Dear Patient…
Is This Supplement Right for Me?
Almost every day, a patient messages us to ask whether a particular supplement they saw online is worth trying. It might be promoted for fatigue, hormones, weight loss, or to help with hair loss, and the reviews make it sound incredible.
Here’s the response we often give, adapted from many real conversations with thoughtful patients trying to make informed choices.
Dear Patient,
It’s common to come across supplements online that claim to boost energy, balance hormones, fix hair loss, improve metabolism, or solve other everyday health concerns. Patients often ask whether they should try a product they saw advertised on Instagram, TikTok, or recommended by an influencer. Here's how to think critically about those kinds of products before making a decision.
1. Is It Appropriate for You?
Supplements are not one-size-fits-all. Just because a product is marketed for “hormone support” or “fatigue” doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for you. The effectiveness of a supplement depends on many factors: your medical history, medications, lab results, and the root cause of your symptoms. A product that helps one person may be ineffective—or even counterproductive—for another.
A few examples:
A sleep supplement that contains certain calming herbs (like lemon balm or passionflower) might seem harmless, but some of these can suppress thyroid function, which could worsen fatigue or weight issues if thyroid is already sluggish.
“Hormone balance” supplements that are designed for a specific phase of life (like postmenopause), and may worsen symptoms if taken during another phase—like your 30s or early 40s—when hormone patterns are very different.
Some “fatigue blends” combine stimulating herbs like ginseng with sedating ones like ashwagandha or valerian, which can send mixed signals to your system. These ingredients may be useful individually—but not in the same capsule.
Even electrolyte mixes, which sound straightforward, can be problematic if the ratios aren’t appropriate. Some contain too much (or too little) sodium or potassium or magnesium—potentially leading to headaches, worsened dehydration, or even muscle cramping.
What works for one person, or sounds helpful in theory, may not be appropriate—or effective—for you without context.
2. Is the Quality Reliable?
Many supplements sold online don’t go through rigorous quality control. Some companies do use GMP-certified manufacturing and third-party testing, but many do not. If the company isn’t transparent about how the product is made, where the ingredients are sourced, or how they test for potency and purity, that’s a concern. Watch for vague “proprietary blends” as well—they often don’t tell you exactly how much of each ingredient you’re getting.
Fish oil supplements should be tested by a third party for contaminants like heavy metals and PCBs. Not all brands disclose this.
Some turmeric products—especially ones manufactured overseas—have been found to contain lead, sometimes added deliberately to intensify color.
A study in JAMA reported that some Vitamin D supplements contained as little as 9% or as much as 146% of the amount stated on the label. This can be dangerous when dosing matters.
Supplements marketed for mood or depression support can sometimes contain amounts of active ingredients that far exceed safe limits, or they may interact with medications. In high doses, certain ingredients could even trigger serotonin syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening. Other ingredients can increase or decrease the speed at which you metabolize (break down) prescription medications, making them less effective - or potentially more toxic.
Counterfeit products are also a growing concern. A well-publicized case involved counterfeit Align probiotics on Amazon, which not only misrepresented the product but could have posed serious risks to consumers. In another instance, a physician colleague reported that her patient had an anaphylactic reaction to a supplement she purchased online that was later identified as counterfeit—and it had the same label as a supplement she had previously purchased from her doctor.
3. What’s Driving the Cost?
A lot of what you’re paying for with these supplements is the marketing: social media ads, influencer partnerships, and branding. That often drives up the price without necessarily improving the quality or effectiveness of the product. It's important to consider whether the formulation itself justifies the cost—and whether the ingredients will actually address the root cause of your specific concerns.
Many supplements advertised online are expensive—especially those targeting visible or emotionally charged concerns, like hair loss. These products often have sleek branding, glowing testimonials, and lists of ingredients. But when you look closely, the actual doses of the active ingredients are often too low to make a difference, or the ingredients themselves aren’t indicated for the type of hair loss you're experiencing.
Hair loss, like any health concern, happens for many different reasons: thyroid dysfunction, stress, hormonal shifts, rapid weight loss, post-illness recovery, or nutrient deficiencies. Low iron is one of the most common causes of diffuse hair thinning in women. If the root cause is iron deficiency, no hair supplement—no matter how expensive or well-marketed—is going to solve the problem. In that case, an appropriate iron supplement is not only more effective, it’s also far less expensive.
In other words, sometimes, the emperor has no clothes. Many high-priced supplements are offering style over substance. Understanding why the symptom is happening is key to choosing an intervention that actually helps—and avoiding the trap of paying for hype instead of results.
Final Thoughts:
Supplements can absolutely be helpful in supporting energy, mood, metabolism, sleep, hormone balance, hair regrowth, and more. But the online marketplace is not always easy to navigate.
It’s especially important to be cautious with supplements that are heavily marketed, or sold through third-party sellers, or distributed by retailers that don’t verify sourcing or storage conditions. We recommend using reputable, practitioner-vetted suppliers like Fullscript, where product quality and handling are better controlled.
The good news is: this is something we can help with. As naturopathic doctors, we don’t just recommend supplements randomly—we prescribe them thoughtfully, the way one would prescribe medications. That means figuring out why the symptom is happening, and choosing interventions that are evidence-based, appropriately dosed, and targeted to your individual physiology.
Often, this prevents people from wasting time and money on popular but inappropriate products—and helps us get better results in the process.
All best,
Dr. Kate & Dr. Mary