The first supplement I ever took, calcium/magnesium, was recommended by a therapist for sleeping. It helped, so I continued taking it.
In 2013, I began taking boron for its health benefits after attending a question-and-answer session with a local chiropractor. About ten of us met after hours in his conference room to ask questions and receive suggestions about issues related to health. He advised us to take boron and recommended an article about it, The Borax Conspiracy by Walter Last. After reading the article, I was convinced that I would benefit from boron, and I began taking it.
Later when tested for boron, I found I now had an overload. So even though boron is needed for bone health, I had an excess in my body and didn’t need to take it.
When I was later tested for zinc and copper, the results were mixed. I had an overload of copper and a deficiency in zinc. My doctor recommended that I take a zinc picolinate supplement and no copper. After I did, my zinc/copper balance improved.
A test for ferritin, the form in which the body stores iron, showed I had a huge excess of ferritin in my body. My doctor recommended no iron in supplements and no cooking in iron pans. The only solution she had to reduce the excess was to donate blood. To get a second opinion, I consulted another doctor who also advised me to donate blood. Finally, I consulted a nutritionist who recommended curcumin, an extract from the turmeric root. That worked.
A lot of people ask if you need to take supplements for bone health. The answer is maybe. It depends on how much of certain nutrients you’re getting in your food and how well your body absorbs them. If you’re deficient in any of the nutrients required for bone health, you may need to take a supplement. Consult your health care provider for advice on nutrition.
At present, I’m taking several supplements for my bone health. Some are mentioned in the book Healthy Bones, Healthy You by Lara Pizzorno, published in 2021. Others, I’ve learned about by researching nutrition and talking to my doctors.
For more information:
Report to Congress on depleted soil and nutrient deficiencies in America, 1936.