Dietary supplements are products that come in many forms, including pills, powders, liquids, and even energy bars. Supplements may contain vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, and even some hormones.
The main goals of a supplement are to help you get an adequate amount of essential nutrients that are hard to get in your diet or to support you in your health and longevity goals.
Not all supplements are created equal and there is no formal regulatory body to ensure that a supplement has the ingredients that it claims to have or does what it claims to do. Supplements are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration.
At Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa, we have researched many supplement companies and only offer top quality, reliable and efficacious dietary supplement products. The supplements we carry are offered by reputable companies that use third party testing and source ingredients from reputable manufacturers. We only purchase supplements from manufacturers with company-owned plants so that they have consistent control of their product and stringent quality standards. We believe that the supplements we offer and recommend are quality products that will help our patients achieve their wellness goals.
Supplements that you are considering taking are not recommended to treat any disease, should not replace any prescription medication you are told to take by your health care providers and should be approved by your regular primary care provider.
Here is an overview of a few of our most recommended supplements we carry by Designs for Health and Fatty15 that help our patients meet their health optimization goals.
Creatine Monohydrate
This supplement is the gold standard for anyone wanting to achieve better body composition and overall wellness. Creatine is designed to support muscle growth and strength, brain and cognitive function, bone strength, and athletic performance. It supports retention of lean body mass at any age and helps with healthy aging. Creatine is one of the most researched supplements of all time, linked to over 64,000 peer reviewed articles. It has very few risks, but those with kidney disease should not take it.
Magnesium
If you are not taking magnesium before bedtime, you are missing out! Magnesium is an essential mineral that is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. The need for magnesium throughout the body is reflected in the fact that the adult human body contains a hefty 25 grams of magnesium that is divided among the skeletal system, muscles, blood, and tissues of the body. Magnesium plays a crucial role in many aspects of health, including cardiovascular function, blood sugar metabolism, muscle relaxation, brain health, energy production, and bone structure and function. Almost everyone is deficient in magnesium. The only potential side effect of taking a magnesium supplement is gastrointestinal upset. There are many forms of magnesium. We usually recommend magnesium glycinate which is best absorbed by the body, has the fewest gastrointestinal side effects, promotes sleep, and reduces anxiety.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
This group of essential fatty acids supports almost all body functions, and our diets are rarely rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids. The Omega 3 Fatty Acid we suggest is a highly potent omega‑3 fish oil delivering an impressive 600 mg EPA and 400 mg DHA per serving. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are two essential omega 3 fatty acids that the body requires for various functions: primarily for supporting heart health by promoting normal cholesterol metabolism and blood pressure, as well as cognitive function and memory due to their crucial roles in brain development and nervous system health.
C-15
This is a newly discovered essential fatty acid that is naturally occurring in whole milk and butter. Since the typical adult diet does not include high enough quantities of whole milk and butter, due to their high calorie count, we are all deficient in this essential fatty acid. It is 300 times more potent than Omega 3 Fatty acids in terms of its cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties. This supplement is currently only available from a company named Fatty 15. Their website has a plethora of studies on its positive benefits and the fascinating research that came out of studying navy dolphins. Higher levels of C-15 in dolphins were associated with longer lives with less chronic disease because of the beneficial effects it has on cell aging.
Vitamin D Synergy
Everyone we have tested so far in our office for Vitamin D3 has been far behind in achieving optimal levels of Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is a hormone produced naturally in the body, which promotes optimal bone and heart health, and helps to maintain proper immune system balance. Recent studies done on Vitamin D3 have suggested that higher levels than have been previously recommended are well tolerated by much of the population. There are even recent studies suggesting low Vitamin D3 can be a risk factor for cancer. Vitamin D3 helps your body absorb more calcium and when taken with Vitamin K2, more calcium is transported to the bones and teeth. We often recommend a supplement called Vitamin D synergy which is a combination of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2.
We carry over twenty different supplements from trusted sources to help you reach your health and longevity goals. You can purchase our supplements in office or on our website. Feel free to text us through our website with any questions you have about supplements so we can help you reach your wellness goals. If you are interested in laboratory testing and a personal consultation to discuss your health and longevity goals, please contact our office or complete an Eligibility form on our website. Eligibility forms for our concierge medical weight management and preventative medicine programs are listed on the Get Fit, Get Fab, and Get Firm pages. Just go to services and look under the ‘Wellness’ tab!
-Ania Peek, NP and Nicole Norris MD