Why Most Supplements Fail And How to Fix Yours

Ever looked at your supplement cabinet and wondered if you’re really helping your health or just wasting money? In this episode, Dr. Tamar Lawful reveals how to tell which supplements truly work for your body and which are just expensive fillers.

Supplements can be powerful allies or unnecessary clutter. Dr. Lawful breaks down how to tell the difference between the ones that actually support your health and those that drain your wallet. Through real client stories and simple examples, she explores when supplements act as friends, when they become foes, and why so many end up as fillers. You’ll also learn how nutrigenomics can take the guesswork out of supplementation so you can create a strategy aligned with your DNA, not the latest trend.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How to tell if your supplements are helping, harming, or doing nothing
• Why genetic testing changes the game for choosing vitamins and minerals
• The key nutrients most women over 40 are missing—and how to fix it wisely

 Special Message from Dr. Tamar Lawful: Discover the InHer Glow® Concierge Wellness Experience , a precision health program designed exclusively for high-achieving women ready to lose weight, boost energy, and reduce medications without guesswork. Spots are limited! Apply today at thelyfebalance.com/concierge

Chapters

• 0:00 Rethinking One-Size-Fits-All Care
• 2:35 Show Welcome And Mission
• 3:35 The Supplement Cabinet Problem
• 5:38 When Supplements Help: Vitamin D
• 7:33 Magnesium Forms And Fixes
• 9:33 CoQ10, Statins, And Energy
• 11:13 When Supplements Become Foes
• 12:26 The Filler Trap And Waste
• 13:19 Nutrigenomics Ends The Guesswork
• 14:33 Listener Shout-Out And Purpose

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:00

Medications certainly have their place, but what if there was a way to support your body naturally by working with your genetics?

Speaker: 1:09

We are a pill for an ill society. We take 18 pills per person per American per day. It was so hard to find somebody who took my insurance. And for me to get well, it took thousands of dollars. And I thought, what do regular people do? This is not right.

Speaker 2: 1:24

Despite my best efforts, I wasn't actually reversing disease and helping people to heal in the way that I thought I would.

