According to industry experts, crushing your medication and vitamins can increase your body’s absorption rate of the ingredients and thus increase the speed of their effectiveness. Certain medications and vitamins should not be crushed due to their time release properties. Consult your physician before crushing any medications or vitamins.
One of the most common terms spoke of in healthcare facilities related to vitamins is “Bedpan Bullets”. A large percentage of vitamins on the market are NOT absorbed by the body and are passed through into the bedpan, thus called “Bedpan Bullets”. According to doctors, vitamin remnants are found on a regular basis during surgeries and in many cases the brand name is still legible.
It is not only in healthcare facilities in which vitamins are showing up. Waste plants throughout the country filter out tens of thousands of pounds of vitamins each year. It is commonly considered the most expensive waste in the world.
To fully understand why these vitamins and medications are not as effective as could be, you must understand the processes involved in both the creation and absorption of such. Vitamins and some medications are typically a combination of multiple ingredients and require a binding agent to hold them together. The most common binding agent is called DCP (Di Calcium Phosphate) and it is very difficult for the body to digest.
Once the vitamins and medications are ingested, your body utilizes enzymes for digestive purposes. These are typically broken down over time but in many cases this is not so. Vitamins particularly can contain large amounts of DCP which require a much higher amount of digestive enzymes than the body typically produces. Undigested molecules may also end up in your circulatory system causing a multitude of problems such as blocked vessels, kidney stones and joint pain. In this case, you can take enzyme supplements to help the digestion process, but there is still no guarantee the vitamin will be fully absorbed. The simplest way to guarantee that you will get the maximum potential out of your vitamins and medications is to crush them to a powder with a pill crusher. Crushing them to a powder will allow your digestive enzymes to work on the active ingredients in vitamins and medications alongside other ingredients such as DCP’s. If not crushed, your digestive enzymes may never even get a chance to breakdown much of the active ingredients and thus limiting their effectiveness.
There are many types of pill crushers on the market ranging in price from $5 to $150. On the less expensive end there’s the twist style which the cover is twisted and a plunger crushers the medication. The drawbacks of this style are cross-contamination of ingredients when not thoroughly cleaned between uses and breakage when used with harder medications and particularly vitamins. The most common home and travel style pill crushers are metallic and similar to a garlic crusher. The vitamins and medications are crushed in an individual bag so cross contamination is eliminated.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities prefer the use of heavy duty metal pill crushers with a base and handle. The handle has a plunger that crushes the vitamins and medication between two soufflé cups. The crushed ingredients then can be mixed in with food or drink. This style of pill crusher has been around for over 30 years.
The benefits of crushing vitamins and medications are significant. The effectiveness is greatly increased due to the rapid and near total absorption of the ingredients giving the consumer a better return on their investment. Remember to always check with your physician before crushing your vitamins and medications.
