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In this episode of In the Clinic with Camille, I share some follow-up thoughts from my recent supplement deep dive class, focusing on smarter supplementing. We explore the broad definition of supplements in the U.S., including vitamins, minerals, herbs, and protein products, and discuss the challenges around recommending supplements for long-term disease prevention. I clarify how taking isolated nutrients differs from consuming whole herbs or foods, and why it’s important to be thoughtful about what we recommend to clients, especially when evidence for long-term benefits is limited.
If you’re curious about supplements and want to dig deeper, it’s not too late to join the 2026 Supplement Deep Dive. Thanks for listening 💚
Resources- 2026 Supplement Deep Dive ($350)
- January Deep Dive Class: Smarter Supplementing ($45; included in full deep dive)
- February Deep Dive Class: Supplements to Support Athletic Performance with Jaclyn Sklaver ($45; included in full deep dive)
Thanks for listening.
I'd love to hear from you. Leave me a voicemail with feedback or submit a question (click the pink "Send Camille a Message" button on the side of the page) 💚
Camille's Helpful Links for Practitioners
WEBVTT
00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:02.837
Welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman.
00:00:03.037 --> 00:00:06.717
I'm an herbalist and nutritionist, and in this podcast, I share little tips
00:00:06.717 --> 00:00:08.877
and tidbits that might be helpful for other practitioners.
00:00:09.537 --> 00:00:14.217
Today, I wanted to share a follow-up thought after teaching the first class
00:00:14.217 --> 00:00:16.797
in my supplement deep dive earlier this week.
00:00:17.357 --> 00:00:21.237
For those of you who are not in the supplement deep dive, this class was about
00:00:21.237 --> 00:00:22.557
smarter supplementing.
00:00:22.677 --> 00:00:26.277
And so what we did in the class was really an overview of some of my thoughts
00:00:26.277 --> 00:00:27.897
on the philosophy of supplements.
00:00:27.897 --> 00:00:32.977
We talked about the definitions and ethical concerns and considerations around
00:00:32.977 --> 00:00:38.437
recommending supplements, and then also dove more into why we would recommend
00:00:38.437 --> 00:00:39.837
them, why we would not recommend them,
00:00:40.037 --> 00:00:42.977
thoughts on how long people take them, the reasons we're taking them,
00:00:43.417 --> 00:00:45.877
whether those are justified, all of that sort of thing.
00:00:46.377 --> 00:00:49.977
To be super clear, again, for those of you who weren't in the class,
00:00:50.097 --> 00:00:53.177
I think most of you know this, but just to make sure we're all on the same page,
00:00:53.337 --> 00:00:54.937
here in the United States,
00:00:55.137 --> 00:00:59.037
the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, also known as DISHAY,
00:00:59.217 --> 00:01:03.357
from 1994, is how we define a supplement officially.
00:01:03.757 --> 00:01:07.197
And they define it as a product intended for ingestion that,
00:01:07.357 --> 00:01:11.897
among other requirements, contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet.
00:01:12.277 --> 00:01:15.017
So it's a little bit circuitous, but that is the definition,
00:01:15.297 --> 00:01:21.377
and it includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids,
00:01:21.917 --> 00:01:27.497
dietary substances such as berberine that are a part of one of the categories
00:01:27.497 --> 00:01:33.297
above, things like protein powders, protein bars, etc. Those are all considered dietary supplements.
00:01:35.517 --> 00:01:40.617
One of the points that I was making in this class is that when a client is taking
00:01:40.617 --> 00:01:49.097
a supplement over a long period of time with the intended outcome of preventing a condition or disease,
00:01:49.277 --> 00:01:52.097
which technically we are not supposed to do as practitioners,
00:01:52.117 --> 00:01:55.457
we are not supposed to recommend that because that is practicing medicine outside of our scope.
00:01:55.457 --> 00:01:59.037
But a lot of people are taking supplements with the idea that,
00:01:59.477 --> 00:02:00.797
oh, this is good for my heart.
00:02:00.957 --> 00:02:06.137
This is good for my, you know, it's shown to prevent dementia or whatever else.
