January 2005

The need for nutritional supplements

by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg

Chiropractors looking for an entry into the wellness arena have many choices available to them, but the one that can help their patients the most ‑‑ and boost their income the quickest ‑‑ is natural, whole‑food nutritional supplements.

Second only to chiropractic, nutrition is the key to wellness. According to a report issued by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), “Consistent use of multivitamins and other key supplements can promote good health and help prevent disease.”

The 100‑plus page report ‑‑ “The Benefits of Nutritional Supplements” ‑‑ reviewed more than a decade's‑worth of the most scientifically significant studies measuring the health benefits of multivitamins and other nutritional supplements, including antioxidants (vitamins C and E), calcium, long chain omega‑3 fatty acids (fish oils), vitamin D, vitamins B‑6 and B‑12, and folic acid.

“The medical and scientific communities are rapidly accumulating powerful evidence about the role of nutritional supplements in both health promotion and disease prevention,” said Annette Dickinson, PhD, the author of the report and CRN vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs.

“This growing critical mass of data underscores the need for health professionals to do more to encourage patients to get into a regular, defined routine of supplementation. While it is never too late to start incorporating supplements into a healthy lifestyle, there is compelling evidence that consistent, long‑term use provides the strongest benefits,” she said.

The report also revealed:

>> If all women of childbearing age used multivitamins with folic acid, it should be possible to reduce the current incidence of neural tube birth defects like spina bifida by as much as 70%.

>> Routine use of multivitamins and mineral supplements by the elderly could improve immune function and thus reduce infectious disease, potentially cutting in half the total number of days they are sick.

>> Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D could reduce the rate of hip fracture among older people by at least 20% ‑‑ meaning 40,000‑50,000 fewer hip fractures each year in the United States ‑‑ for an average annual savings of $1.5 to $2 billion.

The potential cost savings of a prevention‑oriented approach to health and diet are tremendous.

A 1997 analysis predicted that if the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, stroke and hip fracture were delayed five years, total U.S. health care cost savings could equal $89 billion annually.

“Scientific evidence in support of the health benefits of nutritional supplements has grown dramatically in recent years,” said Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, a professor in the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. “We must now work to translate this knowledge to health care providers, policy makers and consumers so the simple actions people can take to promote their health and prevent disease can be more fully realized. The impact of a rational use of dietary supplements can also help reduce health care costs which escalate every year as our population grows older.”

Dr. Dickinson noted that, while all people should strive to maintain a healthy and balanced diet ‑‑ whatever their age or health circumstance ‑‑ in reality few do. “While the overall improvement of dietary habits has been the focus of much research on health promotion and disease prevention, the medical and scientific communities are increasingly recognizing that nutritional supplements have a critical role to play. Too many studies have shown that most diets ‑‑ even fairly healthy ones ‑‑ fall well below the Recommended Dietary Allowance for many nutrients. Supplements are a proven bridge between what we should eat and what we actually eat,” she said.

Almost weekly, a new scientific study adds to the evidence that nutritional supplements are not only beneficial but essential for health and wellness. Here are just a few of the many reports published recently in major scientific journals:

** “Calcium Supplements Can Lower Risk of Large Colon Polyps” ‑‑ Journal of the National Cancer Institute

** “Moderate Exercise, Simple Dietary Supplements Reduce Risk of Atherosclerosis” ‑‑ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

** “Vitamin Supplements May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk” ‑‑ Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention

** “Calcium Supplements Reduce Bone Loss, Help Prevent Osteoporosis” ‑‑ Journal of Bone and Mineral Research

** “Taking Vitamin D Supplements Lowers Risk of Multiple Sclerosis” ‑‑ Neurology

** “Vitamin E May Reduce Stroke Risk” ‑‑ American Academy of Neurology

** “Magnesium Supplements May Help Lower High Blood Pressure” ‑‑ Hypertension (American Heart Association)

** “Vitamin C Reduces Cataracts” ‑‑ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

** “Calcium and Vitamin D Collaborate to Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk” ‑‑ Journal of the National Cancer Institute

** “Dietary Intake of Vitamin E May Reduce Risk of Parkinson's Disease” ‑‑ Neurology

** “Antioxidants appear to protect against diabetes” ‑‑ Diabetes Care

Even the American Medical Association (AMA) has published research recommending daily supplements. In an article in the June 19, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers from Harvard Medical School concluded that: “Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements.”

What makes chiropractic and nutrition an even more ideal combination is the fact that more and more people are looking at natural, whole‑food supplements as part of their wellness routine, not as a “treatment” for medical conditions. There is ample evidence to support this connection between supplements and well‑being.

In fact, the Food & Drug Administration, in its “Guide to Dietary Supplements,” emphasizes that: “One thing dietary supplements are not is drugs. A drug, which sometimes can be derived from plants used as traditional medicines, is an article that, among other things, is intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent diseases.”

Our world doesn't need more people in the disease‑treatment business, which is a failed paradigm and is being abandoned by patients. We need wellness professionals who know how to help optimize the body's innate powers through subluxation correction and nutrition. By providing high‑quality, natural whole‑food nutritional supplements to patients, we uphold our century long tradition of providing natural, non‑medical and drug‑free service to all people.

(Dr. Terry Rondberg is president of the World Chiropractic Alliance and publisher of The Chiropractic Journal He is also founder of Chiropractors for Wellness, a company promoting chiropractic's role as wellness providers and helping doctors achieve financial success through the private franchise model. For more information on Chiropractors for Wellness, call 800 704 4791 in the U.S. or 480 303 1778 outside the U.S.)