Sales of supplements, which have grown over the last few years, have surged in recent months, rising as the economy has nose-dived. With the added fears of a flu pandemic, I have no doubt that herbal immune boosting products and multivitamins are growing in demand.

When used correctly (right nutrient at the right dose, manufactured safely and meeting certain quality standards), supplements can be very powerful.

But, a recent report by an independent supplement testing lab (www.consumerlab.com) shows that as many as a third of the products in the market fail quality and safety tests. Some green tea extracts and multivitamins, for example, were less potent than promised; some were contaminated with lead!

There is increasing evidence that our food supply does not provide the nutrients we need. Selenium and chromium are examples of minerals that many people need more of.

So, Here are some tips for choosing supplements:

1. Be specific about what you need supplements for. Don’t be tempted to take more than you need. It may be a waste — or worse, harmful. If you wish to find out what your specific mineral needs are, you might wish to do a hair mineral analysis test.

2. Do some online research about the brand you buy. You can find out a lot about a company’s safety standards online.

3. If a product claims it will “cure” a disease, or makes other grand claims, be on guard. Any supplement that sounds too good to be true likely is.

4. Choose brands labeled with the NSF International, US Pharmacopeia, or TGA seal.

5. Find out where the supplement was manufactured. Choose companies with GMP certification.

At a dinner party tonight, I met a friend who has been taking fenugreek seed powder daily for the last 6 years. The result? Over this time period, he has been able to slowly reduce, and now stop his cholesterol medication. I like the way he approached this — he started by adding fenugreek to his daily routine, he stuck to it, monitored his blood lipid levels and worked with his doctor to reduce and then, when the time was right, stop his medication.

Studies have also shown that fenugreek can help stabilize blood sugar in diabetics. It works so well that sometimes it can cause the blood sugar to dip too low, so be sure to talk to your doctor before trying it for this condition. It should also be used cautiously if someone is on blood thinning drugs, and it is not for pregnant women — but it is very effective post-pregnancy to encourage milk production 

A shocking new study has found that 15 infant formulas sold in the US are contaminated with the rocket fuel, perchlorate – which is even worse than it sounds, because where tested, the water which was used to mix the formula was also contaminated with the same chemical.

From the Environmental Working Group:

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that 15 brands of powdered infant formula are contaminated with perchlorate, a rocket fuel component detected in drinking water in 28 states and territories.

The two most contaminated brands, made from cow’s milk, accounted for 87 percent of the U.S. powdered formula market in 2000, the scientists said.

The CDC scientists did not identify the formula brands they tested.

The little-noticed CDC findings, published in the March 2009 edition of the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, raise new concerns about perchlorate pollution, a legacy of Cold War rocket and missile tests. Studies have established that the chemical is a potent thyroid toxin that may interfere with fetal and infant brain development (Kirk 2006).

First melamine, and now this.

We are led to believe that the chemicals that we are exposed to are not directly responsible for health problems — and that the body is designed to cope. When it comes to infants, their systems of detoxification including organs such as the liver, are underdeveloped, so this really is scary and unacceptable. But even adults need to think about their overall exposure to chemicals (something called body burden) and take steps to lower it. There are certain things we can’t avoid, but where we can, it makes sense to lower the level of harmful substances that are allowed into our system. Many people go on a “detox” to help with some of this. There are several ways to help the body clear toxins, but I think two principles need to be thought about seriously: 

1. You don’t buy detox in a bottle…you learn to support your body’s natural detox systems
2. It is better to lower the body burden than to be on a detox, retox cycle

I am back after maternity leave —  had a beautiful daughter late last year! I have known about the importance of supporting the body before, during and after pregnancy. Experiencing it was something else…especially the post-pregnancy recovery part! I researched several traditional Asian food and lifestyle practices (usually called “confinement”!!) which are designed to help the mother’s body recover. I chose the ones that I felt made sense, and were possible for me to do, and they really did help. I had some complications, which left me very exhausted after the birth, and I found many of these very useful. 

I shall share these as I organise my notes and thoughts on the subject.