Once you realize that many of your patients will benefit from dietary supplementation, the next step is to make sure that your patients get supplements that actually benefit them.  It's not my intent to make this article a seminar on nutritional supplements, but there are several pertinent facts that should be emphasized so that you and your patients get the maximum results of any supplements that you recommend.  If your patient’s don’t see results from your recommendations then they will lose confidence in your abilities and you will lose confidence in dietary supplements, even though your patient’s would benefit from them.

The controversy over the advantages of natural supplements vs. synthetic supplements has been raging since chemists first discovered the chemical structure of organic compounds and began synthesizing them in the lab.  The chemists were able to synthesize vitamins, enzymes, and hormones with chemical formulas identical to those found in nature.  They were able to manufacture these substances at a significantly lower cost than it took to isolate them from natural sources. The assumption was, and is, that these synthetic supplements are just as effective as natural supplements, because they are chemically identical.

Since ‘preventive’ care and procedures is the buzzword of the day in healthcare, now is the time to increase nutritional supplements used in your practice.  Vitamins and other nutritional supplements will improve your patient’s health and improve your bottom line.  But, you need to be knowledgeable in the use of nutritional supplements, or have someone on your staff who is an expert in the field.

Over the next several weeks I will discuss how utilizing nutritional supplements in your practice can benefit your practice and your patient’s health.  There will be difficulties and challenge that you will face if you decide to make this transition, but the rewards will be well worth the effort.