I don’t believe so. Your body is not a flatpack. When you are juggling symptoms, stress and conflicting advice, it’s tempting to experiment…but it rarely leads you to optimal health.
Is it safe to DIY my health with supplements?
In short, no. DIY health care and self-prescribing supplements can waste money, delay proper diagnosis, and sometimes cause harm, especially if you already take medications or have a chronic condition.
TL;DR: Why I do not recommend DIY healthcare
Your body is not a flat pack you can fix with an Allen Key. Guessing supplements or copying someone else’s protocol can waste money, delay proper treatment, and sometimes cause harm.
A trained practitioner looks at the whole picture; your symptoms, history, medications, family risk, diet and test results, before recommending anything.
“Natural” does not automatically mean safe. Dosage, form, timing and interactions with medications all matter.
Google, social media and well-meaning friends can be useful starting points, but they are not a personalised treatment plan.
The sweet spot is not DIY or “Do It For Me”. It is “Do It WITH Me” where you stay informed and involved, and we work together to make sensible, evidence-based decisions about your health.
If you have a cupboard full of supplements and still feel unwell, it might be time to get some help. Let’s sort through it together and work out what you actually need.
Why Do It With Me (DIWM) works better than DIY.
As a naturopath, I often have a new client who comes in with a bag full of supplements they have bought from a local store or online, perhaps tried, yet still they are unwell.
In fact I had a conversation along these lines just this week.
A woman rang asking if I carried a particular natural supplement. I asked if she had a prescription from her health provider. She didn’t but had read somewhere that it might help her midlife symptoms.
I explained that, as a naturopath, if I dispense something to you I have a duty of care to ensure that:
- you actually need it (usually based on a combination of symptoms, diet and pathology testing)
- that it will not conflict with anything else you might be taking (no nutrient or herbal interactions) and
- that I monitor your health to ensure there are no serious adverse reactions, interactions with your pharmaceutical medicines and that it actually achieves the desired result.
In order to ensure my clients get the best possible outcome, I need to make a full assessment of their current health, medications, past health history and even family health. I draw on my qualifications, years of experience and continuous ongoing training. If I don’t do this I am doing my clients a disservice.
How would you know what you need, how much you need and for how long?
Sir William Osler famously said
“The doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient”
but could the same thing be said for the patient who treats himself?
If you really want to DIY your health, at least do this…
- Don’t just blindly accept any information from any source. I encourage you to take an interest in your health and take ownership of it.
- Find a trustworthy source (check their credentials) and ask LOTS of questions. This will help you understand why you might need to take some form of treatment (pharmaceutical or natural) and what to expect from taking it.
- Be wary about following the advice of someone who has “cured themselves” of what you think might be your problem. They may well have successfully resolved their health issue and that’s great. But is it your health issue? It might sound similar or have similar symptoms but your issue might be very different or might have a different underlying cause. And even if it is your health issue do you have the exact same genes, history, diet and lifestyle to be able to replicate their results?
- Have your diagnosis confirmed by a qualified practitioner. Don’t guess or assume just because your symptoms sound like something you’ve read on the internet.
The importance of correct nutrient form and dosage
- If someone tells you (or you read somewhere) that magnesium (for example) might be helpful for you, find out what form of magnesium, how much you need to take, when you need to take it (the timing of the dose) and whether you should be taking it alone or in conjunction with other nutrients. Don’t just go and buy any magnesium and expect to get the desired result. There are hundreds of different formulations and they potentially do slightly different things. The same applies to most natural supplements.
- Seek out supplements of the highest quality. That means they have been manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices (GMP) and the ingredients are fresh and unadulterated. A recent study identified that 40% of fish oil supplements on our retail shelves are oxidised (which basically means they are rancid) and that can do you more harm than good.
- Beware buying supplements from overseas. Some overseas manufacturers substitute key ingredients or include undeclared ingredients. These may not meet the high quality standards of Australian products. Make sure you are getting exactly what you asked for and paid for.
In a world of DIFM, why would you DIY your most valuable asset?
These days there is someone ready to Do It For Me for just about every task you can imagine.
We can get a week’s worth of meals delivered so we don’t have to cook. Almost anything can be delivered. We can get a driver to take us to our destination. A bike-rider can deliver a meal. We have access to cleaners, dog-walkers and flat-pack assemblers.
If you have the disposable income and you can make better use of the time it gives you, then by all means outsource these aspects of your life to the experts who can do a better job than you.
Your health is your most valuable asset.
If you are unwell, or know someone who lives with illness, you’ve probably worked that out already. So, I would argue it is worth getting the help of an expert; someone who has the qualifications, experience and knowledge to help you get the result you’re looking for. I struggle to understand why some people think they can work out the problems with their health by using Dr Google or ChatGPT or taking advice from a well-meaning friend or family member.
Perhaps people DIY their health because they are disillusioned with their past experience of health professionals. If this is the case for you then I would encourage you to keep looking. You need to find someone you like and trust. Someone who listens. We all look for something different in our healthcare provider so keep looking until you find the person with whom you click. They will be a vital part of your team into the future.
If the reason you DIY your health is money there are often alternatives that can reduce the cost. For starters, simple dietary and lifestyle changes are very cost effective.
Am I biased? Absolutely!
Of course I’m biased. No question. I’m a health care provider and it is my mission to help my clients achieve their health goals. I invest heavily in my ongoing education in order to do that.
DIWM – Why a collaborative approach gets better results?
Nobody knows your health story as well as you do. You get the best outcomes when you take an active role, participate in the process and take an interest in what we uncover. (But sometimes fresh, trained eyes see things you might have overlooked. Even after numerous sessions and extensive questioning, new nuggets of information are uncovered that help me put together your health jigsaw puzzle).
So I think the best approach is the Do It WITH Me strategy. This is one where you and your healthcare provider work together towards the common aim of achieving your health goals.
FAQs about DIY health and supplements
1. Is it okay to try a supplement I saw online?
It depends on your health history, medications, dosage and the form of the nutrient. This is why I recommend checking with a qualified practitioner before you start anything new.
2. Are natural supplements always safe?
No. “Natural” does not automatically mean safe. Some supplements interact with medications, affect your liver, kidneys or hormones, or are simply the wrong choice for your situation.
3. What should I bring to an appointment if I’ve been DIY-ing my health?
Bring all your current supplements and medicines, any recent test results, and a list of your main symptoms or concerns. We can then work out what is helping, what is not, and what is missing.
