Dr.

Benjamin Snider, ND
doctor of naturopathic medicine

p. 519.885.5290 f. 519.514.9980 275 Lancaster St. W Kitchener N2H 4V2 www.drbenjaminsnider.com

When Is The Best Time To Take My Supplements?

By Dr. Benjamin Snider, ND More people are turning to Natural Health Products (NHP) for both the treatment and prevention of their health concerns. NHP can be vitamins, minerals, herbs,or homeopathics. This trend has arisen because of an growing dissatisfaction with conventional treatments and a movement emphasizing self care. Facilitating this paradigm shift are news outlets and the internet who have provided easy access to the latest health research. Every day we hear about reports on vitamin D, vitamin K, probiotics, or vitamin B12 and google has become the first source of information for people who are seeking an alternative treatment to prescription medications. In increasing numbers, people are starting to feel that there are more effective ways to heal and support their bodies and the idea of disease prevention is becoming more accepted. With this trend toward self prescribing and the fact that most NHP are over-the-counter medications the likelihood that these products will be incorrectly administered rises both with the type of product and also with how that product is taken. This article is written to help educate people on the ideal time to take your NHPs in order to maximize the benefit and minimize any adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has identified times of the day when each individual organ system has the most energy and is functioning optimally. In TCM there are a total of 14 meridians that travel just under the skin - these meridians or lines of energy are responsible to nourish the areas of the body they travel through. For example, the heart meridian runs from the middle of the armpit along the inside of the arm, through the elbow, ending at the tip of the 5th finger. Ten of these meridians relate specifically to a particular organ system. Through the 24 hour day, each meridian and the corresponding organ will have a 2 hour time period when the energy is highest. This means that there is a 2 hour period of time when it is most beneficial to ingest a supplement and it depends on what organ system you are trying to support. This information is highly practical but rarely do people apply it to administering their supplements.

TCM Organ Times

Large Intestine 5 7 am Lung 3 - 5 am Stomach 7 - 9 am Spleen 9 - 11 am

Heart 11 - 1 pm Liver 1 - 3 am Gall Bladder 11 - 1 am Small Intestine 1 - 3 pm Bladder 3 - 5 pm Kidneys 5 - 7 pm

Triple Warmer 9 11 pm Pericardium 7 - 9 pm

Dr. Benjamin Snider, ND

doctor of naturopathic medicine

p. 519.885.5290 f. 519.514.9980 275 Lancaster St. W Kitchener N2H 4V2 www.drbenjaminsnider.com

The first question you have to ask yourself when applying this system is what is the purpose of taking this supplement? Am I taking it to support digestion? Am I taking it to treat a bladder infection? Am I trying to strengthen my cardiovascular system? Here is a description of each organ system and a general look at symptoms that may be present if this organ is out of balance. 7 9 am This is the time when the stomach organ is most active. The stomach is primarily involved with digestion of food. If you are taking NHP for acid reflux, an ulcer, hydrochloric acid deficiency, sinusitis, bad breath, hiccups, or forehead headaches this is an excellent time to ingest those supplements. Additionally, your stomach will be best suited for breaking down food as the clock turns seven so this is an ideal time to have your breakfast. 9-11 am The spleen is primarily responsible for the extraction of energy from our food by separating the usable and unusable energy from our meal. It then takes this refined energy and transports it to other organ systems. If you are having tiredness, abdominal pain, dry painful lips, diarrhea, constipation, wheezing, edema (swelling), sinusitis due to a spleen imbalance you may benefit from taking your supplements during this time frame. 11 am 1 pm The heart meridian is most energized at this time of the day. Congestive heart failure, cardiovascular fatigue, valve dysfunctions, edema, chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, spontaneous sweating, cold hands and feet, dream disturbed sleep are all symptoms that may be best treated during this time. 1 3 pm This time is related to the small intestine. The small intestine is responsible for further separating fluids. Take NHP during this time for IBS, Crohns disease, Ulcerative colitis, a duodenal ulcer, constipation, abdominal pain, or diarrhea. 3 5 pm This is the time when the urinary bladder is most active. The bladders function is simple it is to store and excrete urine. If you are treating a urinary infection, yeast infection, occipital headaches, urinary incontinence or frequency dose the supplements between these hours. 5 7 pm The kidney meridian is most energized during this time of the day. If you are taking NHP for incontinence, painful urination, low back pain, dizziness, tinnitus, bed wetting, asthma, fatigue, occipital headaches, premature greying of the hair, hearing impairment, fertility, sexual difficulties then this may be the best time for you to take your supplements. 11 pm 1 am This is the time of the day when the gall bladder is most active. The gallbladder is responsible for storing and excreting bile. When the gallbladder is out of balance you may experience itching, palpitations, chest pain, nausea, right-sided rib pain, dark or green stool just to name a few. 1 3 am This is the time related to the liver organ. When the liver is imbalanced you may experience sighing, nausea, abdominal distention, poor appetite, diarrhea, depression, moodiness, breast tenderness, irregular menstruation. Its unlikely that you will be awake during these hours. It is therefore advised that you work with a naturopathic doctor to decide when the best time of the day is to take your liver supplements. 3 5 am The large intestine is most active between these hours. The large intestine is responsible for transforming stool and reabsorbing usable fluid. Like the liver time, it is not practical to take supplements during this time. Please keep in mind that this system does not apply to every case. This is a general guide to help maximize the benefit of NHP. There will be times when it is important to take a NHP outside of a particular organ time. This is why it is important to consult a licensed Naturopathic Doctor who can help identify what your specific body needs to heal and how to properly administer the right NHP. An ND will also be able to help you identify which organ is the root problem to your health concern. This information can also be helpful for determining the best times to eat or sleep and also for becoming more in tune with the messages of your body. Over the next number of weeks pay attention to how you feel and start to relate it to the

Dr. Benjamin Snider, ND

doctor of naturopathic medicine

p. 519.885.5290 f. 519.514.9980 275 Lancaster St. W Kitchener N2H 4V2 www.drbenjaminsnider.com

meridian/organ time. Many times the meridian times can give valuable information about why we are waking up at a certain time through the night or why our energy is the lowest the same time every day. Our body is always talking to us so use these meridian times to listen to what it has to say.