Today, many homes have their own small dispensary of supplements available in the kitchen for personal care and health. If you are one of them, look in your cupboard where you keep the bottles. Are there more than 10-15 different products that you use on a daily basis? If so, it may be time to explore whether you really need to take all of the supplements and which ones make the most sense for your health. Even though supplements are used for natural health, you can still get too much of a good thing.

Natural health products are best used as a bridge to wellness and personal care. In other words, they help you move from how you feel now to how you would like to feel in your body. They can help aid digestion, clear up skin breakouts, promote quality sleep, and relieve stress. However, when we rely too heavily on these products, we can lose the sense of taking care of ourselves first and use supplements simply as a tool or bridge to better health. The supplement is not everything, nor is it a magic solution.

Another point to consider is that we can only process so much and we may be overloading our body with too many supplements. Capsules, tablets, and powders must be broken down and metabolized in the digestive system and liver. The mind also has to remember to take all of the 10 to 20 supplements that we require ourselves to take, and this checklist can even create stress (thereby counteracting some of the health benefits of the products).

Whether you have prescribed supplements for yourself or are taking those recommended by one or more health providers, you can put them all on the table and potentially simplify your routine to around 5 supplements or less. Decide which products will have the greatest impact on your overall health and the organ systems that need the most support. Remember that your health will look different at various times depending on what is going on. Supplement routines will change along with the circumstances of your life and how you feel.

Not sure which supplements are working or what effect each has on you? Try the following tips to help you choose what to keep and what to discontinue:

• Take a 1-2 week break from supplements you’re unsure about, especially if you can’t remember why you started them in the first place. Do you feel different afterwards?
• If your health care provider has recommended supplements, ask which products are still relevant to your treatment. They may be able to re-evaluate what you are taking.
• Something expired? If a product’s label indicates an expiration date, it’s a good time to consider whether you still need to take it and, if so, order a new batch.
• If you have two or more supplements that serve the same purpose, you can often limit yourself to one product with that function. For example, instead of taking two adaptogen (stress relief) formulas, choose one that resonates better with your health.
• If you have an oversized bottle of pills you hate taking, a foul-tasting tincture or tea, or a product that involves 3 or more pills in one sitting, what a good time to reexamine if you really need it.

Once you have about 5 or fewer products that you focus on for your health, see how you feel about the new routine. And with free time from not having to remember 10-20 different supplements, you can take care of your health in other ways without pills. Rest. Section. Take a good time to do nothing! Go for a walk or enjoy your favorite exercise. Listen to music, catch up on your water intake, enjoy a bath. Your body will enjoy the focused supplement routine as well as the opportunity to try new things for your health.