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Curated over 30 years of clinical experience helping people heal, we have sourced the best vitamins and minerals, so that you don't have to.

Thrive with broad spectrum strength from multivitamins, or find targeted support to suit your needs. For more focus, better sleep and a stronger immunity, turn to quality supplements you can trust.

Choosing the right vitamins and minerals for you

Tue, 10/13/2020 - 16:19
Choosing the right vitamins and minerals for you
by IMI health

How to find a quality supplement

When buying a vitamin or mineral supplement, you're right to be picky. When browsing the shelves of drug stores, many questions will arise for the avid health enthusiast.

Does this product contain the ingredients it claims to? How well has it been packaged? Are the ingredients of high quality? Will it help resolve my ails?

Essentially, all of these questions boil down to one: How can I trust this product?

Generic, off the shelf supplements often do not provide vitamins and minerals in their bio-available form, therefore even if a tablet contains 1000IU of vitamin D, you may only absorb a small percentage of it. Cheaper supplements may contain additives and other contaminants that could damage your health, like mercury in poorly produced fish oils. Fillers are also included in order to increase the bulk of the supplement and decrease manufacturing costs- therefore resulting in a cheaper (and less effective) supplement. When it comes to vitamins and minerals, price and quality are often synonymous.

The key to finding a high quality product to fulfil your needs is to ensure that you're buying your supplements from a trusted brand and manufacturer. By investing a little more in brands you can trust, you can ensure that you're getting the nutrition you need, and not throwing your money away on cheap, ineffective alternatives.

But aside from buying from a trusted manufacturer, what should you consider?

Your health history and goals
High quality ingredients
Professional endorsement by practitioners
Evidence from studies
The effectiveness of packaging
Air-controlled shipping and storage

In our clinic, we stock vitamins and minerals we know produce therapeutic results- having seen them make meaningful changes to our clients' lives. Our two favourite types of vitamins and minerals are Whole-food and Functional Synthetics. Both types have their benefits, and depending on your needs, could be ideal for your requirements.

Whole-Food Vitamins and Minerals

These supplements speak for themselves; derived from real fruits and vegetables, they are safe and efficient, as they are already in a format (food) which our body recognises, making it easier for us to absorb the bio-available nutrients.

Studies have shown that the absorption of whole food vitamin and mineral supplements is 135-260% more effective than those that are inorganic.

Certain vitamins and minerals also benefit from the addition of natural compounds. For example, a vitamin C formula is much more potent when it also contains flavonoids- an antioxidant phytonutrient readily available in fruits like oranges. Vitamin A is another nutrient to look out for in whole-food form as researchers have also confirmed it is more effective than other kinds.

Functional Synthetic Vitamins and Minerals

Though buying whole food supplements is key when it comes to vitamins C and A, there are instances when a synthetic vitamin is better than the whole food alternative.

Put simply, functional synthetics make nutrition readily available for all. Whether you have a food allergy, or a genetic predisposition which makes it harder for you to absorb nutrients (they're more common than you think) these vitamins and minerals provide nutrients in their active, bioavailable forms.

These supplements may be of pharmaceutical grade standard- offering higher dosages and more therapeutic results when compared to off the shelf supplements.

When you’re looking to remedy a specific deficiencies or boost your levels of key nutrients, functional synthetics are your go-to.

Our Promise

Whether you're buying whole food or functional synthetics, you can trust that our chosen brands will deliver therapeutic results. Over 30 years of helping people heal, our practitioners have selected their five favourite brands they know will give you the results you need.

Innate Response Formulas are either derived from, or inspired by real food. This USA company advocates for 'wholistic health' and uses food as their foundation, ensuring each of their supplements is readily absorbed and easily tolerated.

Medlab uses innovative technology in order to deliver potent, bioavailable doses of vitamins and minerals. Their researchers work tirelessly to bring you the best, most therapeutic products possible. A blend of both whole food and functional synthetics, Medlab's got it all.

Vital Nutrients is our go-to for functional synthetics. Made in the USA, their facility has been personally inspected by IMI's founder, Graeme Bradshaw in order to ensure their commitment to quality control. Vital Nutrients thoroughly interrogate their products' integrity, testing for DNA accuracy, so you can be sure that their products really do contain what their ingredients labels claim. Their hypoallergenic range is also rigorously tested for pesticide residues and microbial contaminants. All products are tested by a third party in order to ensure purity, potency and dosage accuracy.

Designs for Health offer a combination of whole food and functional synthetics, uniting premium ingredients and innovative research in order to optimise your wellbeing. Their guiding principle is 'Science First', allowing them to prioritise the things that matter when it comes to a vitamin and mineral supplement: ingredients, evidence and packaging. Their supplements have been thoroughly researched so that you yield the best therapeutic results.

