With the weather turning cooler and the days increasing growing shorter, I find myself looking for activities to replace the time that was previously spent biking or gardening in the sun. And since my days of door-to-door trick-or-treating are now behind me, I tend to jump directly from excitement over fun in the sun to anticipation of the holidays – complete with the myriad of over the top decorations, themed movie marathons, endless excuses for baking, and, of course, shopping.
This year, I vowed to hit the mall with the organized determination of a seasoned veteran. There will be no last minute shopping, no people overlooked, no need for gift receipts. I’ve studiously kept track of people’s off-the-cuff “oh, I’d love _________” comments, taken note of clothing sizes, rifled through pintrest boards, and ‘accidentally’ stumbled upon Amazon wish-lists. I was entirely confident in my holiday shopping savvy. Right up until I was faced with the first purchase. And then everything fell apart.
Is organic cotton better? Does olive oil aged in an oak-barrel taste different? Is there really a difference between the $80 knives and the $50 ones? When am I paying for a brand and when am I paying for better value? And as I stand in middle of the department store – scanning the multitude of options available for the single gift I have yet to cross off my list and resisting the urge to sit down on the tiled floor to perform a lengthy cost-benefit analysis on the different possibilities – I have a slight twinge that there might be some karmic retribution at play. My inability to efficiently evaluate the relative value of a pair of boxers or a set of kitchen utensils must pale in comparison to the overwhelming number of options my patients have to sort through as they brave the supplement isle at their local health food store.
Over the last decade, the natural health industry has surged, with the market for natural health products experiencing exponential growth. With health food stores going from boutique to commercial and 
supplements going from fringe to main-stay, those wanting to support their health through natural means have never had more options. Within hours of Dr. Oz purporting the health benefits of a given supplement, retailers see their product sales skyrocketing. And while, as a Naturopathic Doctor, nothing makes me happier than seeing people taking an active role in their health, the rampant availability of incomplete information coupled with our consumerist culture does raise a few red flags.
And with that in mind, I’d like to take a moment to dispel two big myths regarding natural health supplements.
Natural is not synonymous with safe. While one might think that popping a vitamin supplement is equivalent to eating a serving of fruits and veggies (and, hey, those don’t come with a warning label), it’s a bit more complicated than that when we’re dealing with concentrated doses of specific nutrients. In some people, such amounts of certain nutrients may interfere with medications, exacerbate health problems or lead to toxicity. Most of us have heard of the wonderfully health-promoting properties of fish oil, and yet in a patient taking a blood thinner, could cause clotting problems. Here in Canada, many of us naturally assume the importance of supplementing Vitamin D in the winter, yet many may not know that this vitamin can wreak havoc on calcium balance in patients with parathyroid issues or kidney stones. While some nutrients are excreted, others accumulate in the body and can be overdosed on if taken in excess. The moral of the story – supplements are not a one-size-fits-all solution and they’re not inherently safe simply by virtue of being natural.
All supplements are not created equal. While natural health products sold in Canada are regulated, the requirements for proving a supplements’ efficacy are variable and depend highly on the health claims being made by the company. So while one can be relatively assured that buying a generic vs. name brand pain reliever will make minimal difference to anything besides one’s wallet, the same can not be said for natural health products. From the use of quality ingredients and the most-absorbable forms of nutrients to the importance of proper processing and handling, there are multiple dimensions in which a supplement company can excel – or cut corners. It takes only a brief Google search to find plenty of evidence of the latter (for an quick insiders glance into the industry, take a look at this study on the prevalence of substitutions and fillers in herbal products), making it even more important that consumers are educated and informed about their choices regarding the things they put in their body. The ability to ensure product quality and efficacy is why many Naturopaths will recommend professional product lines. Though such products may come with a higher price tag, they also come with the assurances of being backed by clinical research, using the most bioavailable ingredients and passing rigorous quality testing. The bottom line – when it comes to supplements, consider value over price. $20 for a product that yields no results is a waste. $40 for a product that aids health and wellbeing is money well spent.
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