00:02:06.437 --> 00:02:09.497
One of the points that I made in this class is that realistically,
00:02:09.497 --> 00:02:15.237
if you are taking a supplement with the idea that it's going to prevent something
00:02:15.237 --> 00:02:18.137
or lower your risk of some kind of disease or condition,
00:02:18.377 --> 00:02:21.717
10, 20, 40 years down the road, it is a gamble.
00:02:21.717 --> 00:02:25.857
In almost all cases, not all, in very few cases,
00:02:25.857 --> 00:02:33.337
do we have solid human evidence showing cause and effect in a clinically meaningful
00:02:33.337 --> 00:02:39.837
effect size that a specific supplement is going to meaningfully reduce your
00:02:39.837 --> 00:02:42.177
risk or prevent certain conditions.
00:02:42.297 --> 00:02:45.177
Again, it's not nothing, it's not never, but most of the time,
00:02:45.357 --> 00:02:49.237
that is a maybe we're taking this on a sort of just-in-case basis.
00:02:49.517 --> 00:02:52.657
So we talked about the implications of this, and if it makes sense,
00:02:52.717 --> 00:02:54.657
and under which circumstances, and so forth.
00:02:55.257 --> 00:02:58.097
And I think that's an important point, and I think it's one that a lot of people
00:02:58.097 --> 00:03:01.017
don't think through fully. We fleshed that out in the class.
00:03:01.577 --> 00:03:04.977
However, the reason that I was lying in bed thinking, gosh, I think I might
00:03:04.977 --> 00:03:08.577
have missed explaining a certain aspect of this, is at the end of the class,
00:03:08.717 --> 00:03:13.617
somebody asked, well, Camille, what about things like herbs or mushrooms,
00:03:14.077 --> 00:03:16.477
you know, reishi and lion's mane, and some of these things.
00:03:17.341 --> 00:03:23.181
How do we think about recommending those or people who are working with those for long-term use?
00:03:23.641 --> 00:03:27.181
And I have a couple things to say about this that I, again, did not say in the
00:03:27.181 --> 00:03:30.161
class and meant to, should have, etc.
00:03:30.781 --> 00:03:37.361
One of them is that because our definition of supplement is so big in this country,
00:03:37.361 --> 00:03:43.221
I think there's a very large spectrum of what falls into that category.
00:03:43.221 --> 00:03:46.601
So in my mind, taking a
00:03:46.601 --> 00:03:50.001
single nutrient such as vitamin A or
00:03:50.001 --> 00:03:57.381
magnesium or something like that is in many ways akin to taking a specific phytochemical
00:03:57.381 --> 00:04:02.021
from an herb in an isolated form in a higher dose than we might be getting it
00:04:02.021 --> 00:04:07.041
from just consuming that herb in a more standard way and taking it by itself
00:04:07.041 --> 00:04:09.161
and then looking to see what happens.
00:04:09.161 --> 00:04:12.001
So this is, in my opinion,
00:04:12.501 --> 00:04:15.921
a lot closer to kind of our pharmaceutical model of medicine,
00:04:15.921 --> 00:04:21.141
where we're taking these specific components outside of their standard food
00:04:21.141 --> 00:04:27.141
or plant matrix, and then using them in doses that are generally higher than
00:04:27.141 --> 00:04:29.321
what we might ingest them in in one sitting.
00:04:30.041 --> 00:04:32.701
Not that that's always bad, not that that's never a good thing,
00:04:32.701 --> 00:04:36.221
or it's never helpful for people, but that's how I think about that.
00:04:36.221 --> 00:04:42.321
Then in terms of herbs, if we're looking at a whole plant model where you're
00:04:42.321 --> 00:04:46.781
taking the herb and you're grinding it up and putting that powder on something,
00:04:46.961 --> 00:04:50.961
or we are making an herbal infusion or an herbal decoction for people who don't
00:04:50.961 --> 00:04:52.621
know what that is, basically just tea.
00:04:52.921 --> 00:04:57.101
If we're making an herbal tea, in my opinion, it's a lot closer to food's.
