Nutraceuticals

Here are 5 things you need to know about nutraceuticals:

1. You need nutraceuticals

If you do a Web search for different vitamins and minerals, you’ll find a shocking amount of contradictory information. But, there’s one thing that most of the information is in agreement on: you need nutraceuticals. So if you’re not getting nutraceuticals from your food, you need to get them from somewhere else, or your body will eventually break down.

2. Not all nutraceuticals are created equal

Not all supplements and nutraceuticals are of the same quality.

There are three grades of nutraceutical supplements:

• Pharmaceutical grade
• Food grade
• Feed grade

Pharmaceutical-grade supplements are under strict quality and purity testing (greater than 99% pure), contain NO binders, fillers, dyes, excipients, or unknown substances, and best prescribed by a physician. Your body can metabolize a pharmaceutical-grade supplement more efficiently, becoming more bioavailable. So while you may think you’re losing on cost, you’re gaining in quality and value—and possibly the load that’s put on your liver and kidneys when they have to deal with filtering out these other substances.

3. It’s important to take nutraceuticals under the care of a physician

We live in a time where nutraceuticals are the first line of defense against many illnesses. You can avoid the many side effects of pharmaceuticals if you’re under the care of a physician who has made a conscious decision to widen their focus to include nutraceutical therapy.

4. You should be tested for optimal levels of nutraceuticals

Functional (nutraceutical) blood testing is now more common than it used to be. Science has moved in a direction where it’s more accepted in the mainstream. So, rather than matching up symptoms from reading random information online or from a publication, your nutraceutical levels can actually be quantified.

Testing for optimal levels keeps the guesswork out of taking the best care of your health.

5. Nutraceuticals are nutritional medicine and can prevent disease

Today, many doctors find that chronic illness actually begins with a nutrient deficiency and by the time a patient comes in, it’s become a chronic disease. Many diseases and chronic illnesses are preventable by taking a proactive approach to our health. And this not only includes eating well, exercising, and reducing stress, but also making sure that you have a quantitative marker for your lifestyle.