FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 17, 2019 • WELLNESS • THE QUEENS COURIER 39
wellness
Do you know how that new supplement will
aff ect your existing medication regimen?
Mahatma Gandhi once famously said,
“It is health that is real wealth and not
pieces of gold and silver.” If you count
yourself as a believer in this statement,
your health is more important to you
than any material possession and you do
your best to protect it every single day.
Th at’s why you eat right, exercise regularly
and support your total health with supplements.
But did you realize that, if you are
already taking medications for an existing
condition, the supplements you mix with
these medications could actually be hindering
your overall health instead of helping
it? It’s an all-too-common occurrence
and one many people are unaware of.
“Nutrient defi ciencies and diagnosed
health conditions oft en require the use of
vitamins and prescription medications,
but they can interact. It is critical that
users understand potential interactions,”
said Michael Roizen, M.D., chief wellness
offi cer, Cleveland Clinic and Persona
medical advisory board chair.
Research from Persona, the leading
personalized nutrition brand combining
smart science, data and the highest quality
supplements, shows that nearly 40 percent
of survey participants - those already taking
vitamins alongside prescription medications
- did not know vitamins and
supplements can impact the eff ectiveness
of their medications. Forty-fi ve percent
assumed they didn’t need to tell their doctor
before they started taking a new vitamin
or supplement. Th is eliminated the
possibility for doctors to warn them of
potential negative eff ects of the two interacting.
Examples of common negative reactions
Th e market is fl ush with myriad medication
and dietary supplement solutions
and while many will not interact
with each other, those that do cannot be
ignored.
One common area for a negative reaction
is with those who take a blood pressure
medication and combine it with an
iron supplement. In many cases taking the
supplement two hours before or aft er the
medication can decrease its absorption
rate signifi cantly, making the prescription
med less successful.
People who take a synthetic thyroid
hormone should also be wary of taking
their medication in conjunction with any
supplement containing soy, iron or calcium.
Taking both the medication and supplement
within four hours of one another
will decrease the absorption rate and
eff ectiveness of the thyroid hormone.
Identifying situations where the pairing
is successful
Combining a supplement and a medication
isn’t always a hindrance; it can
be successful as well. For example, if
you are taking a statin, you will want to
add Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) because the
average blood concentration of CoQ10 in
blood plasma decreases.
In another instance, if you take medication
to treat allergies or infl ammation,
adding a vitamin D and calcium supplement
will support bone health and calcium
absorption.
Finding the right supplement solutions
for you
With so many supplement options
available, it can be diffi cult to determine
which choices are right for you, and if you
are already taking a medication, choosing
the proper supplement becomes even
more important.
Persona can help by cross-referencing
more than 650 prescription medications
when making supplement recommendations.
Th is thorough cross-referencing
ensures you’ll receive the full benefi
ts of the supplement without having to
worry about negative reactions. In addition,
Persona’s customer service team of
dietitians and nutritionists will work with
you to determine the right supplement
plan for you based on your needs and
medical considerations.
With a single subscription service,
Persona delivers customized vitamins
and nutritional supplements to you in
daily packs based on needs and it all
starts when you take your free Nutritional
Assessment. Visit www.personanutrition.
com to learn more, because you should
expect your supplements to support not
only your existing medications but your
total health goals as well.
Courtesy BPT
/www.personanutrition
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.personanutrition