00:04:57.708 --> 00:05:02.828
So I think we also don't have, you know, we don't have great evidence about
00:05:02.828 --> 00:05:06.688
carrots to be like, oh, well, you know, if you eat X number of carrots every
00:05:06.688 --> 00:05:11.708
day for 30 years, you're going to reduce your risk of heart disease or what have you.
00:05:11.708 --> 00:05:15.768
But we do have good evidence about eating a very diet rich in vegetables and
00:05:15.768 --> 00:05:18.588
fiber being associated with lower risk of things.
00:05:18.748 --> 00:05:23.288
So I think about herbs as being in the long-term preventative sense as being
00:05:23.288 --> 00:05:28.148
closer to foods where we're like, yeah, any single herb does not have studies
00:05:28.148 --> 00:05:32.188
for the most part looking at long-term effects over decades.
00:05:32.188 --> 00:05:38.448
However, there's reason to believe that incorporating herbs into your diet,
00:05:38.448 --> 00:05:40.648
the same as you do fruits and vegetables,
00:05:40.988 --> 00:05:46.248
is expanding your sort of phytochemical regime, unlikely to cause harm in most
00:05:46.248 --> 00:05:50.228
cases if you're taking some of the more, you know, gentle, accessible herbs that are food-like.
00:05:50.728 --> 00:05:54.128
And there's, you know, I don't think it's the worst idea in the world,
00:05:54.388 --> 00:05:57.268
just like I wouldn't say, no, we don't have evidence for carrots,
00:05:57.388 --> 00:05:58.208
so you shouldn't eat them.
00:05:58.648 --> 00:06:02.768
On the other hand, if we are taking a single isolated constituent of an herb
00:06:02.768 --> 00:06:07.988
and we are putting it in a gel cap in a plastic bottle and extracting it in
00:06:07.988 --> 00:06:10.548
some factory somewhere and shipping it across the country and saying you're
00:06:10.548 --> 00:06:12.828
going to take that with the idea that it might be.
00:06:13.615 --> 00:06:16.575
Support your health over 20 years or something like that.
00:06:16.735 --> 00:06:20.535
I think it's a cause for a little bit more investigation, a little bit more
00:06:20.535 --> 00:06:24.715
thought, and a little bit more explanation to our clients about what evidence
00:06:24.715 --> 00:06:26.215
we have that this is true.
00:06:26.895 --> 00:06:31.015
So anyway, I'm not sure if that clarifies things for people or if that's a helpful
00:06:31.015 --> 00:06:35.895
point or if you're like, yeah, Camille, that's just something we already know and think about.
00:06:36.215 --> 00:06:39.475
But I wanted to say it out loud just to be really clear.
00:06:40.295 --> 00:06:44.015
My points from the class. Other points from the class still stand,
00:06:44.175 --> 00:06:47.155
which is anytime we're recommending anything to somebody, we need to be really
00:06:47.155 --> 00:06:50.015
thoughtful about whether this is the best use of their time,
00:06:50.235 --> 00:06:54.755
of their money, what evidence, either traditional or clinical.
00:06:55.615 --> 00:06:57.615
Supports its use, and so forth.
00:06:57.915 --> 00:07:02.315
So there you go. If you have not joined the Supplement Deep Dive and you would
00:07:02.315 --> 00:07:03.915
like to, it's not too late.
00:07:04.095 --> 00:07:08.555
You can still join the January class as it was recorded. You can watch it any time.
00:07:08.815 --> 00:07:13.935
You can join any time throughout 2026. Our next class is going to be with Jacqueline,
00:07:14.535 --> 00:07:20.395
Sclaver, who is a nutritionist who supports professional and Olympic level athletes,
00:07:20.455 --> 00:07:23.275
as well as just regular people interested in fitness.
00:07:23.475 --> 00:07:26.755
And she's going to come and talk to us all about the supplements that people
00:07:26.755 --> 00:07:30.155
often take with the idea that they might be supporting athletic performance
00:07:30.155 --> 00:07:33.415
and fitness, kind of break down for us what's true, what's not true,
00:07:33.655 --> 00:07:36.675
what do we need to do about dosing, safety, and that sort of thing.
