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A few weeks ago, a middle-aged patient came to me complaining of muscle weakness and fatigue. Her urine was tea-colored despite drinking loads of water. She was worried she had cancer or some deadly disease. Her lab tests revealed inflammation in her liver. It turned out this was not from cancer or hepatitis—but from a green tea supplement that she’d heard was a “natural” way to lose weight.
In my medical practice, I regularly witness the risks of eschewing science and facts in favor of supplements, herbs and cleanses. Particularly when people experience non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, or weight gain, they can easily become ensnared in the potential dangers of alternative medicine or homeopathy.
Let’s be clear: Nature has a lot to offer patients. Medicines such as Digoxin for heart failure and L-dopa for Parkinson’s disease are derived from plants. Spending time outdoors and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables have myriad health benefits.
But nature isn’t always so well-intended.
In the case of my patient, green tea extract was never going to be the quick fix that she had hoped. When we discussed her health concerns, habits and goals, she admitted that she had been skipping breakfast, eating sparsely at lunch, and washing down her late-night dinner with two glasses of wine. As a result of wonky eating habits and a high-stress lifestyle, she’d been sleeping restlessly and skipping her regular workouts.
We discussed the vicious cycle of stress, haphazard eating, sleep deprivation, weight gain, and shame. We discussed realistic and sustainable ways to better manage stress and improve her everyday habits.
While she wasn’t able to consume Pinterest-perfect meals, my patient took my advice to resume eating breakfast, pack healthy leftovers for lunch at work, cut back the wine, and get an hour of exercise on weekends. I advised her to gauge her progress based on how she was feeling, mentally and physically—and not by the number on the scale.
As a result, she started sleeping better and feeling more energetic. Her liver tests normalized. Eventually, the weight started coming off, too. The key to helping my patient was simple yet vexingly hard: Instead of relying on pills, she needed a sense of agency over her health.
So, what should YOU do instead of browsing the vitamin and supplement aisle?
Identify the problem you’re trying to fix. While vitamins can certainly be appropriate and necessary (for example, iron supplements for a teen with iron-deficiency anemia due to heavy menstrual periods or vitamin D supplements for a frail, elderly woman with osteoporosis), let’s acknowledge that it’s much easier to pop a pill than to stop to think about how we feel. For example, if you’re low on energy, perhaps you need better sleep or more dietary protein instead of a handful of B vitamins. If you’re feeling stressed, maybe it’s time to reach out to a friend or take a personal day instead of relying on Ashwagandha pills.
Cross-check all supplements with your active medications. My patients often consider herbal remedies to be free of side effects, but many “natural” products can lead to toxicity and can dangerously interact with prescription medications. More than 40 percent of patients do not tell their doctors about their use of complementary or alternative medicine. So be sure to talk to your doctor about everything you are taking.
Check the source of your information. Patients report getting much of their information about herbs from family, friends, advertisements and the Internet. Meanwhile the U.S. dietary supplement industry generated $39.2 billion dollars in 2022. Compounding the problem is that herbal and dietary supplements are not subject to the same strict regulatory standards as prescription drugs. I suggest seeking out supplements that have been certified by organizations such as the U.S. Pharmacopeia or NSF, but even that extra step of validation can’t confirm the active compounds inside what you’ve purchased.
At the end of the day, nature is wonderful, but it doesn’t always come in a pill. More often than not, taking an honest assessment of our everyday habits is the most natural place to start.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are entirely my own. They do not reflect those of my employer, nor are they a substitute for advice from your personal physician.
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I’d love to hear what Dr. McBride has to say about the tech bro who claims he’s aging backwards with a severe vegan “rejuvenation” diet, 111 supplements daily and no food after 11 am.
https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-exec-bryan-johnson-used-to-drink-alcohol-for-breakfast-2023-8?amp