If your body is for some reason depleted of a certain element: a trace-mineral, say, or an essential oil, it is important to build this up, over time, in order to effect optimum functioning. You may be depleted

1. because of what you inherited (or didn't inherit) from your parents/what you absorbed in the womb
2. because of stresses, either emotional or environmental (being surrounded by exhaust fumes puts a huge strain on the body as it tries to get rid of all the toxins constantly, for example)
3. because of dietary inadequacies (very easy in a Western diet, particularly a fast-food diet where there are lots of additives and not much nutritional value)
4. overuse of stimulants (alcohol, coffee, tea, recreational drugs)
5. or from repeated use of conventional medicines.

It can be for a number of reasons - most people in today's world are depleted of certain things.

Human beings evolved to the form we are today gradually, adapting to the environment very slowly, over thousands of years. If you were to equate that time-span to a 24-hour day, then the changes that we are seeing in people's lifestyles and diets now are as recent as the equivalent of the last 60 seconds of that day. Therefore our bodies haven't had a chance to adapt at all. Ideally everyone's diet should be as close to what we imagine Stone Age Man's diet was: he was a Hunter-Gatherer, and would eat whatever was in season (nuts, berries, mushrooms, occasionally meat - organic of course! - leaves, roots, small amounts of cereal, if found by chance, sometimes fermented products, very occasionally sugar-beet roots; rarely milk, and never wheat! They didn't grow crops at all).

So in order to regain optimum health, it would be ideal to eat that kind of diet, even if those foods were available in the forms in which they were found then. Most people however find this impossible, so we try to compensate by limiting processed foods, additives, sugar and stimulants, eating as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible (5 servings a day is recommended) and supplementing with minerals, vitamins, essential oils or whatever.

Please continue to take whatever is recommended to you by your practitioner over the period specified. This may be weeks, months or even years. Changes to the fundamental health of your cells take time. Usually the way in which such supplementation takes place is in the easy form of tablets or capsules, so that you don't have to spend hours each week on food preparation or juicing etc. Be patient - it will be worth it!