00:07:36.755 --> 00:07:40.315
So I'm really excited for somebody with such expertise and such experience to
00:07:40.315 --> 00:07:41.435
come and share her knowledge.
00:07:41.795 --> 00:07:43.995
Certainly not something that I know a lot about. So I really,
00:07:44.155 --> 00:07:45.315
really can't wait for that lecture.
00:07:45.615 --> 00:07:49.375
Love to have you join us. You can just go to camillefreeman.com slash supplements
00:07:49.375 --> 00:07:50.395
if you want to learn more.
00:07:50.655 --> 00:07:53.815
And otherwise, let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you so much
00:07:53.815 --> 00:07:55.315
for listening, and I'll talk to you later.
00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:02.837
Welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman.
00:00:03.037 --> 00:00:06.717
I'm an herbalist and nutritionist, and in this podcast, I share little tips
00:00:06.717 --> 00:00:08.877
and tidbits that might be helpful for other practitioners.
00:00:09.537 --> 00:00:14.217
Today, I wanted to share a follow-up thought after teaching the first class
00:00:14.217 --> 00:00:16.797
in my supplement deep dive earlier this week.
00:00:17.357 --> 00:00:21.237
For those of you who are not in the supplement deep dive, this class was about
00:00:21.237 --> 00:00:22.557
smarter supplementing.
00:00:22.677 --> 00:00:26.277
And so what we did in the class was really an overview of some of my thoughts
00:00:26.277 --> 00:00:27.897
on the philosophy of supplements.
00:00:27.897 --> 00:00:32.977
We talked about the definitions and ethical concerns and considerations around
00:00:32.977 --> 00:00:38.437
recommending supplements, and then also dove more into why we would recommend
00:00:38.437 --> 00:00:39.837
them, why we would not recommend them,
00:00:40.037 --> 00:00:42.977
thoughts on how long people take them, the reasons we're taking them,
00:00:43.417 --> 00:00:45.877
whether those are justified, all of that sort of thing.
00:00:46.377 --> 00:00:49.977
To be super clear, again, for those of you who weren't in the class,
00:00:50.097 --> 00:00:53.177
I think most of you know this, but just to make sure we're all on the same page,
00:00:53.337 --> 00:00:54.937
here in the United States,
00:00:55.137 --> 00:00:59.037
the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, also known as DISHAY,
00:00:59.217 --> 00:01:03.357
from 1994, is how we define a supplement officially.
00:01:03.757 --> 00:01:07.197
And they define it as a product intended for ingestion that,
00:01:07.357 --> 00:01:11.897
among other requirements, contains a dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet.
00:01:12.277 --> 00:01:15.017
So it's a little bit circuitous, but that is the definition,
00:01:15.297 --> 00:01:21.377
and it includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids,
00:01:21.917 --> 00:01:27.497
dietary substances such as berberine that are a part of one of the categories
00:01:27.497 --> 00:01:33.297
above, things like protein powders, protein bars, etc. Those are all considered dietary supplements.
00:01:35.517 --> 00:01:40.617
One of the points that I was making in this class is that when a client is taking
00:01:40.617 --> 00:01:49.097
a supplement over a long period of time with the intended outcome of preventing a condition or disease,
00:01:49.277 --> 00:01:52.097
which technically we are not supposed to do as practitioners,
00:01:52.117 --> 00:01:55.457
we are not supposed to recommend that because that is practicing medicine outside of our scope.
00:01:55.457 --> 00:01:59.037
But a lot of people are taking supplements with the idea that,
00:01:59.477 --> 00:02:00.797
oh, this is good for my heart.
00:02:00.957 --> 00:02:06.137
This is good for my, you know, it's shown to prevent dementia or whatever else.
00:02:06.437 --> 00:02:09.497
One of the points that I made in this class is that realistically,
00:02:09.497 --> 00:02:15.237
if you are taking a supplement with the idea that it's going to prevent something
00:02:15.237 --> 00:02:18.137
or lower your risk of some kind of disease or condition,
00:02:18.377 --> 00:02:21.717
10, 20, 40 years down the road, it is a gamble.
