Are your supplements unsafe?

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Supplements seem an appealing way to boost your health and easily consume nutrients. After all, they’re supposed to make you healthier, right? Well, actually no. Some exist for the sole purpose of being sold. As supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there’s little regulation regarding safety and quality. Some are safe, some are useless, some don’t contain what’s on the label, and some are downright dangerous.

Who holds supplement companies accountable? Who makes sure that the supplements are safe? Who checks if they even contain what they claim? To be honest, no one. The FDA usually only gets involved after a product has hit the market, and after consumers report issues or an independent testing group reports illegal substances or incorrect labeling.

Starting to see some glaring holes in this process? We did too. Marty Donovan, our pharmacist and clinical nutritionist, first encountered this issue back in the 90s. At that time, we were only a community pharmacy, but our customers wanted to know how to take supplements safely. But supplements, unlike prescriptions, can vary widely from company to company and even batch to batch. That means you can buy the exact same supplement twice but it can be wildly different.

Think about a time when you or a friend bought clothes online, perhaps even from a social media ad. If you were lucky, it looked as advertised. But how many times did it look nothing like the picture? (if you want a good laugh, view r/ExpectationVsReality for excellent examples of this). Supplements are the same way. You could get exactly what’s advertised, or something entirely different.

But in terms of supplements, not knowing what enters your system could harm or even kill you.

That may seem like a dramatic statement. It’s not. Here’s some examples:

• Statement made by the Attorney General in New York (2015)
  “Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that his office sent letters to four major retailers […] for allegedly selling store brand herbal supplement products in New York that either could not be verified to contain the labeled substance, or which were found to contain ingredients not listed on the labels[...] The letters come as DNA testing, performed as part of an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, allegedly shows that, overall, just 21% of the test results from store brand herbal supplements verified DNA from the plants listed on the products’ labels — with 79% coming up empty for DNA related to the labeled content or verifying contamination with other plant material.”
  
  From the products DNA tested, only 21% of them had accurate labels, and the rest contained no plant DNA that the label claimed they would have. That is, almost 8 out of 10 products did not contain the ingredients that consumers thought they were buying.
  • Indictment brought by the Department of Justice against USP Labs
    “USP Labs and its principles embarked on an unmistakable course of conduct where, starting at least with DMAA (what is this?), they imported numerous shipments of substances intended for human consumption using false and fraudulent [Certificate of Analysis] and other fraudulent documentation and labeling [...] an outbreak of liver injuries was associated with USP Labs’ products containing aegeline. Numerous consumers experienced jaundice and other liver-related symptoms, and several consumers needed liver transplants in order to save their lives.”

Four major retailers failed to show ANY DNA from what they claimed was in the bottle. USP Labs deliberately had fake certificates and false labels hiding ingredients that caused liver failure. These aren’t isolated incidents. Dr. Peter Cohen at Harvard conducts research assessing supplement company ingredients and compliance with FDA warnings. His vast research publications paint a clear picture of frequent and consistent mislabeling, contaminated products, and hidden ingredients.

How We Have Safe, Pure, and Potent Supplements Every Time

While there are plenty of poor supplement companies out there, there’s a few good ones too. At Natural Wellness Corner, we’ve carefully researched and curated a variety of companies that all:

• Third-party test their products: We don’t rely on companies to analyze their own products. Every supplement source is independently tested by a lab not affiliated with the company.
• FDA Audited: many of our products are voluntarily subjected to an FDA audit. This means the company is complying with their label claims.
• Only available to healthcare professionals: the majority of our products can only be carried by healthcare professionals. They are meant to be used in a health protocol.

With us, you don’t need to worry. Marty, as a pharmacist and clinical nutritionist, has gone through all the training and certifications needed to give safe, effective recommendations and use the highest quality products. Lena, our in-house researcher who worked in research labs for 5 years, ensures every product is up to scientific standards. Our goal is not, and never has been, just to sell supplements. Supplements are exactly that, a supplement to a healthy lifestyle, not a replacement. We offer complimentary guidance, we explain the benefits of the products and we recommend what is best for you.

With us, you know exactly what you’re getting. Every time.

Have questions? Stop on by at 239 Loudon Rd or give us a call at 603-225-2747!

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