Dr. Janet Settle, an integrative psychiatrist based in Denver, Colorado, has 25 years of experience treating patients with mood and mental health disorders. In 2000, Dr. Settle was in the first class of physicians that was board certified by the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine.  She was then invited to write several textbook chapters on nutritional supplements in mental health, which led her to learn about Hardy Nutritionals® Daily Essential Nutrients.

In speaking with our interviewers, Dr. Settle said she observed when she first started out in private practice that, "The standard psychiatric curriculum and training is limited to treating symptoms" and she felt limited by the standard therapy available to psychiatrists.  Over the course of time, she came to find that there are a wide variety of root causes for mental health symptoms, including nutritional health. Since then, Dr. Settle has dedicated her professional career to helping patients get healthy, rather than only treating their symptoms.

One difference between Dr. Settle's integrative psychiatry practice and the typical psychiatry practice, is that she combines the use of psychiatric medications and nutritional supplements, depending on the severity of the situation and the preferences of the patient.  Dr. Settle also uses lifestyle-based techniques such as prescribing exercise, dietary changes, meditation, and biofeedback to help balance the autonomic nervous system.

Perhaps the biggest difference with this integrative psychiatry clinic is that Dr. Settle looks for physiological or body-based root causes such as toxins, nutrient deficiencies, or hormonal imbalances.  

So how did Dr. Settle get started using Hardy Nutritionals micronutrients with her patients?  It all started when she and her colleagues attended a conference presentation on micronutrients and mental health, led by world-renowned researcher Dr. Bonnie Kaplan.  Dr. Settle remarks, "I had several colleagues who were using these supplements heavily in their practices with glowing results."  

Now, years later, Dr. Settle routinely uses Hardy's Daily Essential Nutrients with patients who have trouble with irritability, impulsivity, temper, distractibility, racing thoughts, or mood swings.  She tells patients to expect to see benefits within about 1 to 3 weeks of taking the full clinical dose of four capsules with each meal, or 12 capsules per day.  It's a lot to take, and it takes some getting used to--but the research and clinical evidence supports the fact that these powerful micronutrients are effective, safe, and side-effect free.

While Dr. Settle has patients who take both pharmaceuticals and micronutrients together, she does taper people off of standard medications if that is their goal, and if she thinks they are causing a problem for them.

"I'm not one of the integrative medicine people who is on a big crusade to eliminate all psychiatric medications.  That being said...people all day long are saying to me, 'How can I get off these meds?'" Dr. Settle believes some people are uncomfortable with the idea of dependency, or with the side effects of medications.  "It's nice to have something that I can to offer to people that they're happy with, that they think 'This is making my health better, and so I'm going to continue this for as long as I can.'"

Daily Essential Nutrients contains over 40 micronutrients that are essential for the function of the brain and the body.  Dr. Settle feels confident that when she gives Daily Essential Nutrients to patients, they are getting all the nutrients they need to perform optimally. She can then turn her attention to other health concerns.

"The reality is, we've got thousands of biochemical reactions happening inside of our brains and inside of our bodies in every moment...every one of those biochemical reactions is dependent on one or more minerals or one or more vitamins."  

Dr. Settle believes in a robust approach when supplementing with vitamins and minerals.  Using a complete, broad-spectrum micronutrient formulation, such as Daily Essential Nutrients, gives her patients the foundation they need on their journey to wellness.

About Hardy Nutritionals®

Hardy Nutritionals® multivitamin-mineral products are powered by our proprietary NutraTek™ mineral delivery technology, which combines each mineral with specialized organic molecules—just like nature—to optimize absorption and distribution to body cells. Our flagship supplement, Daily Essential Nutrients, is widely considered to be the most research-backed micronutrient treatment.