When I first met Kevin Leivers, I knew straight away that he was someone I wanted to introduce to our community. Kevin is a pharmacist with over 40 years of experience, and the founder of The Naked Pharmacy — the UK’s first natural pharmacy, committed to transparency, safety and science-backed supplements.
He’s also passionate about educating people on what they’re actually putting in their bodies. In short: he’s brilliant.
In this conversation, Kevin and I dig into the overwhelming world of supplements — how to navigate it, what to avoid, and what might actually help when you’re living with chronic illness or post-viral fatigue.
Here’s what we covered:
1. The Supplement Industry Is a Minefield
Kevin shared how most people are spending a fortune on supplements they might not need — and worse, many don’t even know what’s in them.
He explained how many common vitamins and minerals (like vitamin C or magnesium) are made synthetically using harsh solvents, some of which can leave behind toxic residues. That was a bit of a shocker for me — and I know it will be for many of you, too.
2. Natural Doesn’t Always Mean Safe — But The Right Kind Can Be Powerful
We talked about how food-grade, concentrated ingredients (like amla fruit for vitamin C or marine magnesium from seawater) can be incredibly powerful — and much gentler on the body than synthetic versions.
I loved Kevin’s metaphor of the “orchestra effect” — that certain botanicals like turmeric and saffron have multiple active compounds working together, supporting different systems in harmony, rather than acting like a single sharp pharmaceutical drug.
3. What Are Kevin’s Top 5 Supplements?
For those of us living with Long Covid, CFS/ME or post-viral symptoms, Kevin recommended starting with just a few gentle, effective options:
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Marine Magnesium – Great for nervous system regulation, muscle twitching, sleep and restlessness. Better absorbed and gentler than synthetic magnesium glycinate.
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Zinc (from whole food sources) – Important for immunity, hormones, and brain health. But take care not to overdo it! More is not better.
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Saffron – The surprise superstar! Brilliant for calming anxiety, lifting mood, helping sleep and even supporting executive function. I’ve been taking it for months now and it’s genuinely helped me get things done.
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Gut Love (a broad-spectrum probiotic with slippery elm) – Supports gut health, which as we know, is linked to everything from immunity to mood.
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Vitamin D3 (from mushroom extracts) with black garlic – Great for immune support and gentle detox, especially during winter or post-viral fatigue.
4. More Isn’t Always More
One of the biggest takeaways? Don’t overload yourself with 10 different supplements just because they sound good. You might actually be cancelling out benefits or making yourself feel worse.
Instead, Kevin suggests starting simple, tracking your symptoms, and adjusting slowly — one thing at a time. I love this advice. It’s kind, it’s empowering, and it’s the opposite of overwhelm.
5. Ask More Questions
Kevin gave us some brilliant questions to ask any supplement company:
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Where do your ingredients come from?
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Are they synthetic or natural?
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What solvents were used in the process?
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What is the solvent residue in the final product?
If they can’t or won’t answer, that tells you a lot.
I loved this conversation — I learned so much, and I know you will too. Supplements can be powerful allies when they’re chosen with care, backed by science, and used alongside the other things we do in our healing. But we deserve to know what’s really in them.
Have a watch of the full interview above, and let me know in the comments — were you surprised by anything we talked about? Are there supplements you now want to revisit, or explore?
Oh and you can get a 20% discount at The Naked Pharmacy by using the code: SUZYBOLT