[Read time: about 4 minutes]
Ever thought about how to get more value from every dollar you spend on supplements?
Supplement mistakes can ruin your physical health, as well as your financial health.
Take for example, the vitamin E story mentioned in today’s podcast with Adam Payne and David Sandstrom. Everyone was supplementing with Delta Tocopherol or Alpha Tocopherol for many years.
People were taking so much Delta and Alpha Tocopherol that they were pushing out all the other tocopherols. And by doing so, they were causing all sorts of cardiac health issues.
In the podcast, Adam Payne discussed the two starting points for wise and healthy supplementation.
Your two foundational step
When you build a house, you start with the foundation for it to be structurally sound. For supplementing you want to do the same.
Step #1 is to work with a good naturopath, a health coach, or a good integrative physician, as there’s so much wisdom that can be gained there. Your doctor will also know what supplements may be contraindicated if you’re taking certain medications.
Step #2 is to get genetic testing that can help guide the story of what supplements you should (or should not) take for your particular genetic makeup. MyHappyGenes.com is one company dedicated to private, confidential genetic testing. They are offering a limited time $50 discount for our readers and podcast listeners.
Your doctor and your genetics can reveal what kinds of supplements you should be taking. That’s your foundation upon which you build everything else.
Next thing you should realize...
All supplements are NOT created equal
Certainly you want to make the most of every supplement dollar you spend, and not wreck your health with poor decisions that lead to imbalances (or worse).
It’s unfortunately very difficult for consumers to know what’s a real quality product and what’s a fake product.
For example, did you know that the actual supply of Echinacea is only 25% of the total marketplace demand? So that means that 75% of what is sold is not really Echinacea. It’s adulterated.
When I first learned this from Ed Fletcher, who sources and supplies botanicals for the supplement market, it blew my mind.
Poor quality supplements create poor results. That’s why when you’re talking about what you put into your body, a bargain is NOT a bargain.
7 Questions to ask before you buy your next supplement
Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself. Here are the seven questions to ask when trying to find quality supplements:
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Did you build the foundation mentioned above?
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Does the product’s delivery method promote absorption and is it bioavailable?
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Does the supplement use quality ingredients that are tested to be sure they’re free from potentially harmful contaminants, chemicals, and heavy metals?
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Does the supplement really contain the ingredients and amounts listed on the label?
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Who formulated the product – a medical doctor, researcher, or someone else?
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Are products manufactured in a facility that’s certified in compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines and other third parties?
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Where are you shopping for your supplements? It matters more than you think!
Let’s take a look at each of these in a little more detail.
1. Building your foundation
You didn’t let these two foundational pieces slip your attention, right?
2. Absorption
They say you are what you eat. That’s not the whole truth, however. It’s more accurate to say you are what you eat and absorb!
For a supplement to work correctly, it must break down and be absorbed into your bloodstream quickly, within 30 to 60 minutes. (With the possible exception of enteric coated supplements that are intentionally meant to be time-release.)
If your supplement isn’t absorbed, it passes through your body unused, which makes for very expensive urine!
Absorption was the main goal behind the development of our trademarked Liquid Protein Scaffold™ (LPS™) technology. LPS™ binds molecular bioactive plant extracts to protein or amino acid scaffolds. This allows for easy digestion and absorption into your body and cells.
Seventy percent of people who use UltraCur® (produced with LPS™) say they experience a transformative benefit within one week... half of them within 24 hours. Meaning that LPS is delivering it to their cells.
3. Quality ingredients and testing
Low quality ingredients yield ineffective – and possibly even harmful – products.
As noted above regarding Echinacea, some ingredients are in such short supply relative to demand that fraud becomes rampant.
Some supplement are recalled for heavy metals contamination, though not always soon enough.
UltraBotanica sees product purity as a critical issue. We do an enormous amount of testing. Everything that comes into our facility, we test for identity and then potency.
Then while we’re in the process of making it, we test to be sure the capsule is what it says it is before it goes into that bottle.
We have a huge number of checks and balances in place to protect you. Very few supplement companies go through this much rigorous testing.
4. Label claims
Let’s use ginseng as an example. Ed Fletcher discusses it in this previous podcast.
Ginseng is a trendy immune supplement popularized by Dr. Oz and others.
Problem is... demand skyrockets.
Fletcher notes that any time there’s a shortage of something, it opens the door for fake ingredients passed off as the real thing.
Not exactly what you expected to get for your money?
UltraBotanica takes the responsibility of accurate labeling for our products very seriously. All raw materials and every batch of products goes through many steps of testing.
We take all steps necessary to ensure the integrity of our products and our labels.
5. Who formulated the product?
All UltraBotanica products are co-developed by medical doctors (MDs) and medical researchers. All are scientific formulations based on careful studies of medical research.
Our customers trust us to provide quality nutritional supplements for them. They see the effectiveness of our products, and the quality and extent of our testing.
6. Who certified the facility?
cGMP stands for current Good Manufacturing Practices. The Natural Products Association GMP was designed to verify compliance of companies that supply dietary supplements with a standardized set of current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs).
Compliance with GMP manufacturing standards tells you that:
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The product contains what the label states
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The ingredients are pure
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The formulas are standardized and safe
Certified companies are required to meet strict guidelines for consistency, product identity, quality, strength, and purity. They’re required to use proper facilities, equipment, and processes that have been inspected and approved by the FDA.
UltraBotanica products are made in a 25,000-square-foot, pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing facility. (You might be interested to know that I was a researcher and CEO of pharmaceutical companies for 17 years prior to UltraBotanica, so you’re in good hands.)
Our facility and equipment has been inspected by the FDA and are cGMP compliant. We fastidiously test and inspect multiple times before products reach our shipping department.
UltraBotanica products can always be trusted for safety, quality, and effectiveness.
7. Where do you buy your supplements?
Our friend and frequent podcast guest, Ed Fletcher, likes to say, “Buy your clothes and toys at Walmart or big box stores. But for supplements you put into your body, go to your local health food store.”
For one thing, these huge merchants often shop for the lowest bidder from suppliers. Is that the best you’re willing to do for your health and your body
Secondly, independent retailers know the reputation of their suppliers. They know when there are recalls, and other sorts of problems. This intelligence doesn’t always make it to headline news. But they know.
If you walk in and ask your independent store owner about products, consistency, and purity, you’ll learn a lot. And conversely, if you ask about product recalls or other problems, you can steer clear of problems.
Not to mention, your shopping experience at a small independent store is a much more personal and enjoyable experience.
This 5-minute supplement training could save you thousands...
Most supplement users buy supplements month in and month out.
Therefore, this 5-minute article could save you from expensive mistakes... and irreversible mistakes for your health.
It’s so critical, I beg you to share this compelling information with your loved ones.
Because you WANT honesty in your supplements. And your body NEEDS purity.
You are worth it. You are the reason we jump through these hoops to bring you the best, most pure, life-changing supplements.