by The Puritan's Pride Editorial Team
A recent look at our customer insights on Facebook revealed that a surprisingly high percentage of Puritan’s Pride customers are either nurses or those who work in a related healthcare field. This didn’t surprise us for three reasons:
Here are the 7 supplements that can help keep nurses in tip-top condition.
Whether their workplace consists of a rural middle school or a big city trauma center, no nurse is immune to the occasional stress involved in this fast-paced profession.
Feverfew is an aromatic plant from the daisy family that’s been known across Europe and Asia for centuries. Feverfew contains beneficial compounds known as sesquiterpene lactones that help support the easing of occasional tension from stressful lifestyles.*
While we’re on the subject of periodic stress, who could blame any hard-working nurse for succumbing to the occasional lack of a positive outlook? Certainly not us!
5-HTP (an acronym for 5-hydroxytryptophan) helps your brain produce serotonin – a neurotransmitter involved in sending messages throughout the nervous system that promotes feelings of well-being.*
5-HTP is not present in significant amounts in a typical diet, so those with concerns may benefit from taking it as a nutritional supplement.
A typical nursing shift can run 8 hours, 12 hours, or even more with overtime, so it’s important that the body has all the tools it needs to keep normal energy production running smoothly.
Say hello to Carnitine – a nitrogen-containing compound that promotes energy production and energy metabolism.* A conditionally essential nutrient, Carnitine is responsible for transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria so they can be used for energy production.* The typical U.S. diet contains approximately 100 mg of Carnitine per day, and vegetarians are likely to have even lower intakes.
Did I mention that nurses were smart? As such, it’s important that they take care of all aspects of health, including brain health.
Nurses who seek supplemental nutrition to support mental alertness should consider Ginkgo Biloba.* The distinctive two-lobed leaves of this ancient and unusual tree help support healthy brain function as well as antioxidant health, aiding in the fight against free radicals that may cause damage to cellular structures throughout the body.*
Medical professionals who buy Vitamin C by the truckload would be wise to consider their herbal options for immune support as well.*
Echinacea purpurea, known as purple coneflower, is a perennial flowering herb that grows wild in the Midwestern and Eastern United States. Echinacea (pronounced eck-in-aye-sha) is one of the world’s leading herbs traditionally used for immune function, providing holistic support for the body’s natural defense system.*
Nutritional support for eye health is important in all professions, but nurses who spend extended hours glued to a computer screen each day are at an especially high risk.
Lutein is the principal compound found in the central area of the retina called the macula.
Supplementing with at least 6mg of Lutein daily provides nutritional support for healthy eyes, and a 12 mg dose was shown in one study to help filter out damaging blue light and improve eye health when using computers.*¹
Lutein can only be obtained through dietary sources, and the average daily intake is only 1 to 3mg.
“Can we meet for lunch?” I once asked my friend Rick, an emergency room nurse in one of New York City’s busiest hospitals.
“Lunch?” he replied. “What’s that?”
Skipping meals may come with the territory for nurses – especially when trying to find any downtime within their hectic shifts. While their work schedule may not support a proper lunch break, nurses can always support healthy daily digestive function with probiotic supplements.* Probiotic supplements help maintain the balance of healthy intestinal flora, and Acidophilus – a particular species of this beneficial bacteria – helps maintain digestive health by making the GI tract’s contents slightly more acidic.*
¹Ma, L. et al. British Journal of Nutrition. 2009.
