**Intro from Mandy: This is a guest post written by Michele Sevier, Director of Education at Nutrition House. I’m excited to have her writing an article for you all about how to choose the right supplements and the importance of understanding the ingredients in them. I do want to remind you that supplements are a very unique thing and everyone is different. Enjoy the article!
Thinking about using supplements to optimize your health? First, you have to know what actually works. Michele Sevier, Director of Education at Nutrition House, Canada’s largest retailer of natural health solutions, offers advice on how to choose the right supplements based on the right ingredients – and which to stay away from.
It’s no secret that stress is a factor in almost 80% of people’s health concerns, and remains an important health issue for a predominant number of men and women today. Promote healthy mood balance and cultivate happiness with natural health supplements.
Reach for Veeva and their natural solutions to relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety. Veeva carries a number of formulations to choose from and help gain peace of mind. Veeva Basics are basic ingredients address specific symptoms associated with stress and anxiety. Veeva Basics B-Complex increases energy and supports the nervous system.
Veeva Basics Theanine helps promote relaxation – mentally and physically, Veeva Basics Holy Basil increases energy and resistance to stress, while Veeva Basics Siberian Ginseng improves mental and physical performance. Best of all? Veeva Basics contains our very own B Happy Complex to increase energy and support the nervous system.
Those looking for a little added support, Veeva Stress and Veeva Anxiety each carry a comprehensive formulation that proactively reduces mental and physical stress.
Preconception and pregnancy are crucial times to optimize nutrition for the benefit of mom and baby. Nutritional needs are greatly increased by pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Take, for example, the importance of folate, a B vitamin. It plays an important role in cell division and it is essential to the normal development of the spine and brain of the fetus, especially during the first four weeks of pregnancy. This is a time when many women are not yet aware that they are pregnant. Folate also supports the pregnant woman’s expanding blood volume and growing maternal and fetal tissues.
Health Canada recommends all women should take a multivitamin with a minimum 400mcg minimum dose of folic acid daily even if they are not pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant. Nutrients to look for in a prenatal formulation include: Omega 3 and DHA help support the optimal health of the baby during pregnancy, after birth, and during the childhood. Further, DHA plays an important role in optimal brain functioning of the infant and retinal performance (visual acuity).
In addition, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and vitamin K have been found to benefit those women experiencing nausea or “morning sickness” and help allow them to consume essential nutrients and calories during this important phase of pregnancy. Brands we recommend to our customers include Progressive Multivitamin PreNatal and Platinum Prenatal Easy Multi.
There comes a point in time when hormones may wreak havoc on your daily life. Hormonal changes and the accumulation of symptoms (both mental and physical) can make things less manageable and more difficult to cope. You probably know some, if not most of them; low sex drive, fatigue, irritability, foggy thinking and mood changes. Considering supplementing with foods and natural heath remedies that can help re-balance your hormones.
Maca, a food based supplement loaded with nutrients. Maca can slow biological aging, balance hormones, increase energy, improve physical and mental well-being, and improve libido. The WomenSense line from Preferred Nutrition carries superb products for women. WomenSense EstroSense, for instance, is a hormone balancing formula for women using oral contraceptives or suffering from symptoms of imbalance (endometriosis, PMS, heavy periods, ovarian cysts, acne and more).
EstroSense supports a healthy estrogen to progesterone balance through the use all natural ingredients to help maintain healthy hormone balance by promoting liver detoxification and healthy estrogen metabolism. It combines key ingredients such as calcium-d-glucarate, indole-3-carbinol, sulforaphane, milk thistle and DIM for promoting liver detoxification and excretion of harmful estrogens. WomenSense MenoSense is a menopause support formula that provides relief from unwelcome symptoms. MenoSense contains herbals and nutrients like black cohosh, chasteberry, gammaorzanol, hesperidin and dong quai to help reduces hot flashes, night sweats and profuse preparation, improves sleep, moodiness, and benefits vaginal atrophy and dryness.
Finally, always check your labels. Often, the fewer ingredients, the better. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t recognize a term; labels will often refer to the scientific term of a natural ingredient. Be sure to avoid any supplements whose ingredients contains carnauba wax, artificial colouring or caffeine as a main ingredient. Luckily, legislation on supplement manufacturing in many countries have pushed most suppliers to produce safe and sound products with pure ingredients for truly optimal health.
Michele Sevier, DNM, DAc, B.Ed., M.Ed., is nutrition house’s resident Director of Education. Michele is a Doctor of Natural Medicine, holds a Doctorate of Acupuncture, and has a certificate utilizing Auriculotherapy and its applications in health and healing, including techniques to deal with addictive behaviours. A Consulting Nutritional Analyst, Michele holds certificates in Clinical Microscopy/Blood Analysis and Urinalysis in Biological Medicine. Michele is responsible for training and coaching Nutrition House’s Natural Health Product Advisors. Visit www.nutritionhouse.com to find your nearest retailer.
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