00:02:21.717 --> 00:02:25.857
In almost all cases, not all, in very few cases,
00:02:25.857 --> 00:02:33.337
do we have solid human evidence showing cause and effect in a clinically meaningful
00:02:33.337 --> 00:02:39.837
effect size that a specific supplement is going to meaningfully reduce your
00:02:39.837 --> 00:02:42.177
risk or prevent certain conditions.
00:02:42.297 --> 00:02:45.177
Again, it's not nothing, it's not never, but most of the time,
00:02:45.357 --> 00:02:49.237
that is a maybe we're taking this on a sort of just-in-case basis.
00:02:49.517 --> 00:02:52.657
So we talked about the implications of this, and if it makes sense,
00:02:52.717 --> 00:02:54.657
and under which circumstances, and so forth.
00:02:55.257 --> 00:02:58.097
And I think that's an important point, and I think it's one that a lot of people
00:02:58.097 --> 00:03:01.017
don't think through fully. We fleshed that out in the class.
00:03:01.577 --> 00:03:04.977
However, the reason that I was lying in bed thinking, gosh, I think I might
00:03:04.977 --> 00:03:08.577
have missed explaining a certain aspect of this, is at the end of the class,
00:03:08.717 --> 00:03:13.617
somebody asked, well, Camille, what about things like herbs or mushrooms,
00:03:14.077 --> 00:03:16.477
you know, reishi and lion's mane, and some of these things.
00:03:17.341 --> 00:03:23.181
How do we think about recommending those or people who are working with those for long-term use?
00:03:23.641 --> 00:03:27.181
And I have a couple things to say about this that I, again, did not say in the
00:03:27.181 --> 00:03:30.161
class and meant to, should have, etc.
00:03:30.781 --> 00:03:37.361
One of them is that because our definition of supplement is so big in this country,
00:03:37.361 --> 00:03:43.221
I think there's a very large spectrum of what falls into that category.
00:03:43.221 --> 00:03:46.601
So in my mind, taking a
00:03:46.601 --> 00:03:50.001
single nutrient such as vitamin A or
00:03:50.001 --> 00:03:57.381
magnesium or something like that is in many ways akin to taking a specific phytochemical
00:03:57.381 --> 00:04:02.021
from an herb in an isolated form in a higher dose than we might be getting it
00:04:02.021 --> 00:04:07.041
from just consuming that herb in a more standard way and taking it by itself
00:04:07.041 --> 00:04:09.161
and then looking to see what happens.
00:04:09.161 --> 00:04:12.001
So this is, in my opinion,
00:04:12.501 --> 00:04:15.921
a lot closer to kind of our pharmaceutical model of medicine,
00:04:15.921 --> 00:04:21.141
where we're taking these specific components outside of their standard food
00:04:21.141 --> 00:04:27.141
or plant matrix, and then using them in doses that are generally higher than
00:04:27.141 --> 00:04:29.321
what we might ingest them in in one sitting.
00:04:30.041 --> 00:04:32.701
Not that that's always bad, not that that's never a good thing,
00:04:32.701 --> 00:04:36.221
or it's never helpful for people, but that's how I think about that.
00:04:36.221 --> 00:04:42.321
Then in terms of herbs, if we're looking at a whole plant model where you're
00:04:42.321 --> 00:04:46.781
taking the herb and you're grinding it up and putting that powder on something,
00:04:46.961 --> 00:04:50.961
or we are making an herbal infusion or an herbal decoction for people who don't
00:04:50.961 --> 00:04:52.621
know what that is, basically just tea.
00:04:52.921 --> 00:04:57.101
If we're making an herbal tea, in my opinion, it's a lot closer to food's.
00:04:57.708 --> 00:05:02.828
So I think we also don't have, you know, we don't have great evidence about
00:05:02.828 --> 00:05:06.688
carrots to be like, oh, well, you know, if you eat X number of carrots every
00:05:06.688 --> 00:05:11.708
day for 30 years, you're going to reduce your risk of heart disease or what have you.
