As a consumer, it’s not always clear how to best utilize a supplement for a specific objective. The challenges are many. For starters, you have to determine whether there’s reliable research available to guide you. If that exists, you’ll next need to determine whether the published evidence applies to your circumstance. Is it applicable to your age, gender, health-related status and weight? Then, there’s the question of determining the appropriate dosage. In many instances, even the manufacturers don’t know whether a higher or lower dose is more or less effective and safe than the doses used in the clinical studies. This leaves both the consumer and health care providers in a difficult spot that often requires educated guessing. However, in some instances there’s enough data in the scientific literature to provide a more accurate picture. 

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Part of my responsibility as a medical researcher and natural health consultant is to present breaking information that your doctors may not be aware of and/or ready to share with you. Mainstream medicine is notorious for not advocating certain important health practices until they’re widely accepted by the institutions that govern it. On the other hand, holistic practitioners often veer to the opposite end of the spectrum and assign too much importance to theories that are only backed by preliminary evidence. Today’s blog features an evidence-based snapshot of a trend I’ve been seeing over the past few years. I believe the data contained herein will eventually be accepted by the alternative and conventional medical camps. But, you don’t have to wait until the Journal of the American Medical Association or some other pillar of modern medicine gives its seal of approval to enact the forthcoming research.

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My wife and I had a rather interesting experience over this past holiday. We had the good fortune of being invited to the home of a famous restaurateur. While there we toured his personal and fully sustainable garden and farm. Two things struck me about this unique encounter. The first was the obvious joy that this gentleman exhibited while giving us a tour of his own private paradise. It reminded me, in the best possible way, of the enthusiasm that children display when they’re genuinely excited about something that’s important to them. The other thing that captured my attention was that his young children were keenly aware of the fate that would ultimately befall the chicken, pigs and other animals that live on their farm. They clearly understood that their food was not coming from a package in the refrigerated section of a supermarket, but rather from the land itself. I understand that some people may find the last few sentences objectionable. However I firmly believe that if we decide to eat an omnivorous diet, then we must come to terms with all that it encompasses. This family not only understands that point of view, they live it. Read more »