Why I Won’t Take 99% of Supplements Anymore
I have taken tens of thousands of supplements.
This is what people who become highly suspicious of pharma do. We go to the "alternative" docs, and we take THEIR pills. And we assume they're "natural."
Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth.
(If you'd prefer to watch instead of read, scroll down to the bottom of this article.)
We Look for the Pill That Finally Works
We even give our practitioner a pass when we take $1,500 of supplements they sell and notice no evidence of being healthier–
–certainly not permanently, though some supplements can make you “feel” something.
So we go back and buy MORE pills. Always look for the pill that finally “works.”
More likely, it works that we go to a practitioner, saying something’s wrong here–and we’re SOLD some pills.
Have You Seen the Solvents in My Blood?
Have you seen this pic of the mostly-solvents, slick, oily garbage from my blood?
This was while doing INUSpheresis in Switzerland in July.
Also, the technology filters out glyphosate, metals, plastics, and many things.
No one in North America has INUSpheresis yet, and the FDA has not approved it, as far as I know.
My pic of the “first pass” filtration looks like motor oil, and the second pass (a bigger bag dumping into water) is similar to what I saw at the clinic from others. I’m not better, not worse.
Everybody else who did INUSpheresis had similar results, except one couple who claimed they had much less than average.
(I did not see their output, to confirm this. The nurses and doctor told them that it was less than average. They were also fit, look younger than their years, healthy, and affluent.
The wife and I were the ONLY two to do INUSpheresis who refused the "nutrient IV's." We were also the only two who didn’t get puffy and retain water for 24 hours after the treatment. Hmm.)
So what does somebody like me, who eats a whole-food plant-based, mostly organic diet, and I have absolutely zero plaque in my body, cardiologist Dr. Simone told me in July after doing an ECG, also saying I have the cardiovascular system of a 20-year-old –
– so what am I doing with a QUART of jet-fuel-like petroleum product in my blood?!
Why I Have Toxins in My Blood – 3 Theories
I have three toxic exposures that I can think of, that could explain it.
Let’s talk about my #1 theory: The MASSIVE NUMBER OF SUPPLEMENTS I used to take.
Like, I've done this an embarrassing number of times:
I’d see a supplement I bought five years ago somewhere in my house. And I’m not sure what it was for or what it even is – I wasn’t getting results, so I forgot to keep taking it.
So then I just randomly take it till it's gone because I spent good money on that.
I used to think, "Well, it's natural, and my functional medicine practitioner wouldn't sell it to me if I didn't need it. So it couldn’t hurt, and it could be beneficial in some way."
Gone are those days and those beliefs. I've published a fair amount on this topic here, here, and here – and I am writing a book.
However, more than 90% of the supplements on the market are made synthetically in huge facilities in two major third-world countries by pharmaceutical companies, with solvents involved.
My doctor in Switzerland says MOST of the crazy stuff they can filter out of the blood is SOLVENTS.
Let me repeat this:
Your supplements are made (mainly by PHARMA companies) with PETROCHEMICAL solvents.
Do the ‘Natural’ Pills You’re Taking Have Solvents?
Write the companies you're buying all your "natural" pills from and ask them:
"Can you tell me with certainty that no solvents were used in the manufacture of your capsule and the contents of the capsule?"
They likely just won't answer you. Their CSR's don't know. Because nobody asks that. They don't have the answer to that question, because nobody asks it! They don’t know to ask.
Or they ask their boss, who asks her boss, who says yes, and the CSR is told to just ignore your email.
They might answer you and just write some vapid and shiny word salad that they hope makes you go away. (Without answering.)
Or they might tell you the truth, that your "natural supplements" have solvents in them (while telling you it's a negligible amount that ends up in your supplement).
The solvents issue is by no means my only problem with most of the supplements on the market today.
The base materials your supplements are made of are a conversation for another day.
But here’s an article I wrote about how all your “B vitamins” (and others!) are made from tar, and acids.
But, for instance, there was NO citrus or some fabulous fruits or vegetables involved in your "vitamin C" nor your Vitamin B's or K, nor your "calcium" or "magnesium"--none of them.
I honestly cannot believe how many decades I went, popping pills and ASSUMING that I was covering some "nutrient deficiency" with pills made of something very valuable. Turns out I was wrong.
What Supplements Do I Buy?
Someone is going to ask me, "Okay, but what brand do I buy my supplements from then?"
To which if you're even still reading, I just ask that you just read this a second time.
When people ask me that, I figure this is their first exposure to these facts, and they're missing the point:
Virtually every company, 10,000's of them, are buying the "nutrients" from the same couple of massive pharma sources.
(I use the qualifier “virtually every” because I’m still looking for companies that sell “B vitamins” or “vitamin D” or “vitamin C” and more – who DON’T get their raw materials in 40-gallon drums from Chinese and Indian chemical plants.
I’ve found ONE small company. That appears to be using foods and superfoods in large, pressed pills and capsules. However, they refuse to answer whether solvents are used in their product.
What the label looks like and what trusted practitioner sold it to you with his name on it are irrelevant. That's a matter of graphic design and printing.
They all get the base materials from the same couple of huge companies.
Please hear me when I tell you your doctor sold it because they don’t know what I’m telling you.
They haven’t dug into the narratives, just like you hadn’t. A marketer sold it to them, and they’re the marketer selling it to you.
Or, they found out about it after spending many years building up repeat customers that net them $10K/mo or more. They're certainly not going to give that up now.
I tried to talk to my own (former) hormone practitioner three times in two years about the “vitamin D” she sells. And she just changed the subject, in person, twice. And ignored my email about it.
If the burning question on your mind at this point is, “Then what brand do I buy?”–
– please read the blog posts I’ve linked to above, on these topics I've written in detail–
– on B "vitamins," "vitamin D," ascorbic acid falsely called “vitamin C,” and more.
I know it’s a shock to learn all this.
But there’s an upside: You can save a lot of money now.
I Do Recommend These 2 Supplements
While I don’t recommend 99% of supplements, I am confident that the two supplements we offer complete a whole-food diet – they don’t take the place of it.
Studies show the healthy foods we eat aren’t deficient in vitamins, but they ARE deficient in minerals.
I use and promote them because I wanted them myself due to the microbiome of the soil being severely damaged from decades of growing with pesticides and synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.
I recommend taking our Ultimate Minerals and PreZyme Pro daily to ensure your and your family's best health.
Test any other brand of probiotics – if they don’t culture (‘set up’) ¼ cup of milk when you sprinkle them on top, they don’t have probiotics to help you, either. I have tested 40 brands and found that 85-90% have no living probiotics.
Read Next: This Is What's Actually in Your Supplements
If you'd like to see this article in video form, here it is:
Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe. Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support the GSG mission without costing you extra. I recommend only companies and products that I use myself.
Posted in: Health Concerns, Natural Remedies, Preventive Care, Supplements, Whole Food
Are the supplements from Dr Livingood good?
Curious what your other 2 theories are! Will you be sharing?
What company's Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3 are good/safe/effective? Have you found any? Is "Garden of Life" a good brand? Thank you in advance for your help!
I just read your Substack (very informative! Thank you!!!), so please disregard my question about D3 and B12…Although, I'd still like to know your thoughts about the brand "Garden of Life"….Are their products safe/clean/etc.? Thanks!
Hi Jen! So glad you found Robyn's post helpful!
Robyn has found that virtually every company, 10,000's of them, are buying the "nutrients" from the same couple of massive pharma sources.
If you are a Garden of Life user those would be great questions to ask the company (how are the products sourced and do they use solvents in processing) as it's always beneficial for companies to hear from their customers!