00:05:11.708 --> 00:05:15.768
But we do have good evidence about eating a very diet rich in vegetables and
00:05:15.768 --> 00:05:18.588
fiber being associated with lower risk of things.
00:05:18.748 --> 00:05:23.288
So I think about herbs as being in the long-term preventative sense as being
00:05:23.288 --> 00:05:28.148
closer to foods where we're like, yeah, any single herb does not have studies
00:05:28.148 --> 00:05:32.188
for the most part looking at long-term effects over decades.
00:05:32.188 --> 00:05:38.448
However, there's reason to believe that incorporating herbs into your diet,
00:05:38.448 --> 00:05:40.648
the same as you do fruits and vegetables,
00:05:40.988 --> 00:05:46.248
is expanding your sort of phytochemical regime, unlikely to cause harm in most
00:05:46.248 --> 00:05:50.228
cases if you're taking some of the more, you know, gentle, accessible herbs that are food-like.
00:05:50.728 --> 00:05:54.128
And there's, you know, I don't think it's the worst idea in the world,
00:05:54.388 --> 00:05:57.268
just like I wouldn't say, no, we don't have evidence for carrots,
00:05:57.388 --> 00:05:58.208
so you shouldn't eat them.
00:05:58.648 --> 00:06:02.768
On the other hand, if we are taking a single isolated constituent of an herb
00:06:02.768 --> 00:06:07.988
and we are putting it in a gel cap in a plastic bottle and extracting it in
00:06:07.988 --> 00:06:10.548
some factory somewhere and shipping it across the country and saying you're
00:06:10.548 --> 00:06:12.828
going to take that with the idea that it might be.
00:06:13.615 --> 00:06:16.575
Support your health over 20 years or something like that.
00:06:16.735 --> 00:06:20.535
I think it's a cause for a little bit more investigation, a little bit more
00:06:20.535 --> 00:06:24.715
thought, and a little bit more explanation to our clients about what evidence
00:06:24.715 --> 00:06:26.215
we have that this is true.
00:06:26.895 --> 00:06:31.015
So anyway, I'm not sure if that clarifies things for people or if that's a helpful
00:06:31.015 --> 00:06:35.895
point or if you're like, yeah, Camille, that's just something we already know and think about.
00:06:36.215 --> 00:06:39.475
But I wanted to say it out loud just to be really clear.
00:06:40.295 --> 00:06:44.015
My points from the class. Other points from the class still stand,
00:06:44.175 --> 00:06:47.155
which is anytime we're recommending anything to somebody, we need to be really
00:06:47.155 --> 00:06:50.015
thoughtful about whether this is the best use of their time,
00:06:50.235 --> 00:06:54.755
of their money, what evidence, either traditional or clinical.
00:06:55.615 --> 00:06:57.615
Supports its use, and so forth.
00:06:57.915 --> 00:07:02.315
So there you go. If you have not joined the Supplement Deep Dive and you would
00:07:02.315 --> 00:07:03.915
like to, it's not too late.
00:07:04.095 --> 00:07:08.555
You can still join the January class as it was recorded. You can watch it any time.
00:07:08.815 --> 00:07:13.935
You can join any time throughout 2026. Our next class is going to be with Jacqueline,
00:07:14.535 --> 00:07:20.395
Sclaver, who is a nutritionist who supports professional and Olympic level athletes,
00:07:20.455 --> 00:07:23.275
as well as just regular people interested in fitness.
00:07:23.475 --> 00:07:26.755
And she's going to come and talk to us all about the supplements that people
00:07:26.755 --> 00:07:30.155
often take with the idea that they might be supporting athletic performance
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and fitness, kind of break down for us what's true, what's not true,
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what do we need to do about dosing, safety, and that sort of thing.
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So I'm really excited for somebody with such expertise and such experience to
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come and share her knowledge.
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Certainly not something that I know a lot about. So I really,
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really can't wait for that lecture.
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Love to have you join us. You can just go to camillefreeman.com slash supplements
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if you want to learn more.
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And otherwise, let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you so much
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for listening, and I'll talk to you later.