Many of us have been on the medication merry-go-round. We take one medication to help alleviate a medical condition and another one to subdue the side effects of the first medication that we took. It’s not uncommon that the cycle leads many American’s to a medicine cabinet full of bottles on which, are scientific names that are difficult to pronounce. For medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure, there are some very simple natural supplements, that, if taken on a regular basis, my reduce the amount of lab created medications that people take for those conditions.

Some things that I always keep in my medicine cabinet are:

A good multi vitamin – Not any multi vitamin can be considered a good one. The body tends to eliminate 70% of the vitamins that are in one supplement. So, if your multi-vitamin boasts that is has 100% of the recommended allowance of a vitamin or mineral, your body will discard 70% and leave you with 30%. Look for vitamins that have a higher percentage of the USDA recommended allowance. You can find some of these at places like GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe and others for as low as $9.99 for a 90 day supply.

Vitamins A and K – I take these two in conjunction with one another to help reduce under eye puffiness and dark circles. If you read the labels on those expensive eye creams, somewhere among the chemicals, you will see that they use vitamin K and “retin a”, or in other words, vitamin A. What your skin needs are the vitamins, not the chemicals.

Cinnamon supplements – Cinnamon can do much more for us than making that favorite dessert the first to leave a holiday table. In fact, some studies have indicated that ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol. Cinnamon has also shown an uncanny ability to help stop medication-resistant yeast infections and according to a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, reduce the spreading of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells. If those are not enough reasons to consider adding more cinnamon to your diet, cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar. Regulating blood sugar is essential to weight loss and healthy living among people with type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Garlic supplements – I tend to use the odorless garlic supplements, there is nothing good about having garlic breath all day and goodness knows, garlic breath can be damaging to one’s social life. Garlic has been found to help shorten certain infections such as the common cold and to help clear us some respiratory infections and lung congestion. Garlic (like cinnamon) also helps to regular blood sugar and may prevent unhealthy blood clotting, which is great news for people with heart conditions.

Apple cider vinegar – Drinking, yes, I said drinking, about a tablespoon on apple cider vinegar (commonly referred to as “ACV”) in an 8 ounce glass of water, once or twice a day, can help to prevent brittle teeth, hair loss and runny noses. Also, ACV can help regulate blood pressure and is considered to be anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. ACV also provides the body with acetic acid that may slow the digestion of starch and lower the spike in glucose that commonly happens after meals. If you just can’t manage to drink the ACV with water, try adding some honey and lemon. If it’s still a “no go” they do make ACV in pill form.

If one is trying to lose or maintain their weight, it is important to regulate the glucose levels in the blood; it’s when the glucose levels are all over the place that those annoying cravings occur.

I am, by no means, suggesting that anyone stop taking medications as prescribed by their doctor but I am saying that the use of certain supplements could reduce the amount of prescribed medication that is needed and even possibly, a discontinuance. Supplements, like anything else, may have their own side effects, as everyone’s body is different. It is my suggestion that one researches their supplements and speaks to their doctor before adding anything to your daily regimen.

I will tell you some other time, what ELSE is in my medicine cabinet. Eat well and be well.