@healingwithexcellence.com to receive a link to sign in each week. Life is good when we work together to create optimal outcomes.



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