When you're buying from respected brands such as these, you can be sure you're getting exactly what it says on the label. Finding good quality vitamins and minerals can be a bit of a minefield, so we're hoping we can make things a little bit simpler. Whether you're buying the brands listed above, or any other on our website, we promise that you'll never find a product that contains fillers, additives or any other questionable ingredients.

We take pride in providing you with access to good, honest nutrition that delivers what it promises. Click to explore our entire range of vitamins and minerals.

Latest science on Vitamin D and Covid-19

Fri, 11/20/2020 - 20:29
Latest science on Vitamin D and Covid-19
by IMI health

Vitamin D3 is scientifically proven to reduce the infection and impact of COVID-19. As studies across the globe continue to mount, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Vitamin D supplements reduce your risk of catching COVID-19, hospitalization, severe complications and even death from the virus.

In a recent study of 191,779 patients across 50 U.S states, researchers concluded: “Therefore, it is recommended that improving vitamin D status in the general population and in particular hospitalized patients has a potential benefit in reducing the severity of morbidities and mortality associated with acquiring COVID-19.”

This isn’t the first time Vitamin D has been recognised as a powerful immunity booster. Long before the pandemic, scientific studies have shown that Vitamin D significantly reduces the risk of respiratory infections, chronic lung infections and asthma attacks.

Do I have the optimal level of Vitamin D to combat COVID-19 and other respiratory conditions?

There’s a risk that you don’t. 72% of Hong Kongers aged 18-26 are Vitamin D-deficient. While blood levels above 30ng/mL is considered the optimal level (depending on multiple factors), young adults had an average level of 13ng/mL . This sub-optimal level adversely affects immune function and comorbidity risks.

Vitamin D-insufficiency and deficiency can affect anyone at any age. It’s a worldwide epidemic, according to a consensus statement from the 13th Workshop on Vitamin D. The studies show the elderly are the most deficient in Vitamin D3 and tend to experience more severe COVID-19 symptoms; this suggests the two facts are linked.

Why would I be Vitamin D-deficient?

Your body makes Vitamin D3 when sunlight hits your bare skin. Your skin absorbs rays in the invisible ultraviolet B (UVB) part of the light spectrum. Given most of us attend work or school during the day, or are indoors between 11-3pm, it’s no wonder so many people have sub-optimal levels of this vital nutrient.

Slathering sunscreen on your skin can also affect your Vitamin D level as it blocks UVB light. If you happen to be a sun lover, it is possible to achieve sufficient levels of Vitamin D3 to see you through the winter (you’ll need a blood level of over 60 ng/mL at the end of the sunny months), however, very few achieve this.

In the coming winter months – when you would need around 45 minutes of exposure to the sun on your arms, legs, face, and hands every second day – getting enough sunlight becomes even more challenging. This leaves you even more susceptible to viruses, flus and colds.

How do I increase my Vitamin D level?

Ideally, you would have more time with bare skin exposed to the sun, but this isn’t always achievable.

Some foods are good sources of Vitamin D3. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel, and pharmaceutical-grade cod liver oil, for example, are excellent sources of Vitamin D3. Small amounts of vitamin D are also present in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks.

But, unless you consume an unusual amount of oily fish products, diet alone cannot provide the levels of Vitamin D your body needs for optimal health. Adults require daily supplementation of 2,000 - 5,000IU (the higher end if obesity is a challenge) for some months to effectively increase the blood level above 30ng/mL, which is when immune function is typically restored.

Our expert naturopaths recommend adults achieve healthy blood levels of 30-50ng/mL not only to protect against COVID-19 but a plethora of viruses and other conditions.

What are the best Vitamin D3 dosages?

Not all supplements are created equal. Vitamin D3-rich, pure and potent supplements are essential, now and always. Vitamin D3 supplements that are better absorbed by your body can help you to achieve an optimal level.

We usually recommend the following Vitamin D3 dosages:

Age	Vitamin D3 Dosage	Notes
Infants under 2	Daily doses of 600 – 800 IU.	Both the United States and Canada mandate the fortification of infant formula with vitamin D: 40–100 IU/100 kcal in the United States and 40–80 IU/100 kcal in Canada, and the ranges are similar here. Please note: if supplementing infants with extra vitamin D, take the amounts in formulas or dairy products into account. Over 1,500IU in infants is potentially harmful taken over longer periods.
2-13 year olds	1,000IU	Given on days there is no time in the sun. This can be taken daily through the winter months, and discontinued when children are playing outdoors and are having approx 20 minutes without sun-cream applied.
14 years to adulthood	Initial loading: 2,000-3000 IU daily for one to two months. Maintenance: 1,000IU daily	Don’t guess, test. Measure your blood levels to ensure you’re achieving 30-50ng/mL. For teens and those that do sports in the sun, we recommend 2,000IU for 1 month. After that, switch to 1,000IU daily. Overweight individuals will typically need higher initial doses i.e. 3,000IU for 2 months. Then, switch to 1,000 daily.

Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins minerals menu items

Vitamins minerals menu items

Vitamins & minerals menu block

How to find a quality supplement

Whole-Food Vitamins and Minerals

Functional Synthetic Vitamins and Minerals

Our Promise

Oils title block

oils

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Oils menu block

Fats. Are they bad for you?

The three musketeers of Omega 3

Finding a quality oil

[1] P C Calder, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation and inflammatory diseases, 2006.

[2] R Narendran, W G Frankle, N S Mason, M F Muldoon, B Moghaddam, Improved Working Memory but No Effect on Striatal Vesicular Monoamine Transporter Type 2 after Omega-3 Polyunsaturared Fatty Acid Supplementation, 2012.

[3] A T Ginty, S M Conklin, Short-term supplemenation of acute long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may alter depression status and decrease symptomology among young adults with depression: A preliminary randomized and placebo controlled trial, 2015.

[4] E Rajaei, K Mowla, M Dargahi-Malamir, The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Patients with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving DMARDs Therapy: Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial, 2016.

[5] Harvard Health Publishing, No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fats, 2009.

[6] W S Harris, L J Appel, M M Engler, M B Engler, P Kris-Etherton, D Mozaffarian, E Rimm, L L Rudel, F Sacks, Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease.

[7] Harvard Health Publishing.

[9] J Allaire, W S Harris, C Vors, A Charest, J Marin, K Harris Jackson, A Tchernof, P Couture, B Lamarche, Supplementation with high-dose docosahexaenoic acid increases the Omega-3 Index more than high-dose eicosapentaenoic acid, 2017.

[10] P C Calder, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Inflammatory Processes, 2010.

[11] Xiao-Fei Guo, Ke-Lei Li, Jiao-Mei Li, Duo Li, Effects of EPA and DHA on blood pressure and inflammatory factors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2019.

[12] J K Innes, P C Calder, The Differential Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Systematic Review, 2018.

[13] J G Martins, EPA but not DHA appears to be responsible for the efficacy of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in depression: evidence from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2009.

[14] G Angelo, Essential Fatty Acids and Skin Health, 2012.

[15] H Ansar, Z Mazloom, F Kazemi, N Hejazi, Effect of alpha-lipoic acid on blood glucose, insulin resistance and glutathione peroxidase of type 2 diabetic patients 2011.

[16] B Skibska, A Goraca, The protective effect of lipoic acid on selected cardiovascular diseases caused by age-related oxidative stress, 2015.

[17] S Sherif, E R Bendas, S Badawy, The clinical efficacy of cosmeceutical application of liquid crystalline nanostructured dispersions of alpha lipoic acid as anti-wrinkle, 2014.

[18] G Di Geronimo, A Fonzone Caccese, L Caruso, A Soldati, U Passaretti, Treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome with alpha-lipoic acid, 2009.

[19] A V Saunders, B C Davis, M L Garg, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vegetarian diets, 2013.

[20] B B Albert, D Cameron-Smith, P L Hofman, W S Cutfield, Oxidation of Marine Omega-3 Supplements and Human Health, 2013.

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probiotics

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Probiotics menu block

Introducing probiotics, your friendly bacteria

Common reasons probiotic colonies are depleted

Probiotic supplements

[1] Shin Jie Yong, T Tong, J Chew, Wei Ling Lim, Antidepressive Mechanisms of Probiotics and their Therapeutic Potential, 2020.

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supplements

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Supplements menu block

[1] Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong Total Diet Study Report No. 9: Minerals, 2014.

Introducing elderberry

Elderberry extract explained

The global experts on elderberry

[1] Z Zakay-Rones, N Varsano, M Zlotnik, O Manor, L Regev, M Schlesinger, M Mumcuoglu, Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama,1995.

[2] Z Zakay Rones, E Thom, T Wollan, J Wadstein, Randomized study on the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections, 2004.

[3] E Tiralongo, S S Wee, R A Lea, Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air Travellers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, 2016.

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lifestyle

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Lifestyle menu block

1. Minimise indoor air pollution

2. Don’t let mould creep up on you

3. Filter your water

4. Eat right

5. Don’t eat toxin-rich foods

6. Remove pesticides with a powerful wash

7. Say no to soft plastics

8. Read the label and choose natural

9. Boost your immunity

10. Do a detox, but do it right

[1] B Wolverton, C Johnson, A Bounds, Keith, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, 1989.

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health needs

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