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When it comes to supplements, there are several factors to consider.
We’ve talked about several of them before, such as:
- paying attention to brand
- that they come with the right nutrient combination
- making sure there aren’t contaminants in the supplement
- to buy them from appropriate vendors to ensure they aren’t counterfeit, as well as that they were stored and shipped correctly
Those are also some of the reasons I always recommend ordering from the companies directly when possible instead of a third party seller.
What we haven’t talked about as much is dosage…
On the supplement sheets, I usually put a range.
I like to have variation involved, because the supplements I recommend are like food.
And just like we have variation in amount of food from day to day, same goes for supplements.
There are times where we need to greatly increase our intake of certain nutrients…
Like with vitamin C, if we feel we’re getting sick, tore a ligament, broke a bone, are having really bad allergies… (spread throughout the day, without hitting that vitamin C flush).
But with detox supplements, the lower the dose you need to have changes the better.
Not that taking a higher dose needs to be bad, I’m just happy to see progress at low dosages.
For example, with a parasite cleanse, if just 1 capsule let’s you start seeing parasites coming out with your bowel movements, there is no need to increase dose at that time.
With many supplements I ease people into it.
Take magnesium as an example:
- the body needs magnesium for 1000 different functions
- magnesium is one of the most common deficiencies in the country
- when we don’t have enough magnesium, the magnesium we do have goes to the “more important” functions (like brain function and for the heart to go on beating)
- that means things like muscle tightness, poor sleep, and anxiety can crop up because they aren’t as vital as your heart still beating
- when we start taking a magnesium the body can use (the best I know is ReMag), it’ll take a few days for the body to wake up those previously dormant functions
- which is why we want to increase the dosage at that point
Actually, as we work on increasing the amount, having symptoms pop back up or worsen can be a sign that we need to increase that magnesium ASAP.
Which is why we then get to see those symptoms disappear.
Not because any nutrient is a cure in this instance, but rather the body can function properly when given the proper nutrients.
Now, with a vital mineral like magnesium, that’s going to be needed daily.
Taking it once a week or so won’t get us far.
And if we:
- sweat
- drink alcohol
- take prescription drugs
- are experiencing more stress
- or eat junk food
we’re certainly going to need more magnesium (and other nutrients).
Now, there are some supplements where I do recommend jumping into it at a higher dose, so there is a time and place even for that.
And semi-jokingly, if we took the step to buy the supplements… we really should follow through and take them (otherwise they really won’t help you).
Also, if we’re taking a supplement, just 1 a day even when the dosage says to take more and we don’t notice any changes… we might want to consider increasing to the indicated dose.
Noticing changes does get tricky with some supplements!
Some supplements are very much working in the background (on a cellular level, where you won’t necessarily feel changes soon).
Look at CoQ10 for example…
That supplement is great for heart health, brain health, it might help prevent cancer…
But often we don’t feel those changes, it’s the body healing things in the background.
So no, supplementation, and especially dosage, isn’t a straightforward topic.
But I figure for some of us, reading this, we just remembered to take our supplements…
Others will remember they meant to order a certain supplement (which just happened to me as I write this)…
And still others will think about the healing they experienced with their supplements…
Any which way, I hope dosage makes a little more sense now.