How do I know which supplements I need?
Quick answer
You know which supplements you need by testing first, not by symptoms or trends. Blood work shows iron, vitamin D, B12 and thyroid status; a hair mineral analysis shows longer-term mineral patterns and ratios. Read together with your diet, symptoms and life stage, they point to a short, targeted list instead of a cabinet full of guesses. Inflammation, medication effects and other health conditions can also play a role.
Most people start supplements based on a podcast, a friend or a symptom. That works sometimes, and sometimes makes things worse.
Symptoms overlap
Fatigue can come from low iron, low B12, low thyroid function or low sodium and potassium. Each needs a different answer. Taking magnesium for fatigue caused by low iron changes nothing.
More is not better
Minerals work in balance. High-dose zinc over months can lower copper; too much calcium can crowd out magnesium; iron without need can be harmful. A supplement that helps one person can push another further out of balance.
Food and timing come first
Two or three meals with enough protein, vegetables and quality salt cover far more than most people expect. Supplements then fill specific gaps for a limited time, and you retest to see whether they worked.
What to check first
- Ferritin, iron and full blood count
- Vitamin D, B12 and folate
- TSH and free T4
- Omega-3 index if available
- Mineral levels and ratios (hair mineral analysis)
- Everything you currently take, with doses
What can affect the result
Supplements you already take, the time of the blood draw, recent illness, fasting or not, and hair treatments such as dye can all change test values. Tell the lab and your practitioner what you take before testing.
What your own history can tell us
Previous symptoms, major life changes, medication, hormone changes, illnesses, travel, sleep patterns, old bloodwork and earlier test results can all change how a result is understood. Over time, repeat testing gives us something even more useful: your own trend.
When to see a doctor
Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before starting supplements if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, take medication (especially blood thinners, thyroid or blood pressure medication) or have kidney or liver conditions.
How Reset looks at this
We do not read one result in isolation. We read it alongside your history, symptoms, lifestyle, environment and any other data you already have. The aim is not to give you more information. It is to work out what deserves attention first.