Most supplements are a waste
of money. These ones aren't.
The supplement industry is full of underdosed products, proprietary blends, and marketing noise. Dr. Cagape recommends a short list of foundational supplements with genuine evidence behind them — all from Thorne, the most rigorously tested supplement company in the country.
Shop Thorne → modernmovementThe brand used by 100+
professional sports teams.
Most supplement companies do one round of testing — if that. Thorne tests every product four times: raw ingredients, in-process, finished product, and stability. Their manufacturing facility is NSF certified, FDA compliant, and cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant. That's not the norm in an industry with almost no regulatory oversight.
Thorne is the #1 recommended supplement brand by healthcare practitioners, the official supplement partner of U.S. Olympic and national sports teams, and trusted by over 45,000 clinicians. When Dr. Cagape recommends a supplement, he recommends what he takes himself — and Thorne is the standard.
Four supplements worth
actually taking.
These aren't trendy. They're foundational. Each has decades of research, a clear mechanism, and a meaningful impact on how your body performs and recovers — whether you're an athlete, an active person, or just someone who wants to feel better.
Creatine is the most studied supplement in existence — with over 500 peer-reviewed studies behind it. It works by increasing phosphocreatine stores in muscle, which directly fuels ATP production during high-intensity effort. The result: more power output, better endurance in repeated efforts, faster recovery between sets, and increased lean muscle mass over time.
What most people don't know: creatine also crosses the blood-brain barrier. Research consistently shows improvements in cognitive function — particularly processing speed and memory — especially under sleep deprivation or mental fatigue. It's not just a gym supplement. It's one of the most evidence-backed performance compounds available.
Vitamin D deficiency affects an estimated 40% of adults in the United States — and that number is almost certainly higher in the Bay Area tech workforce, where most people spend the majority of their daylight hours indoors. Vitamin D is technically a hormone, not a vitamin. It regulates over 200 genes and plays a critical role in calcium absorption, bone density, immune function, and muscle fiber development.
For athletes and active people, low vitamin D is directly associated with increased injury risk, slower recovery, impaired muscle strength, and reduced immune resilience. Thorne uses the D3 form — the same form your skin produces from sunlight — which is significantly better absorbed than D2 (ergocalciferol), the cheaper form used in most generic supplements.
Zinc is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body — from protein synthesis and DNA repair to testosterone production and immune defense. Athletes and people who train regularly lose zinc through sweat at a significantly higher rate than sedentary individuals, which makes deficiency particularly common in active populations even when dietary intake looks adequate on paper.
Thorne uses zinc bisglycinate — zinc bound to the amino acid glycine — which is one of the most bioavailable forms available. Cheap zinc supplements use zinc oxide, which has poor absorption and commonly causes the nausea you've probably felt after taking a generic zinc tablet. Bisglycinate absorbs well, is gentle on the stomach, and delivers the zinc where it needs to go.
Omega-3 fatty acids — specifically EPA and DHA — are among the most well-researched anti-inflammatory compounds in existence. The modern diet is severely imbalanced in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, primarily from seed oils and processed food. This chronic low-grade inflammatory state underlies joint pain, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and impaired recovery from exercise.
For patients at MMC dealing with joint pain, tendinopathies, or chronic inflammation, fish oil is one of the first things Dr. Cagape recommends alongside treatment. Thorne's Super EPA uses sustainably sourced cold-water fish and is molecularly distilled to remove heavy metals and contaminants — a step many brands skip. The softgels are enteric-coated to prevent the fish burps that make most fish oil supplements unpleasant.
Use the Modern Movement
Thorne link.
Access Thorne's full catalog through the link below. The same rigorous quality standards apply across every product — not just the four featured here.
Thorne accepts HSA and FSA funds via Truemed for eligible products.
thorne.com/u/modernmovement →Modern Movement Chiropractic · 133 S. Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035 · (408) 519-2269 · Dr. Daniel Cagape, DC, CPT · California Licensed Chiropractor
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen.
