Key Takeaways
- A supplement that "didn't work" may simply not have been the right one for your body.
- Absorption, quality, form, dose, and timing all affect whether a supplement can do its job.
- Supplements need to be taken consistently, with realistic expectations, to be effective.
- Guessing based on trends often misses the root cause. Testing and guidance help narrow down what you actually need.
"I tried that supplement and it didn't work." It's one of the most common things Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons hears from patients at The Natural Path Health Center. Some people decide supplements simply don't work for them at all.
In this video, Dr. Parsons explains that a supplement not working rarely means supplements are useless. More often, something about the fit is off: the product, the dose, the timing, or what's happening inside your body. Here are the 10 most common reasons.
10 Reasons Your Supplements May Not Be Working
1. You May Not Need That Supplement
Just because a supplement didn't help doesn't mean it failed. It may not have been what your body needed. For example, if you're having trouble sleeping and melatonin doesn't help, melatonin may not be the issue. Dr. Parsons notes the problem could be something else entirely, like the brain producing too many beta brain waves, which calls for a different approach.
2. Your Body Isn't Absorbing It
Stress can reduce how much stomach acid your body makes, and without enough stomach acid, you can't properly break down food or absorb minerals. Someone with osteoporosis taking calcium may see no improvement, not because the product is bad, but because their digestion isn't able to absorb it.
3. The Ingredients Are Low Quality
With supplements, you generally get what you pay for. Manufacturers choose between low-cost, entry-level ingredients and higher-quality ingredients that are third-party lab tested and meet strict quality control standards. That difference in quality shows up in both price and results.
4. It's the Wrong Form of the Nutrient
Many nutrients come in several forms, and the form matters. You may need a specific form of a nutrient that your current product doesn't contain. The delivery method matters too. Some people do better with lipophilic (fat-soluble) formulas.
5. The Dose Is Too Low
Many people simply aren't taking enough. In Dr. Parsons' clinical experience, most women need about three grams of vitamin C a day at minimum, and some need five or six. Because the right amount varies so much from person to person, working with a practitioner can help you find the dose that's right for you.
6. You're Taking It at the Wrong Time
Some supplements work best with food, others on an empty stomach, and some shouldn't be taken alongside certain foods. Zinc is a good example: to absorb it, you need enough stomach acid, and you should avoid taking it with grains, which reduce the body's ability to absorb zinc.
7. An Underlying Health Issue Is Getting in the Way
Your overall health affects how supplements work. If your liver enzymes are elevated, for example, you need to be careful with herbs, which can be hard on the liver. Low stomach acid caused by stress is another common issue that can quietly undermine your supplements.
8. You're Not Taking It Consistently
Dr. Parsons compares it to watering a lawn. If you watered your front yard for 10 minutes once a week, or whenever you happened to remember, you'd have dead grass, especially in a Central Valley summer. Supplements need to be taken consistently to be effective.
9. Your Expectations Are Unrealistic
It's tempting to look for one supplement that will change everything. But as Dr. Parsons puts it, we are each a walking chemistry lab: complex, dynamic, and uniquely individual. Real results usually come from a thoughtful plan, not a single product.
10. It's Not Addressing the Real Issue
Dr. Parsons calls this "poking and hoping": trying whatever is trending on TikTok or being promoted at the health food store in hopes it's the answer. This is especially common for people dealing with autoimmune conditions, and it's rare that one supplement solves everything.
Don't Give Up on Supplements Altogether
If a supplement hasn't worked for you, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Dr. Parsons believes most people today benefit from supplementation, because it's hard to get everything we need from food alone and ongoing stress depletes our nutrient levels.
The key is taking what you actually need, at the right dose, at the right time, with or without the right foods. Go through this list and see which reasons might apply to you.
Get Help Choosing the Right Supplements
At The Natural Path Health Center in Fresno, Dr. Parsons helps patients sort through what they really need, what's unnecessary, and what may not be benefiting them or could even be working against them. If you're tired of guessing, schedule a consultation to build a supplement plan based on your body.
Read the full video transcript
Hey everyone, it's Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, founder of the Natural Path Health Center, and we are talking about the top 10 reasons why supplements may not be working. I hear this all the time from people for a variety of reasons: "I tried that supplement, it didn't work." "Supplements don't work." "They've never worked for me." So, first, you might not need that particular supplement. For example, if you're having trouble sleeping and you take melatonin and it doesn't work, you may not have needed melatonin. Maybe you're making too many beta brain waves. Maybe you need something different. So just because you took a supplement and it doesn't work doesn't mean that the supplement didn't work. It might actually mean it wasn't the right thing for you. Another reason could be poor absorption. For example, if you are under a lot of stress and you are not making enough stomach acid, you are not going to break down your foods, nor are you going to absorb your minerals. If you have osteoporosis and you're wanting to increase your calcium, but you're not making enough stomach acid, that could be a problem. So when you take calcium and it doesn't work, the product might have been fine, but it's your physiology not working. Another possibility is low-quality ingredients. You literally get what you pay for. If you were going to be manufacturing supplements, one of the first things you would get to choose is what quality of product you want. Do you want entry-level, bottom-of-the-barrel stuff in it? Or do you want something that has been third-party lab tested and has met the rigors of quality control? That all comes with a price. So think about that. It could be just the wrong form of the nutrient. You might need the alpha form of something and you're not taking it. So the form of the product and the delivery method of the product also matter. Lipophilic substances might be better for you. You actually might be taking the wrong dose, and many of you aren't taking enough. For example, most women need about three grams of vitamin C a day minimum, but many of you need even more than that. Some of you might need five or six. How do you know? That's why coming to someone like me, I could help you with that. So you might not be taking a high enough dosage of a supplement. The next could be a timing issue. Some things need to be taken with food. Some things need to be taken on an empty stomach. Some things you'd want to avoid taking with certain substances. For example, zinc: if you want to be able to absorb your zinc, you first need to make enough stomach acid, but second, you don't want to take it with grains. Grains reduce the body's ability to absorb the zinc, which means your zinc levels will not come up. There could be underlying health issues. If you're having issues with your liver, if your liver enzymes are elevated, you need to really be careful about taking herbs, because that could be hard on the liver. So a health issue might be preventing it. Another health issue is not making enough stomach acid because of stress. Another big one is consistency. If you wanted your front yard lawn to grow, would you water it for 10 minutes once a week, or whenever you thought about it? If you did that here in the Valley in the summer, you would have dead grass. So supplements need to be consistent for them to be effective. Also, setting unrealistic expectations. I know we all want the latest, greatest, fast, one supplement that's going to change my life and fix everything in my body. The reality is we're a walking chemistry lab. We are very complex, dynamic, and uniquely individualized. So you need to take that into consideration. And the last is maybe that supplement really isn't addressing the true issue. I call that "poking and hoping." Here's the latest thing on TikTok. Here's the latest thing in the health food store that they're promoting. That must be the thing that's making me ill. And especially if you're in that autoimmune category, it's rare that one supplement changes the world. So you don't want to throw out supplements because none of them work. You want to make sure that you're taking what you actually need. You want to take the right dosage at the right time, with the right foods or without. These are all things that you need to consider. And this is where coming to someone like me, I can help you weed through all of that. I can help you narrow down your focus to know what you really need versus what is really unnecessary, not benefiting you, or actually hurting you. So don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We all need supplementation at this point, because we can't get everything we need from our foods, and we are also under a lot of stress, which depletes our nutrient values. So keep that in mind, go through the list, and see if you need help. And if you do need help, I'm here for you. Hope to see you soon.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
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