Blog / Here's Why You Don't Feel a Difference With Supplements & How to Get the Results You Want.
Ok, so you've tried everything and didn't get your "miracle".
If you're like me and the countless individuals who have spent a small fortune on supplements and never really noticed a significant change, there are good reasons for this...and thankfully, some simple answers.
I just wanted to FEEL better. I think we all do. We want better sleep, better moods, and better days. More energy and productivity, with less stress and scatterbrain. Whereas many are dealing with more serious health challenges that require something more specific and powerful. More than ever, we ALL need to protect and prevent with the best of our ability.
But HOW?
I recall the days of choking down fistfuls of capsules, digging out several bags of powders, for a nice tall glass of pond scum...all in good faith. I'd even take double or triple the recommended amounts, full of hope to feel a difference. It took forever, and I'd usually forget. This routine felt more like a chore than anything.
It's confusing and overwhelming enough as it is, with all of the options and knowing what to take, let alone determine the quality, or if it will even work! I'd try anything just to end the sleepless nights, fatigue, soreness, and lack of focus.
Taking 2-3 times the recommended amount was recommended by doctors, but I just couldn't afford the $60 - $150 PER bottle pricetags.
Eventually, I just stopped taking everything altogether. It was too damn expensive and overall, I felt about the same as I did, to begin with. If I could get just half of what I've spent over the years, I'd be sitting pretty.
I have, however, seen some pretty amazing things happen with people. The kind of stories that should be all over the news, that aren't. Oooh...don't get me started. More on this later.
Alright, enough storytime for now. Here's what I found:
Most supplements are lacking in potency:
This is where most supplement companies fall short. It doesn't matter how amazing or organic the supplement is if you aren't getting enough into your system to get the job done. Many companies try to pack way too many ingredients into a product, which results in minuscule amounts of each, that won't make much difference in the body.
Others tend to destroy the medicinal components in the delicate extraction process.
Many don't even extract them at all! Wait, what? Extract?
A great example of extraction is making coffee. Hot water passes through the ground beans, and voila...that magical cup of joe that gets your gears turning. Otherwise, you'd be eating the grounds every morning. Yummy!
Now although that may still do the trick, many of the medicinal mushrooms and herbs require different types of extraction to draw out all the goodies so your body can utilize them. To make them bioavailable.
If this isn't happening correctly, it's like trying to get a big energy boost from decaf coffee or running your car on 10-octane fuel.
They might as well just sell you empty bottles and save you the trouble!
Beware of cheap and ineffective, or overpriced hype
If you've purchased supplements from places like Walmart, GNC, Target, or Walgreens...you'll love this one.
In 2015, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ran an investigation on popular herbal supplements, sold by these major retailers. 79 percent of them either didn't contain the stated ingredient(s) or were contaminated by filler materials that some might have allergic reactions.
Not to mention the fact that this investigation also proved poor and inexperienced manufacturing, only to destroy the delicate compounds, and DNA of the plant or fungi supplements.
Too many people are willing to compromise quality in order to save a few bucks. Some even pay a LOT more just to be part of a pyramid scheme. Meanwhile, not getting any real results other than a placebo effect and shorter friends list.
I prefer to get the "good stuff" that really works and pay for results...not a bunch of huckster's commission checks.
As you begin to pay closer attention while shopping for supplements, you'll notice similar or even identical ingredients. You may even realize how so many supplement companies copy others' wording on websites and marketing.
Don't be fooled by marketing hype and pretty packaging. In fact, many of your favorites don't even make their products. They purchase from manufacturers and slap their labels on.
Thankfully, there are some great options available that won't break your bank and are obsessed with quality and giving you noticeable results. Several go above and beyond to take extra steps that many are unaware of.
A few even treat plant chemistry as an art form...
Pills, Powders, and Potions, oh my!
Now that we've established that supplements aren't created equally, they also come in many forms. Although this might be a matter of preference in some cases, it has been shown that the delivery method can bring very different results.
No, I'm not talking about UPS, FED-EX, or the US Postal Service. Let me explain.
Pills, powders, and capsules need to go through the digestion process before they are absorbed into the bloodstream, which can take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. Moreover, what doesn't get absorbed and utilized becomes colorful pee. (What a waste!)
Tinctures, or liquid extracts (my favorite), on the other hand, act faster because they get absorbed more easily. Whether you apply a dropperful or two under your tongue or add them to your morning coffee, you will often feel the effects more quickly.
Not only do liquid extracts get into the bloodstream more efficiently, but they are also simple and more convenient to use. Now you won't forget them, or be late for work trying to choke down your pills and mess with piles of powder like you're Tony Montana.
You gave up too soon!
Usually, when we're not noticing results quickly enough, (or at all), we tend to get frustrated and quit. However, people that have taken the higher quality products will notice a difference even when they've stopped taking them, only for the fatigue to return and feeling scatterbrained, or tossing and turning at night.
Some of the more important things we all should be taking every day, tend to bring more profound changes over time. Especially adaptogens, and medicinal mushrooms.
These aren't like vitamins and minerals. These are the types of supplements that are making doctors all over the world recommend to EVERY patient they have, whether they are healthy, or dying of a life-threatening illness. Not to mention, that many of the most powerful pharmaceutical drugs that doctors prescribe are synthetic (and toxic) attempts at recreating these powerful allies.
Moreover, pharmaceuticals are generally designed to suppress our symptoms, whereas nutraceuticals are therapeutic-grade superfoods that help the body get to the root of the problem.
Expecting overnight miracles is unrealistic because our bodies didn't get run down overnight. Nor do most health problems we face instantly happen. However, it IS possible to get noticeable results quickly.
Patience, grasshopper...give them time to work to get the results you want and need. Learning more about what you're taking and why you're taking helps to hang in there why the body does it's thing...and you don't have to get a degree in biochemistry.
Lack of sleep.
Insomnia can ruin pretty much anyone’s day and makes it very difficult to feel a difference…especially when you reach the point of exhaustion. I've been there.
Sleep deprivation comes with a world of problems on its own. When you correct this issue, that alone will give you many of those "miracles".
Otherwise, even things like caffeine or other stimulants that normally bring noticeable effects, become almost ineffective.
There are absurd amounts of sleep products, many of which leave you feeling groggy in the morning… Thankfully, there are a few natural sleep products that actually help your brain to make it's own melatonin, as it should, to help normalize your sleep cycles- which will allow other supplements to work more effectively, so you can notice a difference.
Conclusion:
1) Choose high-potency products that don't use too many ingredients. Weak products won't get the job done.
2) Don't sell yourself short with cheap supplements, or suckered into overpriced hype. Not all supplements are created equally. Although they may have similar or the same ingredients, means very little in terms of how well they work for you.
3) Liquid extracts, often known as tinctures work more quickly and can give more noticeable results. Not only are they convenient and easy to use, but they also get into your bloodstream more efficiently.
4) Give it some time. Be realistic and give your body the time it needs to recover and repair. While certain supplements give us a quick energy boost or put us to sleep, some of the most important ones work better over time.
5) Be sure to take medicinal mushrooms and adaptogenic herbs. These are currently the best-known allies with plenty of science to prove their benefits. Doctors from around the globe recommend these very same medicinal mushroom extracts and herbs to ALL of their patients, regardless of how healthy or unhealthy.
6) Fix your sleep. Keeping good lifestyle habits like a regular sleep schedule, healthy nutrition and hydration will not only improve your health and wellness but will serve to potentiate the effect of the supplement, making it easier for you to see and feel a difference.
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