How do I find a quality nutritional supplement?

What are some of the multivitamins you recommend?

I use the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam (4^th Edition) as a resource for determining the quality and comparing multivitamin/minerals. This large independent study looks at the more than the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) standards.

The study assesses the completeness based on optimal health. It looks at the potency and forms of the individual ingredients. Most importantly the study looks at how bioavailable the ingredients are, meaning how well your cells can absorb, utilize and efficiently excrete what you don’t need at the time. Our cellular nutritional needs vary day to day, sometimes even hour to hour, depending on what we are eating and what is going on at the time.  A high quality multivitamin/mineral should have adequate amounts of the right bioavailable ingredients so your cells are provided with optimal nutrition.

The study scores 1500 supplements (multivitamins and minerals) on a 0-5 scale, like a hotel rating, with a score of 5 being the best. The supplement I use as the benchmark is made by USANA Health Sciences. The Essentials Multivitamin/mineral scores a 5.0 and also has a gold metal of achievement rating as well.

Others in this category are Douglas Labs (Ultra Preventive products), Creating Wellness Alliance (Vitalize formulas), and True Star Health (TrueBASIC).

Many of the best known retail brands that are recommended to be taken only once a day are scored at a 0 or 0.5. I encourage people to take something that will be of benefit to them. Therefore, I would recommend taking a supplement ranked a 3.0 or higher. 

A good mid ranked supplement is Enzymatic Therapy’s Doctor’s Choice for Men or Women which scores 3.5.

Two of the top ranked products are not available over the counter (USANA Health Sciences and Douglas Labs). Douglas Labs is only sold through health care providers and USANA Health Sciences through independent distributors. The Bridge to Health has an affiliation with both companies. Please contact us if you are interested in these products.    

What is PSYCH-K?

What is PSYCH-K™?

PSYCH-K  uses techniques to balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain to create "whole-brain" thinking. Our subconscious minds drive about 95% of what we do everyday. Previous life experiences and beliefs, stored in the subconscious mind, can sometimes cause us to act in self-defeating ways. Often we are not even aware we hold these beliefs in our subconscious. PSYCH-K™ is a method that allows you to effectively communicate your conscious goals with your subconscious mind, creating internal alignment with your goals and attaining the success you desire. Areas where this can be especially helpful are pain management, weight management, smoking cessation, hypertension, as well as insomnia and anxiety. It is also especially useful in making lifestyle changes and attaining goals. See links page for more information. 
 

What is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

EFT, or Emotional Freedom Technique, is part of a new class of techniques called "energy therapy" (also referred to as energy medicine) used as a treatment modality for a variety of emotional and physical issues. Energy therapy techniques produce change by gaining access to the energy system of the body through the complex network of meridians or channels that move our life force, or qi, throughout our bodies. Pioneers in the Energy Medicine field consider Energy Therapy to be a form of "psychological acupuncture". EFT uses the fingers to tap or simply hold the endpoints of these meridians, rather than using needles to stimulate movement of the life force through the body. This stimulation, combined with a particular mental and emotional focusing, restores balance to the energy system. The EFT technique was designed by Gary Craig, a personal performance coach in California, and is easy for clients to learn for self care. For more information, see additional websites on the links page.
 

What is Interactive Guided Imagery?

Interactive Guided Imagery (IGI) utilizes imagery, the natural language of emotions and the unconscious mind to evoke inner healing resources. IGI is an interactive, permissive, client-centered approach to clinical guided imagery that enables the client to develop an enhanced sense of personal empowerment. For example, a client, once in a relaxed state, can be asked to close their eyes and allow an image to form that symbolizes a problem they're dealing with. Using IGI techniques, the client can be guided in an imaginary dialogue with this image to explore and reveal its meaning and relevance to their problem or issue. Since many people have accurate intuitions about their problems and solutions, imagery makes these insights easily available to them and their clinician.  Imagery has the ability to directly influence the autonomic nervous system, and the power of imagination can be recruited to promote specific physiological changes as an aid to healing. Studies indicate that certain imagery techniques may stimulate physiologic processes, including immune and endocrine responses, which can accelerate the healing process as well as promote reduced suffering from chronic pain

What is Reiki?

Reiki is an invisible, yet palpable universal life force energy that infuses and permeates all living things. Ancient civilizations understood that this life force flowed through the body, supporting optimal health. The Chinese call is "chi" (pronounced chee), the Indians refer to is as "prana," and the Japanese know it as "ki" (pronounced key). The word Reiki comes from the Japanese words rei (pronounced ray), meaning universal, and ki, meaning life force energy.  Reiki is a system of healing that originated in Japan and dates back to the end of the nineteenth century. It is the precise method for connecting this universal energy with the body's innate healing ability. It is practiced by the simple laying on of hands to channel healing energy through the practitioner to the client. Reiki is a holistic energy therapy that treats the whole person by harmonizing the body, mind, and spirit, facilitating feelings of relaxation, serenity, and overall well-being.

What is an anti-inflammatory diet?

Inflammation is a key component of the body's healing system. The body's normal response to injury is to bring more blood and immune activity to the injured area. If inflammation doesn't end or go elsewhere, it becomes destructive. In many chronic diseases, abnormal inflammation may be a root cause. Chronic inflammation causes tissue injury, followed by attempts by the body to heal and repair itself, becoming a vicious cycle. Arthritis, asthma, heart disease, and Crohn's disease are a few examples of chronic inflammatory diseases. Fortunately, we can modify inflammation naturally by adjusting diet.
 

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is simply a focused state of attention and inner concentration, sometimes called a trance state. We have all experienced this without referring to it as hypnosis. Have you ever been watching a movie or reading a good book and you weren’t aware of what was going on around you? If so, you were probably in a trance state. While in this focused, relaxed state we are able to access the power of our subconscious mind more effectively to make the changes we want and achieve the goals we desire. Your subconscious mind is more powerful than you may think, as it influences about 90% of what we do, say and think every day.