Always have a physician prescribe the supplements you need (Photo: Courtesy)

Dietary supplements have been used for decades. Even now, you can spot them at the pharmacies and even at the local supermarkets.

What makes them a favorite is there is a variety for everyone. Whether it’s for women, children or men. Although the world of supplements is vast, the main goal is to give your body that extra health boost and nutrients it may be lacking.

As technology progressed, different supplements became available for more than just health needs. I mean, you can get supplements for weight loss, building muscle or even grow long strong hair.

With all this, the dilemma becomes whether or not they’re good or bad for our health. Hopefully these points might give you some clarity:

They help manage health conditions

Supplements have been a game changer for people dealing with different medical conditions like osteoporosis. This helps people who were born with certain deficiencies and those who need something extra to meet their bodies’ nutritional needs.

Often, doctors recommend a number supplements for different patients as part of the list of medications to take.

In this case, taking supplements is greatly beneficial.

They can be beneficial for overall health

You don’t have to necessarily have a certain condition to take supplements. There are many others that can help to boost your immunity and improve your overall health.

For example in the fitness community, the supplements they often take are beneficial in enhancing muscle gain or even aid in weight loss.

Since we don’t always get enough nutrients through natural ways like eating healthy, supplements can come in handy.

 Different supplements play different roles for various people (Photo: Courtesy)
They can work for beauty purposes

Aside from the medical reasons for using supplements, some people have noted improvements when they take supplements for issues like dull hair, brittle nails and uneven skin tone.

But one thing you should remember if you’re planning on incorporating supplements into your beauty routine is to do enough research to see which ones actually work.

People have discovered that many fad supplements don’t work yet they cost pretty penny.

They’re not meant to replace food

The supplements craze can drive people to think they can replace nutrition we get from food. Although they help by giving your body an extra nutrient push, they haven’t been designed to be consumed as food.

In short, you can’t survive on supplements alone and you shouldn’t try to. You still need to ensure you’re eating healthy food even when you’ve been put on supplements by your doctor.

Self-prescribing can be dangerous

Although we have access to supplements at the supermarket, we should think twice about self-prescribing. You can simply decide to start using some but if you’re not sure about what to take and the correct dosage, don’t proceed.

Many of them are generally safe to use but the wrong move can cause serious problems. There are even situations where people have overdosed and died so you should be careful.

Also, you would be inviting unwanted medical issues in case you start taking supplements for a deficiency you don’t have.

The best thing is to consult your doctor first before putting yourself on supplements especially if you have an underlying medical condition like kidney disease.