Supplements in Functional Medicine: How We Use Them

Supplements are tools. They can have a place in a treatment plan, but they are not the treatment on their own — and not everyone needs them.

So the first question isn’t “which supplement do I need?” It’s “do I actually need one?” And the answer doesn’t come from the symptom alone.

How we decide

In practice, we don’t start from a symptom and then look for the supplement that matches it. We start from why the symptom might be there: what the history tells us, what your body needs at this particular stage, and — where it makes sense — what your labs show.

That doesn’t always mean new testing. Very often we start with results you already have, interpreted in context rather than simply as “in range or out of range”. We move to more specific testing only where it changes what we would do.

Sometimes that means adding one supplement. Other times it means removing three of the ones you’re already taking.

A supplement earns a place in the plan when there’s a documented deficiency, an increased need, or a specific reason to use it — with a clear goal and a time frame. Not simply because it’s “good for you.”

The same symptom can have a different starting point in two different people. That’s why we don’t choose a supplement from the symptom alone.

Working with you wherever you are

We see patients across more than 25 countries, and that changes the practical side of this work in ways worth being upfront about.

Availability differs by country. A product that’s easy to get in one place may not ship to another, or may cost three times as much once shipping and customs are added. So we work from what’s genuinely available to you rather than handing you a list you can’t act on. If something can’t be sourced where you live, we look for an alternative that meets the same criteria.

Testing differs too. Some labs aren’t offered in every country, and some are far cheaper in one place than another. Where a test can be ordered through your own physician or your insurance, that’s usually the better route, and we’ll tell you when that’s the case rather than sending you to a private lab by default.

Medication comes into the picture too. Supplements can interact with prescription medication and with each other. Supplement selection sits with our dietitian, and having a medical doctor on the team means we can also consider medication interactions within the wider clinical picture and flag anything that needs to be discussed with your prescriber.

The plan gets simpler, not bigger

The goal isn’t to keep adding things to a protocol. As your needs change, we reassess what still belongs and what can come out.

Every supplement goes in for a specific reason. Along the way we check whether that reason still holds. And that applies even to something that genuinely helped — a supplement being useful at one stage doesn’t mean you should take it forever.

Common misconceptions

• “More is better.” It isn’t. We want every supplement to have a specific reason for being there, and where possible for the plan to get simpler over time.
• “It’s natural, so it can’t do any harm.” Natural doesn’t automatically mean harmless. Supplements can have side effects and interactions, both with medication and with each other.
• “If I have a symptom, there’s a supplement for it.” The same symptom can come from different mechanisms in two people. That’s why we don’t simply match a symptom to a supplement.

More: how we approach a case, and why we don’t work from a “this supplement for that condition” model.

Supplement quality

Once we’ve decided a supplement is needed, the next step is choosing which one makes the most sense for that particular need.

We look at the form, the actual amount per dose, the excipients, the quality control, and the real cost of daily use.

If you’d like to be able to do that assessment yourself, we’ve written a full guide on how to choose quality supplements.

Excipients are one of the parts of the label people often overlook, and they’re worth checking if you tend to react to supplements: the ingredients you don’t want in your supplements.

Brands we use often in practice

We don’t believe there’s one “correct” brand, or that every product from a good company is automatically the best choice.

There are companies we return to often, though, because of the quality, transparency, and consistency we see in their products:

Thorne · Pure Encapsulations · Designs for Health · Klaire Labs · Biotics Research · Orthomolecular Products · Metagenics · Vital Nutrients · Quicksilver Scientific · Smidge (formerly GutPro) · Seeking Health · Biocidin

Other platforms by region

Depending on where you are, a different platform may work out better. It’s worth comparing before you order — the same order can differ significantly in both cost and delivery time.

Europe

Amrita Nutrition Global — European platform with a wide range. Use code 82165FF5FCC5 when you register for 10% off your orders.

United Kingdom

Amrita Nutrition UK — for orders within the UK. Use code B1R1P3 when you register for 10% off.

United States

Fullscript — professional supplement platform in the US. 10% off through the link, applied automatically.

Greece

Lifetree — Greek retailer with a wide range. Use code tsintavisp at checkout for 10% off.

Rest of the world

iHerb — ships to most countries and can be a practical option when the platforms above aren’t available. Quality varies from product to product here, though, so knowing what to look for on the label matters even more.

The next step

The goal isn’t to build the largest possible protocol. It’s to understand what your body actually needs, and to use only the tools that have a reason to be there — and only for as long as they’re needed.

If you’re currently taking supplements without being sure why, or if what you’re taking isn’t doing what you expected, it’s worth looking at the whole picture before you add anything else.

Book a 15-minute Health Strategy Call and we’ll look at where it makes sense to start.