Top 20 Naturopathic Tips

1. Always check with your Doctor, Pharmacist or Naturopath before starting any new supplements, especially if you're on prescription medication.
2. Take calcium at night with your evening meal for best absorption.
3. Take Spirulina, Slippery Elm and Fibre Care Plus at least two hours away from medications.
4. Always store your supplements as directed on the label. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Do not store them in the bathroom, above the stove, cook top, microwave or refrigerator. Always keep capsules/tablets in their original bottles with the cap tightly closed.
5. Take CoQ10 in the morning with food; do not take it after 3pm as it may keep you awake at night.
6. Stop all supplements at least 7 - 14 days before surgery, unless told otherwise by your healthcare professional.
7. Do not take supplements with tea as tea has the potential to interfere with and inhibit the absorption of your supplements.
8. Take high dose vitamin C in between meals, for optimum absorption.
9. Do not take your supplements with a high fibre meal, as the fibre can inhibit the absorption of some supplements.
10. Always follow a course of antibiotics with a course of probiotics. Take probiotics on a full stomach and preferably in a dairy base.
11. Take zinc before bed, as it's better absorbed on an empty stomach, and needed to make human growth hormone overnight.
12. If you have trouble digesting oil supplements, take lecithin to help break down the oil. This will help to digest it better.
13. For those who still find the oil taste comes back to haunt them later, store your oil supplements in the fridge.
14. Spread your supplements over the day, rather than taking them all at once.
15. Take iron with a protein and vitamin C rich meal, to enhance iron absorption. Protein rich foods include eggs, chicken, red meat and fish.
16. CoQ10 replenishes the antioxidant activity of vitamin E; so take them both at the same time.
17. B vitamins are best taken in the early part of the day, with food, as they can keep some people awake at night.
18. When taking a glucosamine product, choose just one, as mixing different formulas means you won't get the therapeutic amount of each ingredient, and you won't reap the full benefits.
19. Grape seed helps regenerate vitamin E back to its antioxidant form, so take both at the same time for an enhanced effect.
20. When taking high doses of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, selenium and iron, take them at separate meals to ensure optimum absorption.