Our society’s busy lifestyle makes supplementation a convenient way to add nutrients that may be missing from our diet. Since these vitamins must navigate the 30-foot long digestive tract, there are many twists and turns to sidetrack important nutrients. As the phrase coined by Dr. Gloria Gilbere (Naturopathic Doctor) suggests, “The road to health is paved with good intestines.” In other words, you aren’t what you eat-you are what you absorb!

Tablet traffic jam
Don’t get lost navigating the maze of tablets or capsules. Manufacturing guidelines suggest that tablets should break apart in the body within 30-60 minutes, but that doesn’t always happen. Excipients are used to make the tablets and act as fillers, binders, lubricants, and disintegrants. While technically safe, excipients can interfere with absorption. Excipients to avoid are dicalcium phospate (turns a tablet into a brick), magnesium stearate and palmitate Magnesium stearate is a lubricant for tablet manufacture, but it can also interfere with absorption.

Gelcaps are preferred over tablets because their thin walls break down easier and ingest faster.

Capsules contain fewer excipients than tablets because they are not needed for the manufacturing process (pressing tablets). Excipients are found in some capsules to make the powder look consistent and fill up half empty caps. Most common excipients are cellulose (used by health-food stores) and lactose (drugstore brands). Lactose can cause problems for those people allergic to dairy products. The safest excipients are cellulose, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, and magnesium citrate.

In general, tablets cost less than capsules to manufacture and can carry up to twice the amount of ingredients compared with the largest capsule.
Summary: Use tablets if you are on a budget while checking for safe excipients. Whenever possible, use capsules or gelcaps using a vegetarian-source.

Sorting through the fine print (label mystery)
Mineral supplements can be quite confusing and they are always part of a compound. Oxides are the cheapest form, but are not well absorbed. The best co-ingredients are mineral citrate, malate, fumarate, succinate, aspartate, glycinate, asorbate, or picolinate. In general, opt for mineral “chelates,” such as glycinates, citrates, and aspartates. Chelating means that the mineral is bound to an organic molecule and is better absorbed.

The differences between natural and synthetic supplements is not always clear except for vitamin E and carotenoids (antioxidants found in fruits and veggies). Vitamin E. Natural vitamin E is twice as good as synthetic forms and is associated d-alpha tocopherol (spelling may vary).

Carotenoids such as beta carotene comes from D. salina algae and contains small amounts of other antioxidant carotenoids. Likewise, tomato-derived lycopene contains small amounts of related antioxidants, but the synthetic form contains only lycopene. If the natural co-ingredients are not listed, the supplement is probably synthetic.

Summary: Vitamin E and carotenoids are easy to tell the natural from synthetic supplements. Other mineral supplements can be a more challenging decision. Navigation through the maze is easier if you aim for citrates, aspartates, glycinates, and picolinates.

Why Drugs are Wrong!
“Drugs work by interfering with normal biochemical processes in the body,” explains Bernard Rimland, PhD, director of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego and long a critic of conventional medicine. “In contrast, nutrients support normal biochemistry.” Antacids, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) all reduce stomach acidity and thereby reduce absorption. They can also interfere with absorption of many other nutrients including potassium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and folic acid.

Regular use of NSAIDs increases the risk of ulcers that leads to mal-absorption of other drugs and nutrients.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics destroy beneficial gut bacteria that support digestion and protect against intestinal flus and food poisoning. Oral contraceptives manipulate hormone levels and lower blood levels of B-complex vitamins, zinc, and manganese.

Summary:
If you currently take antibiotics or antacids on a regular basis, be sure to restore your “good” colon bacteria with probiotics (acidophilus, bifidobacterium, and bulgaricus). With regular use of prescription medication, take 500 mg of L-glutamine 15 minutes before meals-the cells that make up the gut wall use this protein building block as fuel. Also, consider a high potency multivitamin if you regularly take medication.

Gut instincts
Poor digestion, medications and certain bowel diseases can affect absorption. We live in a world of acid indigestion and gastric-reflux disorders. Studies show that poor eating habits are behind these disorders, yet we continue to “pop” antacids that further hinder absorption. Age also influences digestion and absorption. After age 65, you have a one-in-three chance of producing too little stomach acid. This leads to a deficiency of vitamin B12 (even eating B12-rich foods). Severe deficiencies can lead to pernicious anemia and mimic Alzheimer’s symptoms.

When stomach acid decreases, whether because of age or acid-reducing medications, you can develop an overgrowth of unwanted gut bacteria (Candida). That can lead to gut inflammation, “leaky gut syndrome,” or irritable bowel syndrome. Belching, having excessive flatulence, and regularly having either diarrhea or constipation are all signs of poor eating habits and impaired digestion.
Summary:

Remember Pain & Stress Center products are pharmaceutical grade, mostly excipient free, and use vegetarian source caps whenever possible.

Products from Pain & Stress Center:
VITAMN E; COLON BALANCE, SUPER DIGESTAWAY; SUPER PANCREATIN; MAGLINK; CANDIDA; MULTIDOPHILUS; SERRAZYME
 

†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 
This product is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease.

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