John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

The majority of people who call me are using natural health supplements. The most common are Omega 3 Fish oil and some form of vitamin mixture.

As part of any initial conversation I always ask about any supplements or remedies a person is using. For the most part, people are taking things that are beneficial. The other day I had a call from someone who really surprised me. She had a complex range of health problems and she had been essentially taking all the nutrients I would have recommended. All I needed to do was fine tune her excellent programme.

Most people I speak to have a good idea of what they are trying to achieve with supplements and have generally adopted part of the necessary solution. A common example would be taking fish oil and glucosamine for osteoarthritis. Both are really positive steps. The fish oil helps to reduce joint inflammation and the glucosamine helps with cartilage function. What is often missing though are the antioxidants that deal with the underlying disease process.

The frustrating aspect of a partial solution is that you get partial results. Sometimes it is just a matter of changing dosages appropriate for age, weight and severity. So often I speak to people taking a low dose of fish oil and comment that when our mothers and grandmothers gave us cod liver oil it was by the teaspoon – which is 5mls. When taking fish oil capsules, generally we need around this level. Taking well-formulated supplements can make an incredible difference to your health. The main reason is we can target specific amounts of nutrients at exactly the right levels for any time period and the result can be a major improvement in your health.

The skill comes from making sure that you implement a full solution not a partial one. This means the right nutrients at the right levels for the right length of time. Monthly monitoring can really help make sure you are on the right track. If you are not sure what to do, get a second opinion on what would be best for you. You may need just a fine tune to make a big difference.

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. For more information phone John 07 578 9051.