Show 1022: How to Pick Dietary Supplements That Make Sense for You

Are you getting all the nutrients you need from the food you eat? We are often advised to eat a well-balanced diet, but many people find that difficult. In today’s fast-paced world, it can be hard even to know what it means. Should You Take Dietary Supplements? Dr. Tieraona Low Dog suggests that many of us need nutritional insurance because we are not loading our plates with vegetables three times a day. But different individuals have differing nutritional needs. What dietary supplements make sense for you? An African-American woman in Minneapolis needs more vitamin D than a light-skinned fellow in Tampa. Men should not be taking multi-vitamin-mineral supplements with iron, but premenopausal women usually do need iron in their dietary supplements. How Do Your Medications Affect Your Nutritional Needs? If you are taking certain drugs for heartburn, such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec), you could be at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as falling short on other crucial nutrients such as magnesium. People taking the diabetes drug metformin may also need to be boosting their nutritional intake beyond what they can get in their food. Dr. Low Dog has spent months investigating the effects of medications on nutritional needs, and she tells you how to fortify your life with the right dietary supplements. This Week’s Guest: Tieraona Low Dog, MD, is Fellowship Director of the Interprofessional Fellowship in Integrative Health & Medicine with the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine. She is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, dietary supplements, herbal medicine and women’s health. She is a founding member of the American Board of Physician Specialties, American Board of Integrative Medicine and the Academy of Women’s Health. She has served as Chair of the US Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplements/Botanicals Expert Committee. Her books include: Women’s Health in Complementary and Integrative Medicine; Life Is Your Best Medicine; and Healthy at Home. Her latest is Fortify Your Life: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals and More. For more information, see her website: drlowdog.com Listen to the Podcast: The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free. Download the mp3