Please check with your doctor before taking any supplements, and also read the warning labels on each product, especially if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. In addition, read the labels carefully when giving your child any natural supplement, to ensure that it is safe to give to a child.
Not every nutrient you swallow is absorbed by your body!
The following is an excerpt from the nutritional-supplement-educational-center.
Health supplements can be interpreted as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, medicinal herbs, etc. However, some supplements do not fit in a nice neat classification like bee pollen, shark cartilage, resveratrol, coenzyme q10, fish oil, kelp, spirulina, red rice yeast, SAMe, lycopene, phytonutrients etc. As such, just for a lack of a better term we will loosely call them health supplements.
Indeed, the health benefits of many supplements and homeopathic remedies have been documented through numerous clinical studies as highly beneficial, but there is also a problematic side.
The problem is that many health supplements do not support strong evidence of the claims made by those who sell them, while others may be dangerous due to harmful contaminates. In addition, there are some that are very expensive, while others are misrepresented in regards to their potency.
Moreover, to complicate matters nutritional biochemistry is extremely complex. For example, zinc cannot function without vitamin B6, nor can some enzymes be made without it. Selenium is the synergist for vitamin E, meaning if you’re taking a vitamin E supplement but you are selenium-deficient, you will not reap the full benefits from vitamin E. In short, no nutrient is an island unto itself and, as such, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and essential fatty acids are all needed for either activation or function.
In addition, there are many nutrients that can offer more therapeutic benefits when combined. For example, beta-carotene is considered an excellent antioxidant by itself. However, a mix of natural carotenoids provides more health enhancing benefits than beta-carotene alone. In fact, antioxidants work synergistically in giving protection against the continuous onslaught of free radical damage. Therefore, experts believe that it is better to take several different types of antioxidants, but in smaller dosages than a large dose of one.
Now, with that being said, it is important to note that ingredient selection and ratios of ingredients can also make a big difference on how well a supplement will work.
Bottom line…..
Products vary widely in quality and effectiveness.
Therefore, our main mission in this section is to help you through the baffling world of health supplements, herbs, holistic supplements, meaning separating the truth from the razzle dazzle. Let’s begin with our recommended tips on buying a high quality supplement based on our extensive research.
Tips on Buying Quality Health Supplements
1. It’s important to understand that dietary supplements are not strictly regulated in the U.S. and, as such, manufacturers do not have to guarantee the safety, effectiveness, or even the true content of their products. In fact, according to Consumerlab.com, the leading provider of independent test results states:
“Testing by ConsumerLab.com shows that one in four supplements in the United States lacks the promised ingredients or has other serious problems.”
Therefore, it is important that you only purchase your nutritional supplements from companies that adhere to pharmaceutical GMP compliance, which is among the most rigorous manufacturing standards for dietary supplements in the world.
2. The health supplement should be created by someone who is credentialed and qualified to create a supplement with ingredients that work in balance and synergistically to offer the maximum results.
3. Select nutritional supplements from manufactures that provide you with information about their facility, quality of the raw ingredients, and their production and testing process. Take the time to review it.
5. Select herbal health supplements that only use standardized extracts.
6. Select health supplements from a manufacturer that explains their methods used for nutrient absorption. One of the best forms is enteric coating. Enteric coating protects the ingredients as they pass through the stomach acid juices and into the small intestine, where the coating dissolves and the ingredients are absorbed to nourish your cells and organs.
7. Select a health supplement that has a Certificate of Analysis on file for each batch of product produced. This procedure confirms the potency of ingredients used.
8. Select health supplements that give you a strong money back guarantee. In general, most companies offer a 30 or 60 day guarantee. However, buyers beware because there are companies out there that will back their product for a full 90 days and longer — irrespective of the reason.
9. Select health supplements that do not contain any artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, yeast, sucrose, dextrose, gluten, etc.
http://www.ifoundthecure.com is a site whose goal is to provide information to you and hopefully help you to start the process of identifying alternative therapies for you. We are NOT doctors, we are NOT nutritionists, we are NOT experts in this field. We gather as much information as we can, and present it to you. Please consult with your doctor before you start taking any supplements!
Our goal is to offer supplements for your consideration that are either “enteric coated” or have been researched by Consumer Lab and passed their tests, whenever possible.
Enteric coating has been extensively used for many years with pharmaceutical drugs (which is one reason why drugs work so well and so quickly). Enteric coating provides a protective layer on a tablet as it passes through the stomach. Once the tablet reaches the duodenum (small intestine) the coating reacts to the alkaline environment, strips away and the tablet contents are harmlessly released.
About ConsumerLab.com
OVERVIEW:
ConsumerLab.com, LLC (“CL”) is the leading provider of independent test results and information to help consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health, wellness, and nutrition products. It publishes results of its tests in comprehensive reports at www.consumerlab.com — which receives over 3 million visits per year from consumers and health professionals. CL also conducts an annual Survey of Vitamin & Supplement Users. CL’s research is cited frequently by the media, in books, and at professional meetings. In addition to the products it selects to review, CL enables companies of all sizes to have their products voluntarily tested for potential inclusion in its list of Approved Quality products and bear the CL Seal. Since its founding in 1999, CL has tested more than 2,100 products, representing over 350 different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement.
INDEPENDENT TESTING OF PRODUCTS:
Types of Products Tested:
CL evaluates consumer products relating to health, wellness, and nutrition, including:
Health & Nutrition Products:
– Herbal Products
– Vitamins
– Minerals
– Other Supplements
Prescription Medications
Sports & Energy Products
Functional Foods
Foods & Beverages
Personal Care Products
From time to time, CL may evaluate additional types of products that impact consumer health, wellness, or nutrition.
Testing Programs:
Products are tested through CL’s Product Reviews and its Voluntary Certification Program (previously known as CL’s Guaranteed Testing and Ad Hoc Testing programs).
What are the Risks Associated with Oversupplementation?
When it comes to minerals, vitamins and herbal products, more doesn’t mean better. Toxic doses vary. For instance, vitamin E is a popular supplement, and while high doses are not necessarily toxic, they can interfere with vitamin K and its