I recommend that all my patients take the basic nutritional support I refer to as cellular nutrition. This regime provides all the necessary micronutrients to the cell at optimal levels (not RDA levels) for undeniable health benefits as documented in the medical literature. When the cell is provided maximum support, it can then determine what it does and does not need. This allows each cell to not only overcome nutritional deficiencies but also to fully tap the levels of all the nutrition it needs.

The synergistic affect of providing all of the nutrients needed by one's body at the most advantageous levels results in optimizing and rebuilding the body's natural immune system, antioxidant, and repair systems back to their fullest fighting potential against disease.

To accomplish this goal, I first recommend an Antioxidant tablet, Mineral tablet, Essential Fats, Calcium/Magnesium, and a Fiber supplement. (For specific details on the daily recommendations of each, click on each supplement individually or click on "Definitions of Individual Nutrients" for a complete overview.)

• Grape seed extract----300 to 400 mg daily


• CoQ10---300 to 400 mg daily


• Whey Protein----as a meal supplement


• Alpha lipoic acid---250 to 500 mg daily


• Milk Thistle---300 to 600 mg daily

I strongly recommend that you do not simply sell your health to the lowest bidder. Once you become convinced of the health benefits that nutritional supplements can offer, you will want to be sure you are getting what you pay for. Below I have provided a few basic guidelines to assure that you are taking high-quality supplements.

You will not get the optimal results I speak of on this web site while take low-quality supplements. As you will learn, nutritional supplementation is a poorly regulated industry. As in any industry, the raw products used as well as the supplement’s manufacturing techniques will definitely affect the supplement’s quality. Therefore, it will take some effort on your part to check out the quality of a particular product you choose to buy. It is critical that you purchase high-quality supplements that are complete and balanced to protect or regain your health.

I now advise my patients to purchase the best quality of supplement affordable. Every individual must assess the value and importance of his or her health. I realize this can be a significant economic decision for most people. I personally consider nutritional supplements as my health insurance. Once our health is lost, it is very difficult to regain, no matter how much money we are willing and able to spend. I’d rather invest in keeping my body healthy from the start, wouldn’t you agree?

When you look at my nutritional recommendations for the Antioxidant tablet and Mineral tablet, you will quickly realize that you cannot get this amount of supplementation in a simple daily multivitamin. Several companies are now putting all of the needed nutrients together in one or two different pills. In order to achieve the optimal levels I speak of, however, you will most likely need to take several (four to eight tablets) daily. The more antioxidants you take and the more variation your supplement provides, the better. Also be sure that you are getting all the recommended levels of the minerals and the B-cofactors.

You need to spend a little time investigating the nutritional company you choose. You can locate information on the company’s website or you may need to call the company directly. Most importantly, you want a company that follows Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for pharmaceuticals. They purchase pharmaceutical-grade raw materials and then follow pharmaceutical-Good Manufacturing Practices in producing these supplements. These companies produce what is called pharmaceutical-grade supplements, meaning similar guidelines are followed for manufacturing its products as companies making over-the-counter drugs. The government does not require the manufactures of nutritional supplements to do this, still, some companies opt to provide their customers with the assurance of getting what they pay for by producing a high quality, pharmaceutical-grade product. These high-quality manufacturers will put the actual amounts of the nutrients found in their products on the label and give full disclosure of all the ingredients. You may also find an expiration date on the bottle and the company’s full address. An encouraging sign is an actual street address rather than a P.O. Box.

Another aspect to consider when you are researching a particular company is where it markets its products. A company that markets internationally usually has to follow higher standards than those who market only in the United States. Canada, Australia, and Western European countries have the highest standards for the manufacturing of nutritional supplements. Some of these countries will also periodically send officials to perform on-site inspections of these nutritional companies manufacturing plants. When the company is able to show you third-party certification documenting the quality of its manufacturing practices, it serves as an added bonus.

Does all of this sound too picky? The November 1997 Tufts University Newsletter reported a study at the University of Maryland that looked carefully at nine different prescription prenatal vitamins. They did not even study the contents of the vitamins, but rather looked to see if they even dissolved. (If the pill doesn’t dissolve, it doesn’t really matter what is in it.) Researchers soon discovered that only three of the nine prenatal vitamins even dissolved. This leads to another important aspect when choosing a high quality nutritional supplement—be sure it will dissolve.

The pills that dissolved were produced under what are called U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) standards—government guidelines that assure consumers medications and supplement tablets will dissolve and be readily absorbed into the body. Pharmaceutical GMP’s should be rendered worthless if the company does not also follow USP standards for the dissolution of its tablets. Choosing a company that follows the USP guidelines is certainly a step in the right direction.

Sometimes it is quite difficult to find information about the level of quality control used in the manufacturing process. Just the sheer number of nutritional supplements available on the market today may prove overwhelming. Every company is trying to find its niche in this very competitive market. My best advice to you is this: look through the marketing hype and try to get to the heart of the completeness and quality of the nutritional products.

Every effort has been made to make this web page as accurate as possible. The purpose of this web page is to educate. It is based on scientific evidence and my clinical training and experience, which is presented for informational purposes. No individual should use the information found on this web page for self-diagnosis, treatment, or justification in accepting or declining any medical therapy for any health problems or diseases. Any application of the advice herein is at the reader’s own discretion and risk. Therefore, any individual who has a specific health problem or who is taking medications must first seek advice from his or her personal physician or health-care provider before starting a nutrition program. Dr. Strand shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to loss, damage, or injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this web page. We assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slights of people, places, or organizations are unintentional.