In January, after 30 years I finally got off the gear. That’s how long I’d been taking good quality, high dose (minimum 20mg elemental) zinc daily for. Originally the rationale was I was a vegetarian. Then the 20 years that followed my reintroduction of meat saw me continue the practice, born of the belief & ’empirical evidence’ that I was healthier when I took it than when I didn’t, especially with respect to my immunity.
And on the surface that certainly seemed correct. If I lapsed, went for a period without, I would invariably quickly get sick and then some time later a white spot or two would emerge on my fingernail to mark the occasion retrospectively.
So like many others I was scared to go without it. But as I’ve mentioned, I decided last year to go on a research gathering and reading expedition of the very latest science on all micronutrients including best practices when it comes to their supplementation and lo and behold what did I find? Discomfort. Challenge. My world, or prescribing practices at least, turned upside down.
The science (employing a variety of excellent methodologies to produce very high level evidence for those wondering and playing devil’s advocate!) says, Don’t Dose Daily.
Not if you’re using 20mg or more per day.
In fact when you do, you create a dependency of sorts. You heard me but I will say it again for those in the back: when you give this amount daily you shut down your GIT ZIP transporters (and potentially target tissue ones as well) which makes you less and less effective at absorbing zinc. But what about my ’empirical evidence’ that daily dosing worked because every time I took a break I got sick?? Yes well that’s what I now recognise as ‘dependency dosing’.
So what happened when I got off the gear after 30 years, aligning my prescribing practice with the research and dosing zinc only twice a week?
I got better. I have not been sick once this year. My iron levels increased, my plasma zinc levels stayed exactly the same and I’ve been able to take less magnesium because the zinc is no longer pushing it out. And every individual for whom I initiated the same change reports back the same or very similar findings. Oh and don’t be surprised when that lil’ white spot comes a calling. It took until about June for mine to appear about midway along the length of my pinky nail and just now it has almost reached the end of my nail. Just there to mark the occasion…not to signal a current deficiency (because that is not how nail signs work right…they have a long lag time before they reflect a shortfall and repletion!). And of course in spite of still taking my zinc only twice a week there has not been another…So, so long little white spot and goodbye dependency dosing 👋🏼
Now anyone who did our Nutrient Prescriber’s Program this year knows all about ‘dependency dosing’ and the need to work with the science of regulation, synergism, ratios etc rather than against it. These practitioners know the most effective way to prescribe zinc for the correction of a deficiency and supplementation of primary or secondary shortfall….and much muCH MUCH more! But if you missed out…
The Nutrient Prescriber’s Program is a structured process for creating prescriptions that’s systematic, scientific and more likely to produce successful outcomes. You’ll gain a reliable and robust framework to answer key questions such as: Which form? How much? How often? And, for how long?
Dive into the pharmacokinetics of micronutrients, their various uptake pathways in different scenarios, how they work in networks & how co-prescribing in the right ratios is essential for efficacy and safety, rather than as ‘single nutrient solutions’.
Join us for mentoring in 2025 or work through 10 transformative modules at your own pace. Click here for more details…
Are you ready to reexamine the science when it comes to nutritional prescribing?
Testimonial: Anna Sangster, Naturopath Perth Health & Fertility
“I am very glad I did this course. I feel it should be taught in every naturopathic college to ensure the intricacies of prescribing are understood. A key point Rachel makes early on is paramount – the impact your nutritional prescription has, is not influenced by your wish or desire when prescribing it. Understanding how a micronutrient is broken down, absorbed, carried through the body, metabolised, utilised, eliminated and all of the regulatory controls the body has in place when it comes to our micronutrients means we can then prescribe accurately with greater certainty in the desired outcome.
The course brings to our attention how micronutrients interact together in the body, how and which micronutrients are stored, how they move from mouth to target tissue, how inflammation or fatty liver may impact your prescription, how understanding hormonal impacts on regulation and circadian rhythms means we can optimise our prescribing, how a micronutrient is eliminated so we can ensure our prescription is safe. Understanding micronutrient ratios and how your prescription may unknowingly be causing undesired impacts in unintended places, these are just a few of the things covered. This course is a tool to sharpen your prescribing and take your treatment to a whole new level. This is what our profession needs.”