Do supplements make your body nutritionally lazy?

Nasal sprays to combat the stuffy, runny noses of allergy season also have the potential for addiction, because chronic use leads to inflammation that results in swelling, essentially requiring more and more of the spray to get the same effects.

The story of addiction

Drugs and alcohol addiction is similar, and as users grow more accustomed to their drug of choice, they need more and more to feel the same effects.

Food - at least junk food, which we reach for when we’re not getting the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids our bodies need for fuel - is no different.

Experts believe that fat and sugar activate the same pleasure responses in the brain as drugs like heroin or cocaine, making an addiction hard to break.

Of course all this raises the question: If supplements provide the feel-good nutrients we need, does the same theory hold true?

Supplements: Do our bodies become immune?

Not so fast.

Generally speaking, even though a supplement like Total Balance provides us with the nutrients we need to feel our best, it does not over time lose effectiveness, and we don’t require more and more of the supplement in order to achieve the same results.

Our supplements are created with synergy in mind, and are designed to work as a whole – not as a series of separate ingredients. Each ingredient encourages the others to provide more benefits, creating an environment that inspires your body to work harder and better no matter what activity you might be involved in.

Although experts recommend taking dietary supplements daily in order to get the full benefits, some also recommend taking a break from supplements for a week or two, every six months to a year.

However, taking a break does leave you without the nutrients that you won't be getting from diet alone, so it’s important to eat a healthy diet to maintain good health.

And if you don’t want to take a break, don’t.

“We consider this to be a matter of personal preference,” our experts say. “If you do decide to take a break, we recommend that it is limited to two weeks once per year. Otherwise the benefit of the product will be reduced.”

The break can be used as a time to develop more awareness of your body and how it feels, or to determine any changes to sleep patterns or energy, allowing you to reassess your health goals and how to reach them.

Supplementing a baby’s diet, however, may pose some risks.

Supplementing at an early age can cause a degree of “laziness,” because the body may miss the opportunity to learn how to use the nutrients it takes in, supplementation may have the potential to trigger a dependence on supplements. (Ref. 2)

Hormones: A different story

Hormone supplements, too, come with risks.

Because our bodies have the ability to make the hormones we need, when we supplement with either natural or synthetic hormones – often prescribed during menopause for women who have not developed cancer or for men who have sexual dysfunction related to low testosterone - our bodies become lazy and we slow our own production of the hormones. (Ref. 2)

Given that hormone therapy is associated with a variety of known risks - so much so that testosterone is banned by professional sports organizations – a better idea is to create an optimum environment for our bodies to do their jobs.

References:

1. http://www.xtend-life.com/healthconditions/Digestive_Health.aspx
2. http://www.xtend-life.com/News/Xtend-Life-Newsletter_Archive/Article/11-02-01/Xtend-Life_News_Issue_12_2011.aspx