The Essential Supplement Stack 

“Stacks” are very popular today and are defined by whomever creates them. But typically, a stack refers to a strategic blend of ingredients or a precise supplement regimen that’s keyed into the concept of personalized wellness. Science and medicine now agree (in theory, if not yet in practice) that health is an individual quality.

In case supplement stacking is new to you, here’s the idea:

• Identify your goal
• Understand what biological processes in your body are involved in achieving that goal
• Find out what your body needs to reach that goal
• Select the right nutrients (supplements) in the right combinations to support your body’s processes and needs

Dr Pia’s Essential Supplement Stack  

This is my Essential Supplements Stack that could benefit most of us.  

Nervous System Support

We live in a time where everything is moving so fast. More and more people are reporting issues with Anxiety and Depression so, we have to be very intentional about allocating Rest and Repair time and practices into our daily lives. Things like Sleep, Meditation, Yoga, Humming, Breathwork, Gratitude Journals, Kind Inner self Talk and more…

If need additional support to help reset the nervous system, then I like the following as you build your inner strength and resilience.

Trancor from Metagenics, Adrenal Tonic and Ashwaghanda from Mediherb, Calm Five from Energetixs and Adaptocrine from Apex. Link Here.

Vitamin D

Here is an interesting fact. Almost every patient I see has functional labs that show low ranges of vitamin D even when they have been taking it.

Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, it acts more like a hormone than a vitamin by regulating hundreds of uber-important pathways in your body. Besides your thyroid hormones, this vitamin is the only other thing every single cell of your body needs in order to function properly. 

Dosage: In functional medicine, we aim for an optimal range between 50 and 80 ng/mL. Depending on where your starting levels are, you should be taking anywhere between 2,000 and 6,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Make sure to test your vitamin D levels to find out your starting point, and retest to gauge how your vitamin D level optimization is going. This is a common and easy test.

How to incorporate: Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, take advantage of vitamin synergy by combining your supplement with other fat-soluble vitamins, such as K2. This will help make it more bioavailable and balanced. It’s also a great idea to take them with fatty foods like avocado, olive oil, wild-caught fish, and coconut to increase their bioavailabilty.  Liquid forms are also another great way to help with absorption.

Magnesium

Magnesium is another marker on our Functional Metabloic Lab that often comes back in the low range. It is a crucial mineral needed for over 300 essential biochemical reactions in your body, including the regulation of neurotransmitters. A deficiency can show up as problems with sleep, anxiety, migraines, and brain fog. Most deficiencies come from a poor diet or gut problems that interfere with magnesium absorption.

There are many different forms of magnesium so chose the form that could be most beneficial for you.  Magnesium citrate is a good option, especially if you tend to get constipated. Magnesium glycinate is excellent for its calming effects, and magnesium threonate has shown promise for its neurological support. 

Dosage: Induividual need.

How to incorporate: Taking magnesium right before bed is often best as it promotes better sleep by relaxing muscles and helping boost levels of the calming neurotransmitter, GABA, in your brain.

Digestive Support

As Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.” Science is finally catching up, with research showing that the gut is the foundation for almost all aspects of your health.

I think that it could also be said that all disease is affected by the balance of the nervous system.  High stress plays a major role as it shuts down digestion and absorption. Regardless the Gut and the Brain are connected via the Vagus Nerve and when the gut is inflammed so is the brain and vica versa. 

Suggestions:  HCL, Bitters, ACV, Digestive Enymes, Bile Acids and Probiotics

How to incorporate: Calm before eating and feed your gut with prebiotic foods rich in fiber, especially garlic, artichokes, asparagus, and onions. These foods help facilitate the growth of good gut bacteria. In practice we choose the support needed by looking at the results from the GI map stool test. If you are travelling this summer, I would take a digestive formula that supports both enzymes and HCL plus a multi strain probiotic to help support digestion. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Your brain itself is comprised of about 60 percent fat, so depriving your body of fat can contribute to all kinds of unpleasant brain symptoms, from brain fog and fatigue to depression and anxiety. On labs we also look at inflammation markers like Cholesterol, CRP, and insulin to determine if a patient could additional support. Look for clean organic sources. 

