As most of you reading this have probably already realized the amount of bro-science in the health industry is just insane. This is especially true when it comes to supplements and herbs. One person says this supplement is good, another says it's horrible and stay away from it. This can lead us to be extremely confused and unsure about whether or not we should even bother with supplements, to begin with. I mean, after all, they aren't even regulated like our food is. I'm gonna share with you 3 strong principles to use when considering what supplements you should consider buying.
1) Stay away from Really Cheap Products: I know, buying those super cheap supplements as opposed to the ones with the higher price tags can be so tempting. In theory, this sounds like a good idea, but buying cheap supplements is similar to playing a hand of blackjack. Sometimes you may get lucky and the product was well made, but many other times the product turns out to be complete crap. Good supplements generally are not super inexpensive. A lot goes into making a good product, and this applies to pretty much everything. Many companies have been known to even sell supplements that are completely different from what they say on the bottle. Like I said, this business has very little regulation, so if a company wants to rip you off they will do exactly that.
2) Don't take too many Supplements at once: Taking too many supplements at once can actually cause you more harm than good. Certain supplements do not interact well with others, and sometimes this can lead to unwanted side-effects such as stomach cramps, headaches etc. Figure out exactly which supplements that you feel you need, and stick to those for a while and then you can eventually decide if you think they're working before trying different things.
3) Be Honest about the Effects: If others are claiming to have posotive effects from a product that you seem to be getting nothing out of, do not just keep buying the same product. Certain people's bodys lack certain things, and some supplements will work great for some, while not work at all for others. Try to be honest about the products effects especially when it comes to products to have known and documented effects that cannon be mistaken. For instance, supplements such as kava have documented and noticeable effects. If you were to take a kava supplement and notice absolutely no effects, then chances are the product is cheaply made and doesn't work period for anyone, not just you.
Hopefully this will give you some stronger confidence when choosing which supplements to put into your body. Just remember that anything you put into your body can potentially be harmful to you, and just because someone says something is healthy for you, that doesn't mean it actually is.