The Teri Cochrane Blueprint
A supplement blend is like a symphony. If one ingredient is wrong for your body, it can throw off the intention of the whole formulation.
Much like your diet, personal care products, or your environment, what goes in and out of your body matters - down to the last ingredient.
Supplements are no different. Our diet, lifestyle and, crucially, our genetic tendencies can determine how efficiently our bodies metabolize an ingredient, or whether an ingredient works ‘for’ or ‘against’ our optimal state of health.
Fifteen years of clinical experience as an integrative practitioner have led me to identify a series of common ingredients in supplement blends that may act as biological disruptors for individuals with certain sensitivities.
These include sulfuric compounds and oxalates, soy, turmeric, licorice root, certain probiotics and prebiotics, and adaptogenic mushrooms, among others.
Like a bad crash diet, certain trends in the supplement marketplace may work against our optimal health, and even well-intentioned blends can contribute to imbalances when taken out of the context of the individual.
The bottom line: if it’s not right for your genes, it’s not right for you.
The absence of ‘gene-smart’ options in the supplementation market was thrown into harsh relief when I faced my own health struggles a few years ago. Diagnosed by top doctors with Lyme’s Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - which actually turned out to be a reactivation of multiple viruses - I found myself on the brink of adrenal collapse, with dangerously high liver enzymes, impaired brain, neural and kidney function and being fed a steady course of antibiotics and steroids. Even well-meaning glutathione put me in a state of acute nervous system distress.
Particularly startling was the slew of new sensitivities to foods and supplements that, before my illness, I had enjoyed and benefited from. ‘Healthy’, anti-inflammatory foods like almonds, black beans and onions no longer agreed with me, and the tried and true immune support supplements that I was taking to bolster my immune system only seemed to inflame my underlying conditions.
All of this confusion eventually brought about an epiphany: something just wasn’t jiving with my genes.
Personal stress in my life, coupled with a significant viral load, had “flipped on” or encouraged negative genetic expressions, leading to an inability to metabolize familiar foods and supplements.
My CYP2D6, MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, SUOX, CBS, COMT and CYP450 gene SNPs - genetic polymorphisms that effect the body's ability to metabolize oxalates, sulfur, turmeric, proteins and hormones - were activated, and as a result, I could no longer tolerate oxalate or sulfur-heavy foods - or supplements.
These genes are big needle-movers for symptomatology when expressed - not just for me, but for many individuals.
With this news came the realization that half of my supplement arsenal was no longer an option for me. When it came to electrolyte balance, stress relief and immune support, there was a complete gap in the marketplace for a supplement that would support both the systems I wanted to target - and my genes.
My experiences led me to develop my own approach to supplementation, a “blueprint” for formulas that provide simple, safe, everyday solutions to common health imbalances, prioritizing gene-smart nutrition.
The Future Is Gene-Smart
I believe that supplements are as personal as your diet. An effective supplement should fit you, matching your unique needs and health goals, and optimizing your body from the inside out.
Inspired by 15 years of in-practice results, each ingredient in my formulas is powerful on its own while working synergistically with every other ingredient in the blend.
Designed with commonly overlooked sensitivities in mind, my supplements are free of oxalates, sulfur-containing compounds and adaptogenic fungi – common ingredients that have been shown to contribute to inflammation and poor microbial health, and encourage the growth of pathogens, sparking immune irritation.
All Teri Cochrane formulas are naturally derived, non-GMO, clean and free of gluten, soy, dyes, preservatives and artificial flavors.
The result? Clean formulas that work with your genes, not against them.
Click here to shop my range of personally formulated supplementation solutions and explore a gene-smart future for your health.
To The Tru Of You,
This article shares Teri’s story as to how she came to the importance of personalized supplementation based on individual genetic tendencies and sensitivities. Certain ingredients in supplements can disrupt optimal health for individuals with specific sensitivities. It emphasizes the need for "gene-smart" supplements that work with an individual's genes rather than against them, providing clean formulas that are free of common inflammatory ingredients.