Again we look at diet first: Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and tuna.  Other sources are flaxseed and chia seeds.

Antioxidants: AC and Glutathione

In today’s environmnet we are exposed to more and more toxic exposures. Those exposures lead to cellular damage and an increase in toxic burden leading to numerous health issues. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, preventing them from damaging cells and contributing to oxidative stress, a major factor in aging and disease. Ideally if you are eating a healthy wellrounded diet, moving and grooving and your drainage and detox pathways are working well you might only need support during stressful periods. 

Minerals

Most of us could use additional mineral support.  Minerals work togther in the body so it is important to focus on balance and if you are taking a single mineral to fill in a defiecny you should test to make sure that you do not over do it. Examples would be Iron, Zinc, Calcium,  etc etc. 

If you’re eating a healthy well-rounded diet, you should be getting in the proper amount of minerals  per day without needing a supplement. 

Methylated B complex

B vitamins are the fuel behind methylation, a biochemical process that happens more than 1 billion times every single second inside your body. It helps keep you alive and healthy by assisting your body’s ability to properly detox. There are so many different types of B vitamins, so it’s important to get in a well-rounded amount of each. B vitamins are also based on individuality based on your diet, need and genetics. 

How to incorporate: The best B-vitamin supplement would be a B-complex vitamin containing methylated B vitamins, especially if you have methylation impairments like the MTHFR gene mutation.

Collagen

This protein helps form our connective tissue, including tendons, skin, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, ligaments, and more. It also helps regulate metabolism and our body’s own collagen production. Made up of three amino acids (glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline), each produced in our body but not at sufficient levels, most people can benefit from a collagen supplement. For example, we require around 15 grams of glycine per day, but most of us only get 3 grams per day from our modern diet.

Dosage: Start with 1/2 scoop and see how you feel. 

How to incorporate: Powdered collagen peptides are fantastic because these are easy to add to smoothies or any other liquid. Look for brands that derive their collagen from grass-fed and pasture-raised protein sources or use marine collagen, for the purest, toxin-free form.

Building your own Supplement Stack

If you’d like to try supplement stacking in pursuit of greater goals, it all starts with listening to your body and listening to nature. While stacking is intended to offer personalized support, there’s only one you! As always, you should consult and test  before starting any new supplements or regimens, especially if you have existing health issues or are taking any medications.

1. Your starting point

The very first thing to consider is the status of your health before taking any supplements. 

2. Dosage

 This is why it’s important to work with a qualified practitioner who can determine the right dose for your particular health case so you don’t waste your time.

3. Quality

 Researching each brand can also be beneficial to learn more about the quality of the ingredients and where they source them from.

4. Your personal needs

Every person’s health case is unique and will have different requirements for healing. Even if two people have the same diagnosis their bodies may each respond differently to the same treatment. 

5. Absorption rate

An often-overlooked factor to consider is how well your body is able to absorb the nutrients in a supplement. Chronic inflammation and underlying gut problems can inhibit cellular absorption of these much needed nutrients. 

6. Food

No matter how many supplements you are taking, it won’t make up for a poor diet. It’s like pouring a cup of clean water into a bucket full of muddy water – the mud will still be there but maybe just a little more diluted.  We have to remember that food is your foundation and comes first as medicine. Supplements are just another tool to up your wellness game from there.

7. Be curious, Be careful about the Diagnosis trap and Be kind to yourself.

Be curious. Be mindful of the “diagnosis trap” that pushes labels over healing. And above all—be kind to yourself. Supplements are just one piece of the wellness puzzle. With the right testing, guidance, and curiosity, you can build a stack that supports you exactly where you are today—and adjust as you grow.

For most individuals, I suggest checking in periodically with labs. This monitoring also will vary depending on the health concerns and which supplements  is using. One of my objectives as a natural functional medicine practitioner is to optimize supplement protocols and food plans as steps towards healing which changes over time. 

Not sure where to start with your own supplement stack? Let’s test, not guess. Book a consultation and we’ll personalize your plan.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and a Healthy Week

Dr Pia