Supplements, Social Media, and the Science: What Actually Helps Your Body Heal

The Problem With Supplement Advice on Social Media

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on social media lately, you’ve probably been told you need a supplement to fix your sleep, inflammation, hormones, gut health, recovery, or energy levels.

The problem isn’t that supplements are inherently bad.
The problem is where the recommendations are coming from — and why.

Much of the supplement advice online:

• Isn’t individualized
• Isn’t evidence-based
• Is driven by affiliate links, not outcomes
• Skips over foundational lifestyle factors entirely

As physical therapists in Durham, NC, we see the downstream effects of this every day: people spending a lot of money on supplements while still under-sleeping, under-eating, overtraining, and feeling frustrated that nothing is working.

Start With the “Why,” Not the Bottle

Before adding any supplement, a better question is:
What problem are you actually trying to solve?

• Poor sleep?
• Chronic inflammation?
• Muscle loss or strength plateaus?
• Low energy?
• Difficulty recovering from workouts?

If the “why” isn’t clear, supplements rarely help — and sometimes distract from interventions that do.

Creatine: One of the Most Researched Supplements We Have

Creatine monohydrate stands out because it’s exceptionally well studied — far beyond bodybuilding culture.

Research consistently shows that creatine:

• Improves muscle strength and lean mass
• Enhances physical performance when paired with resistance training
• Supports muscle preservation in older adults
• May offer cognitive and neurological benefits
• Is safe at recommended doses (typically 3–5 g/day)

Creatine is particularly helpful for:

• Older adults concerned about muscle loss
• Active individuals training for strength or endurance
• Vegetarians and vegans (who have lower baseline creatine intake)
• People returning to strength training after injury

Unlike many trendy supplements, creatine has decades of data, clear dosing guidelines, and a strong safety profile.

Multivitamins: Popular, but Poorly Supported

Multivitamins are often marketed as “insurance,” but large-scale studies tell a different story.

In generally healthy adults:

• Multivitamins do not reduce cardiovascular disease risk
• They do not reduce cancer risk
• They do not improve mortality

That doesn’t mean vitamins are useless — it means blanket supplementation without deficiency isn’t helpful.

Targeted supplementation (for example, iron, folate, or vitamin D in deficient individuals) makes sense. Routine multivitamin use for “just in case” generally does not.

Vitamin D: Helpful When You’re Deficient — Not a Cure-All

Vitamin D is another supplement that’s often overprescribed online.

The evidence shows:

• No clear benefit for preventing heart disease or cancer in healthy adults
• Potential benefits for people who are deficient
• Importance for bone health in specific populations

For most people, vitamin D should be:

• Assessed (when appropriate)
• Supplemented if deficient
• Not assumed to be universally necessary

Sun exposure, fortified foods, and diet still matter.

Sleep Supplements vs. Sleep Science

There is no shortage of sleep supplements on the market:

• Magnesium
• Melatonin
• Tart cherry juice
• Herbal blends
• “Calming” stacks

Some of these show modest benefits, but here’s the key point:

👉 The most effective, well-researched treatment for chronic sleep issues is still Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

CBT-I consistently outperforms supplements and medications for:

• Sleep onset
• Sleep maintenance
• Long-term sleep quality

Meditation, breathwork, and other down-regulation strategies can be helpful tools — especially for stress-related sleep disruption — but they work best when paired with:

• Consistent sleep schedules
• Appropriate exercise timing
• Reduced caffeine and alcohol
• Nervous system regulation during the day

What About Magnesium, Turmeric, and Tart Cherry Juice?

These fall into the category of “promising, but not foundational.”

• Magnesium may slightly improve sleep onset and duration, especially in older adults, but evidence quality is mixed.
• Turmeric/curcumin reduces inflammatory markers, but bioavailability and dosing matter, and clinical outcomes are inconsistent.
• Tart cherry juice shows potential benefits for sleep and inflammation, but long-term data is limited.

These can be adjuncts, not replacements.

The Boring Truth: Food and Exercise Still Win

Here’s the part that social media doesn’t love:

Diet and exercise are still the most powerful, well-researched tools we have for managing inflammation, sleep, recovery, and long-term health.

• Regular resistance and aerobic exercise improve inflammation, sleep quality, metabolic health, and bone density
• Whole-food dietary patterns provide micronutrients in bioavailable forms
• Lifestyle consistency outperforms any supplement stack

Supplements work best when:

• There’s a true deficiency
• There’s a specific clinical goal
• They complement — not replace — lifestyle interventions

How Physical Therapy Fits Into This Conversation

As physical therapists, our role isn’t to sell supplements. It’s to help people:

• Understand how their body responds to load, stress, and recovery
• Build sustainable movement habits
• Improve sleep and nervous system regulation through movement
• Use supplements intentionally, not reactively

At our clinic in Durham, NC, we take a multifactorial approach:

• Training load
• Nutrition behaviors
• Sleep patterns
• Stress and lifestyle demands
• Injury history and tissue health

That context matters far more than what’s trending on your feed.

Key Takeaways

• Be cautious of supplement advice from social media
• Always ask why before adding a supplement
• Creatine is one of the most well-researched and effective supplements available
• Multivitamins offer little benefit for most healthy adults
• CBT-I remains the gold standard for sleep
• Food, exercise, and consistency still matter most
• Supplements should support — not replace — lifestyle foundations

Looking for Evidence-Based Guidance in Durham, NC?

If you’re trying to navigate pain, performance, recovery, or sleep — and feel overwhelmed by conflicting advice — physical therapy can help you make sense of what actually matters for your body.

📍 Serving Durham, North Carolina
📩 Reach out to work with a team that prioritizes science, context, and sustainability

‍