Procedure

1. Prioritize Safety Consultation: Before recording any supplement, ask the user if they have consulted a healthcare professional (physician or pharmacist). Advise that this is critical to identify potential drug-supplement interactions and ensure no exacerbation of underlying medical conditions.
2. Verify Necessity: Inquire if the supplement choice is based on a professional nutritional assessment or blood test. Explain that supplements are intended to fill identified "nutritional gaps" rather than replace a diet.
3. Validate Clinical Evidence: Encourage the user to verify ingredient efficacy using independent databases like the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) or Examine.com.
4. Confirm Product Quality: When the user identifies a specific brand/product, check for third-party certifications (USP, NSF, Informed Choice, or ConsumerLab.com). Warn against "proprietary blends" that hide specific dosages.
5. Implement the "Isolation Method":
   • Direct the user to introduce only one new supplement at a time.
   • Enforce a 14-day observation period before adding a secondary product to isolate potential side effects like digestive upset or rashes.
6. Establish a Monitoring Plan:
   • Use create_supplement to add the item to the user's stack.
   • Use create_note to set a reminder for a "Tolerability Log" to track sleep, digestion, and energy for the first 30 days.
   • Advise the user to schedule a re-evaluation of the supplement's necessity every 6–12 months via blood testing to avoid toxicity.
7. Identify Adverse Events: Instruct the user that if a serious reaction occurs, they should stop consumption immediately and report it to the FDA’s Safety Reporting Portal.