Speaker 1: 1:30

We want to empower yourselves to take care of this root called. We don't just want to cover it up. If you're ready to break free from outdated, one-size-fits-all health care, you're in the right place. Welcome to Raise the Script with Nutrigenomics, brought to you by InHer Glow® by LYFE Balance. Here's a literature from we're all unique, right down to our DNA. So it's no wonder we respond differently to the same medications, foods, and environments. How do you discover what your body needs? Which medications, foods, supplements, or exercises are right for you? How can you manage chronic conditions without piling on more prescriptions? That's what we're here to explore. I'm your host, Dr. Tamar Lawful, Doctor of Pharmacy, Nutrigenomics Specialist, and your partner in reimagining how we personalize care for better outcomes. Whether you're a patient or a practitioner, let's raise the script and bring health care to higher levels together. Because the future of health is personal. Hey friend, welcome back to Raise the Script of Nutrigenomics. I'm Dr. Tamar Lawful, you're a precision health pharmacist and founder of LYFE Balance, where we help you be the CEO of your own health. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you opened your supplement cabinet? Did you feel proud and confident or overwhelmed and maybe even guilty? I asked this because for so many women I meet, their supplement shelf is like a graveyard. Bottles half empty, patterns they tried for a week, gummies that promise glowing skin or more energy, but never delivered. And at some point you wonder, am I really doing my health a favor or am I just making expensive urine? Today we're gonna unpack supplements once and for all. Are they your friend, your foe, or just a filler? And by the end, you'll see why the answer isn't about what's trending on Instagram. It's about what fits your unique body. But before we get into it, I want to highlight our listener of the week. This week's shout-out goes to Capt Awesome14, who left this thoughtful review. I love this. Thank you so much for talking about it. As a nurse, I get tired of patients coming in with problems, and all we do is give them a pill to fix it. Sometimes we say eat less, exercise more, but we give them no concrete plan on how to do this. Love your message. First of all, thank you so much for sharing that. And, you know, as a pharmacist, I couldn't agree more. Too often people are handed a prescription or told eat less and exercise more, but with no actual roadmap. And we all know that advice without a strategy isn't helpful. That's exactly why I started this podcast to create space for deeper conversations. So you walk away, not just inspired, but equipped with tools you can apply. So, Captain Awesome14, thank you for tuning in and for being part of this mission to raise the script on health. Okay, so let me tell you a story I'll never forget, friend. A client once came to me with, I kid you not, a tote bag of supplements. She dumped them onto the table, and I had to laugh because it looked like she just cleaned out a small pharmacy. She had collagen powders, detox teas, probiotics, three different multivitamins. You name it, she had it. When I asked why these, her answers were exactly what I hear from so many people. Like, oh, I read about it online. My friend swears by it. The person at the store recommended it. And yet, despite spending hundreds of dollars, she was still tired, still bloated, still stuck. That moment was a turning point for her. She realized it wasn't about buying more supplements, it was about finding the right ones. And that's what I want to explore with you today, because supplements can be amazing when they're your friend, but they can also turn into your foe or just end up being expensive fillers. Supplements are your friend when they step in to support your body in ways you truly need. So let's start with vitamin D. It's often called the sunshine vitamin, but really it acts more like a hormone. It helps your body absorb calcium, strengthens your bones, boosts your immune system, and even plays a role in mood and brain health. Low vitamin D is strongly linked to depression, anxiety, and fatigue. And many women over 40 struggle with exactly that. Yes, indeed. I think the surprising thing a lot of my clients learn when they learn about vitamin D, they don't realize that it's actually linked to depression. So that's something to definitely address and look into and check your vitamin D levels. But the tricky part when it comes to vitamin D is most of us don't get enough sun to make adequate vitamin D. We work indoors, use sunscreens, which is important for skin protection. And for women with darker skin tones, like myself, melanin makes vitamin D production even harder. Now you add in genetics, some people can't efficiently activate or transport vitamin D. And you've got a recipe for deficiency, friend. So if you're tired, achy, catching every bug that goes around or feeling low in mood, vitamin D might be the missing piece. But knowing your genetic capacity tells us whether a standard supplement will do the job or whether you need more tailored support. Now let's move on to magnesium. I call it the calm mineral. But honestly, that undersells it. Magnesium is a behind-the-scenes MVP. It's involved in over 300 different processes in your body. It relaxes your muscles, including your heart, helps you sleep, balances hormones, and even regulates stress. Here's the problem. Most women are low in magnesium. Processed foods strip it out, stress depletes it, and medications like birth control and acid blockers lower it even more. That's why low magnesium often shows up as anxiety, insomnia, PMS symptoms, muscle cramps, or constipation. And here's where the details matter. Not all magnesium supplements are the same. Magnesium oxide, the kind in most cheap vitamins, barely absorbs. But magnesium glycinate or citrate, those are bioavailable. They actually reach your cells and they help with sleep and relaxation. Here's where genetics matter. If your body doesn't naturally shuttle magnesium into your cells, well, taking the wrong type is like pouring water on a closed flower. Nothing changes. But the right form opens everything up. Your energy lifts, your muscles relax, and your stress finally eases. And finally, I want to talk about CoQ10. You've probably seen it on supplement shelves or even in face creams, but here's the real deal. CoQ10 is like the spark plug for cells. Your mitochondria, the power plants inside each cell, need CoQ10 to turn food into energy. No CoQ10? No energy. Here's a kicker. Our natural levels drop with age, starting in our 30s and 40s and add in stress, poor diet, and especially statin medications for cholesterol, and your CoQ10 levels can plummet. That's one reason people on statins often feel fatigued or get muscle pain. And genetics matter too. Some people recycle CoQ10 efficiently while others don't. If you're in the second group, you're already starting at a disadvantage. For you, the right form of CoQ10 could be the difference between dragging yourself through the day and finally feeling energized again. So here's a takeaway. Supplements are your friend when they fill a real gap, come in the right form, and are matched to your unique genetics. But just like not every friend in your life has your best interest at heart, not every supplement will support you. In fact, some can turn into your foe. So let's talk about when supplements work against you. Sometimes too much of a good thing becomes a problem, right? Extra zinc can deplete copper, too much calcium blocks magnesium, high doses of iron can actually inflame the body and damage the liver. And then there's the wrong form. Ever felt sick to your stomach after taking a multivitamin? And that's your body saying, This doesn't work for me. It's like buying shoes that are technically your size but fit all wrong. They look right on paper, but they hurt every time you wear them. And quality, let's not forget that. Not all supplements are clean. Some don't contain the amount on the label, and others are full of artificial fillers. Yet they're marketed as doctor recommended or all natural. That's when supplements shift from being helpful to harmful, friend. But maybe you're thinking, okay, Tamar, I don't think mine are hurting me, but I can't say I feel different either. That's where we move into the filler category. Fillers are the supplements that don't hurt you, but don't help either. Think about it. The multivitamin you take, just in case, but never notice a difference. The detox tea you bought because an influencer sore by it. The half-empty bottles that sit there quietly reminding you of money spent. These are like background actors in a movie. They're there, but they don't move the story forward. Now, if your cabinet looks like a graveyard of half-used bottles, you're not alone. Almost every client I work with has one. So if supplements can be your friend, your foe, or just filler. How do you figure out which ones actually belong in your life? Now that's where Nutrigenomics comes in. Nutrigenomics is what takes the guesswork out. So instead of asking, what's trending online? What's my friend taking? What's cheapest at the store? You're going to start asking, what do my genes say about how I use nutrients? Do I actually need more of this or am I already efficient? Which form will my body recognize and put to work? For example, CoQ10, knowing your genetics tells us if you recycle it efficiently or not. If you don't, that's why you're always fatigued and why the right supplement could be life-changing. With vitamin D, certain genetic variants mean your body doesn't activate or transport it well. So you may need higher doses or paired nutrients like magnesium or K2. Even with caffeine, your genes decide if it's a friend that boosts your focus or a foe that wrecks your sleep. So imagine this walking into your kitchen and seeing only three bottles, not 20, and knowing with confidence that each one is tailored to your DNA, that's the freedom Nutrigenomics brings. Okay, friends, so let's bring it all together. Supplements aren't good or bad on their own. They can be your best friend, your worst foe, or just filler. The difference is whether they're chosen at random or personalized to you. If your supplement shell feels like a guessing game, it's time to stop guessing and start knowing. That's exactly what I help my clients do. We look at your DNA, your lifestyle, and your goals, and then build a supplement strategy that's lean, effective, and personal. If you're ready to finally clean out your supplement graveyard and create a plan that actually works for your body, I'd love to help. Schedule a consultation with me at www.thelyfebalance.com. That's www.thelfealance.com. It's actually the first step towards moving from overwhelmed to confidence and from expensive urine to supplements that truly serve you. Talk to you next Friday, friend. Until then, always remember to raise the script on health because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels.