Chris’s Corner: Safe Supplement Buyer’s Guide, Part 4

Safe Supplement Buyer’s Guide, Part 4:

Sorry for the break in the series everybody.  May came, and while winter gave spring a miss and went straight on into summer, I’m glad it finally warmed up.  I’m sure I’m not alone in having tried to squeeze two months of gardening and yardwork into one.  It’s a bad sign when you’re running the snowblower when you should be running the lawnmower.  My pussy willow didn’t know what to do.  Do I bud?  Do I wait?  I’ll just wait a bit.  Now that the garden is in and most of the flowers are planted, I was able to finish Part 4.  Also, 10 points to anybody who caught the slightly bastardized Monty Python reference.

9 Things To Avoid In Advertised Supplements

In general, I’m going to suggest you avoid most advertised supplements.  You’d be hard pressed to find one that doesn’t break at least one of my RulesToNotGettingScammed™.  At the very least, you should check with Dr. Oppitz before ordering something you see advertised.  The bad news is that there are several inherent challenges making it impossible for Dr. Oppitz to assess many of them.  Chief among them is a lack of third-party quality and safety checks common among the professional brands she normally works with.  What follows though are nine things you can look for yourself when considering a supplement you’ve seen advertised.  Also, I learned how to make the superscript trademark symbol (™).  I may have gotten carried away.

3 Soft Pass RulesToNotGettingScammed™ on an Advertised Supplement:

1.      The only ingredient is a “proprietary blend”.  Proprietary formulas are ostensibly to guard against copycats while still abiding by labeling requirements, however, it’s also a really good way to hide the fact you are using tiny amounts of the expensive ingredients mixed into large amounts of inexpensive ingredients.  We stock some formulas that contain proprietary blends so it’s not inherently a bad thing, but this can make it very hard for Dr. Oppitz to assess a new product with which she has no experience.

2.      The formula includes ingredients not normally used in treating the condition.  This is one way to create a unique formula your potential buyer can’t replicate or find anywhere else.  Again, we have formulas that do this; the important thing is knowing what is truly an active ingredient and what is just a filler.

3.      The formula includes ingredients in such small quantities you question why they are included.  Adding 1,000mcg of calcium or 10 million cfus of a probiotic to a formula does nothing when the RDA for calcium is 1,000 times that amount for most adults, and Dr. Oppitz may give even newborns 1,000 times that amount of probiotics.  In both cases, paying attention to the units used becomes very important.  Also, if you’re wondering what “cfus” stands for, it’s “colony forming units” which is a verbose way of saying “spores”.  I know what you’re thinking, and yes, my life also felt richer when I learned that.

6 Hard Pass RulesToNotGettingScammed™ on an advertised supplement:

1.      Is the product suddenly in ads everywhere?  If they seem to have spent more on advertising than on product development, you might want to avoid it.

2.      Is it impossible to find the supplement facts online?  This is basic information; if you have to click more than about twice to find this, it’s probably because they don’t really want you to find it.

3.      Does it have an overly-catchy name, a tagline, use too many X’s or Z’s, or use exclamation marks?  Influenzzzap!™  Guaranteed to wipe out the flu in 24 hours or double your money back!!!

4.      Is it being sold using testimonials?  These are almost as trustworthy as online reviews for dishwashers.  I have so much energy now; I feel like a teenager! doesn’t really sound that unlike My dishes have never sparkled like they do in in my new Whirlpool™ Dishwasher!  Thanks Whirlpool!™

5.      Is it being sold by a celebrity?  I like Shaq as much as the next guy, and while I’m sure he knows a thing or two about sports injuries, I wouldn’t have any reason to believe a former NBA great knew anything about supplement quality.

6.      Is it being sold using the testimonial of a celebrity?  Sound of Silence™ with proprietary Scarborough Fair herbal blend.  Put an end to that embarrassing flatulence!!!.  “I wish Art would’ve had this when we were on tour” – Paul S, Musician

I hope you’ve had some laughs and learned a few things along the way!

Cordially,

Chris Oppitz

Clinic Administrator