Your supplements are under attack

When I meet someone new — say at a party or while I’m traveling — [Click here](1770d7/ct0_0/1/ms?sid=TV2%3AoC0UJnzQ5) to view this message in your browser | [Click here](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AoC0UJnzQ5) to stop receiving our messages [] [] Al Sears, MD 11905 Southern Blvd. Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 [] August 8, 2023 [] Reader, When I meet someone new — say at a party or while I’m traveling — and they’ve been told that I’m an “anti-aging” doctor, there’s one question I’m almost always asked... “Dr. Sears,” they say. “Are supplements really worth the money?” I understand why they are questioning taking additional vitamins, herbs, and other nutrients. For years, the medical establishment believed that supplements were a waste of money. Of course, it isn’t true. As a regular reader, you already know that. But finally, the rest of the country is becoming more savvy to the incredible health- and life-saving benefits of supplementing. A recent report by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) determined that not only could hundreds of thousands of medical events related to chronic diseases be avoided in the first place — but “investing in wellness through supplements could save billions of dollars in disease prevention.” Unfortunately, there’s no time for anyone who believes in the power of lifesaving supplements to pat themselves on the back. You see, Big Pharma and the FDA have once again declared war on anyone making or promoting nutritional supplements. Not because they don’t work. But because they do. And that means they’re a serious threat to Big Pharma’s bottom line. Just look at the numbers: Today, more than 80% of adults in America take a vitamin or mineral supplement. That’s double the number from just a few decades ago.1,2 Once you add in antioxidants, herbs, amino acids, sports enhancements, and nutraceuticals, you can see why the big drug makers are scared. In fact, Big Pharma is so scared that they keep trying to use their political connections in Congress to push through a bill that would require supplement companies to register their products with the FDA, just like a drug. This proposed legislation has devastating consequences that will... - Limit your access to thousands of supplements - Threaten jail time for supplement manufacturers who don't jump through the FDA's regulatory hoops - Drive many supplement makers out of business - End your access to inexpensive supplements - Open the door for the FDA to reclassify supplements as "drugs" But here’s the thing...supplements are NOT drugs. They are nutrition. If you follow this logic, you might as well regulate an orange for its vitamin C or a piece of fish for its omega-3. We’ve come a long way already There was a time when conventional doctors, Big Pharma, and the FDA didn’t believe that nutritional supplements had any medical value at all. Some in the medical establishment even considered supplements like vitamin D3, CoQ10, vitamin B6, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and magnesium to be “quack treatments.” Some studies even discredited omega-3 fatty acids!3 All of that’s changed. Multiple studies back up the medicinal power of supplements and demonstrate their ability to keep people healthy and out of the hospital. A study funded by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, concluded that:4 - If every cardio patient in the U.S. over the age of 55 took omega-3s and vitamins B6, B12, and B9 (folic acid) supplements, the chances of ending up in a hospital were radically reduced, and the combined health-cost savings would be more than $1 billion a year. - If all U.S. cardio and diabetic patients over 55 in the U.S. took chromium supplements, the total savings in health costs would be $970 million a year. - If Americans over 55 with age-related eye disorders took lutein and zeaxanthin antioxidants, the estimated savings would be $967 million a year. Supplements are also overwhelmingly safe. In 2021 alone, the FDA received reports of more than two million adverse events from Big Pharma drugs, including 187,750 deaths. Compare that to 2,400 adverse reports from nutritional supplements and zero deaths. So why have supplement regulations become such a priority? Sadly, it all comes down to money. Big Pharma is desperate to get in on the act and solidify its monopoly on medicine. Pharma companies are quietly buying up the most respected supplement companies. Publicly, they complain about these companies. Privately, they’re getting into the supplement business. The most important supplements you can take I’ve been recommending nutritional supplements to my patients since I began practicing medicine more than 30 years ago. And I’ve done it for one simple reason — they work. These are the top supplements I recommend: - DHA. This omega-3 fat can prevent or improve chronic conditions associated with aging, including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, arthritis, and inflammation. You need between 600 and 1,000 mg of DHA daily. I recommend getting DHA from squid. Sometimes called calamari oil, it contains more DHA than fish oil alone. - CoQ10. This is one of the most important supplements you can take. Benefits of this antioxidant include treating and preventing heart failure and diabetes, protection against certain kinds of cancer, strengthening mitochondria, protecting the brain against oxidative damage, slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and protecting lungs and increasing pulmonary function. Take 50 to 100 mg a day of the ubiquinol form. It’s eight times more powerful. - Vitamin D. The sunshine vitamin helps protect against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases like MS, depression, and so much more. You can get a healthy daily dose of D by getting around 15 minutes of direct sunlight. It also strengthens your bones, boosts immunity, reduces inflammation, and helps with weight loss. I recommend taking at least 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3 in its cholecalciferol form. This is the same kind your body naturally produces. Rounding out my top 10 are vitamins C, K2, E, and a B complex, as well as magnesium, PQQ, and curcumin. I have taken a high-quality multivitamin every day for nearly 40 years, and you should too. It’s the only way you can reclaim your primal health. But I also take additional supplements to correct the problems that come from living in a toxic world and undernourished environment. I call these different supplement levels primal, ultra, ortho, and telo. To further explain what I mean, I put together a video. [Click on this link to view it.](1770d7/ct1_0/1/lu?sid=TV2%3AoC0UJnzQ5)1770d7/ct1_1/1/lu?sid=TV2%3AoC0UJnzQ5 To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS --------------------------------------------------------------- References: - Mikuli M. “Usage of dietary supplements among U.S. adults from 2008 to 2021.” Accessed on August 1, 2023. Accessed on August 1, 2023. - Balluz L, et al. “Vitamin and mineral supplement use in the United States. Results from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” Arch Fam Med. 2000 Mar;9(3):258-62. - Danaei G, et al. “The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors.” PLOS Medicine. 2009; 6(4): e1000058. - Shanahan C and De Lorimier R. “Smart prevention: Health care cost savings resulting from the targeted use of dietary supplements.” Funded by the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Published by Frost & Sullivan. 2013. --------------------------------------------------------------- alsearsmd@send.alsearsmd.com [Preferences | Unsubscribe](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AoC0UJnzQ5) 11905 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411, United States