Spending just pennies a day on healthcare can reduce our expenditures by $24 billion over five years.

Sound crazy? It’s true.

New research from the Lewin Group has shown that spending pennies a day on a few key nutritional supplements can dramatically reduce sickness and chronic disease -- and greatly decrease healthcare expenditures as a result.

How did they come to this conclusion? And why haven’t we heard about it?

The Lewin Group looked only at rigorous scientific studies that documented the benefits of nutritional supplements. They used the Congressional Budget Office’s accounting methods to determine the economic impact of supplements. And they kept their analysis specifically to Medicare patients and women of childbearing age.

Although nutritional therapies can help a broad range of illnesses, the group only looked at four supplements and disease combinations because of the rigor and validity of the scientific evidence available for these nutrients and diseases.

While there are many other beneficial nutritional therapies that have been proven helpful in studies, the ones in this particular study are only those that are unquestionable, beyond scientific doubt, well-accepted, and proven to help.

Yet they are also under-used and not generally recommended by healthcare providers.

The study looked at:

1. Calcium and vitamin D and their effect on osteoporosis
2. Folic acid and its ability to prevent birth defects
3. Omega-3 fatty acids and their benefits for heart disease
4. Lutein and zeaxanthin and their benefit in preventing major age-related blindness, or macular degeneration

Let me review these in more detail.

"Where can I find a doctor who practices the type of medicine that you do?"

That was the question I was asked a few weeks ago after I gave a talk about UltraWellness and Functional Medicine to the top health writers and publishers in America, who deal with all the leading edge nutritional and medical advice.

These were the key people from Reader's Digest, Time-Life Books, Rodale, Healthy Directions newsletters, More Magazine, and Agora publishing. 

They're the top thinkers, creative leaders, and very connected to the health world.

Yet even they were asking for help finding a doctor!

Unfortunately this is a question that I hear over and over again, wherever I go to speak about the new paradigm in medicine that deals with the roots of illness, not just the symptoms.

Everybody wants it.

But nobody can find it.

I often send people to the Functional Medicine website, which lists practitioners who attended an intensive 6-day training course. 

But that doesn't mean they have much experience -- just an interest and some basic training.

Are you eating food that's bad for you just because it costs less?

That's an excuse I hear often -- and I'll admit there's some truth to it.

The issues behind our economy and why some foods cost less than others are complex, but I'll try to simplify it here.

There are two main points to remember:

First, the true cost of unhealthy food isn't just the price tag -- in fact, the real costs are hidden.

(More on that in a just a minute.)

Second, eating healthy doesn't have to cost more.

Sure, it seems cheaper to eat a burger, fries, and a soda from McDonald's than to eat a meal of whole foods. 

But there are healthier options.

I will give you suggestions to help you eat well for less -- and save you money and suffering.  You are not destined to be fat if you are poor!