A gorgeous Charlize Theron is walking through the water along a sandy beach wearing a gauzy, sequined dress wrap thing.

It's very sexy.

There are almost no words spoken.

J'adore by Dior.... sigh.

Years ago (this was a tv ad from 2016!!) I asked for perfume for Christmas.

Which was silly of me because I was in the military and worked in a hospital ward. NO perfume allowed!

And with 2 tiny monsters at home it's not like we were going out anywhere that sweatpants or my camouflage uniform wasn't acceptable.

No need to smell like a sexy sun goddess.

I hadn't seen the commercial until I'd already asked for the perfume because this was still when I got the occasional magazine.

Remember those weird perfume strips that you'd open and wipe on your skin to see if you liked the scent? I liked it! And that seemed like enough.

But the marketing with this commercial!

Holy heck! One spray of this stuff and I'd transform into a fabulous, mysterious, (did I mention sexy?), female icon!

Right.

How do people even buy perfume from an ad??

I know how. Because it's selling you the idea of amazing transformation with just a tiny bit of effort (or a few spritzes)!

Not unlike supplements!

Seriously, this actually is a great comparison.

Perfume doesn't have to make you into something else.

There's no ingredient list (those are highly protected) and it can promise whatever it wants because there are no perfume police to arrest them when it doesn't deliver.

And it's priced just expensive enough to feel luxurious and like it's doing something valuable while still being "affordable" (to some, anyway).

Supplements also paint some fantastical pictures to improve almost everything for almost everyone.

They have ingredient lists that don't have to be accurate (or even contain the main ingredient), and can make outlandish claims because the FDA isn't keeping an eye on them.

The prices here are rarely cheap because everyone knows that cheap is never as good as expensive stuff! They're happy to raise the prices! (See the cheap or expensive aspirin study here).

So here's the situation.

Every day in clinic I have people wanting to discuss supplements. Which can be really difficult for me to offer solid guidance on since they are NOT regulated by the FDA like the medications I prescribe!

But since that's kind of a weak answer, here are 3 supplements that I CAN recommend because there's lots of positive data and I feel comfortable encouraging my patients take them:

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) especially EPA and DHA, which are great for cardiac and brain health as well as managing inflammation!
• Vitamin D which is important for bone health, immune function and mental wellness
• Probiotics which may help with gut health, inflammation, and mental wellness. Although these vary widely in what they contain, and we don't necessarily know what you, specifically, need, if you can't get it from foods try probiotic supplements!

These helpful supplements can still be mislabeled or inaccurate, but if you look for certifications from USP (United States Pharmacopeia) or NSF (National Sanitation Foundation), or checking out what ConsumerLab.com thinks, you're probably getting what it says!

This matters. There are stats that show...

• More people take supplements than medications
• People think that supplements seem safe and good for overall health
• People tend to use supplements more as they get older and women take them more than men

Even though there's almost no oversight, regulation, or research requirements for any supplements!!

Here's what I worry about:

• In 2023 a study found 89% of supplements tested didn't have ingredients labeled accurately!
• 12% of those same supplements had compounds that were banned by the FDA!
• The FDA estimates that 50,000 adverse supplement-related events occur annually in the US!

This is a $150 BILLION dollar business expected to nearly double in the next few years.

Probably because it doesn't have to meet the requirements of the FDA (which would make it show that it's made of what's on the ingredients list and that it does what it's supposed to do)!

But now I'm getting preachy. (And pretend there's a clever GIF or image here. I just couldn't find a good one)

I'm all for things that work for you. Or your clients, or family, or just anyone who wants to feel better!

Just be wary of impossible promises and see if the supplements you're interested in have been vetted by an outside source.

Many aren't any better than a commercial for perfume that promises to make you even more fabulous (and you can't even smell it through your screen!).

That was a weird holiday season for me. Now that I'm older, and wiser (with the grays to prove it), I'll just go with a nice bottle of flax seed oil and some kimchi.

Cheers to health brains,

Dr. B

Jessica Beachkofsky, MD

Your friendly, online psychiatrist!

P.S. Here's the video for the ad I saw for J'adore perfume AFTER I asked for it. Seriously. 🤦🏻‍♀️

P.P.S. I talked about supplements back in April too, and included different resources. Check that email out here!​