Nutritional Supplement Scams - How to Avoid Wasting Your Money

Confused About Finding the Best Supplements?have found excellent nutritional supplements in
Nutritional Supplements are bought by increasingvarious categories; vitamins, minerals, food-based
numbers of people. Most of that money isproducts, amino acids, herbs, and detoxification
wasted. Do you know that at least 90% of allformulas. Not only do they have an enviable
nutritional supplements do not live up to thereputation for effectiveness; they have proven
purity, potency, and effectiveness of ingredientsthemselves beyond a doubt to me, my clients,
claimed on the label?and family.
If you do a search on any health problem, you willExamples of a Product on Which I Wasted Money
find no end of information, no end of websitesProbiotic Hype: Searching for a great probiotic, I
telling you 'the best' supplement to solve thatread a book about how 'soil-based' organisms are
problem.the best, most effective probiotic (beneficial
But how do you find out which information isbacteria for the digestive system). I was still
correct? How do you avoid wasting money onembroiled in a herculean effort to heal severe
vitamins, minerals, herbs, whole food supplementshealth challenges - looking for an 'answer.' The
and other products that not only are virtuallystory of the author's miraculous healing from near
worthless, but may contain pathogens and toxicdeath inspired me to purchase his products and
material such as pesticides or heavy metals? Howuse them devotedly, accompanied by helpful
do you know that the supplements you arephone advice from the company's employees.
buying are manufactured using the very bestTo my dismay, after taking these probiotics for a
technology?month or so, my condition deteriorated. It was
Here's One Example:very clear this was no 'healing crisis,' but rather,
Recently I was deciding on my next choice of athat the new product in which I had placed so
probiotic. There were three products in themuch hope (and money), was bad for me. I
running.stopped taking them and felt better! I later
One was made from a bacterial strain found inlearned that soil-based organisms replicate by
tempeh, said to be a lactic acid bacteria. Thisspores and are a fungal form of life that is not
product also contains FOS (fructooligosaccharides).ultimately beneficial and is hard to get rid of!
This is a sugar said to feed the good bacteria inMentors I Trust
the gut.Besides over twenty five years as a Certified
A number of years ago, the best holistic MD IAdvanced Rolfer (structural body therapist) and
went to, Dr. Warren Levin, had a different view.three decades as a Health Coach, I am fortunate
He told me his clinical experience suggested thatto know genuine innovators in today's nutritional
FOS tended to aggravate candida and othersupplement industry. They are mentors whom I
fungal infestations of the gut. Patients with thesecan ask difficult questions when I am stumped for
conditions often had worsening symptoms whenan answer.
taking products with FOS.One way I know I can trust the opinions of these
The scientist who developed the probiotics I didmentors is that they do not hype their products.
choose said that while it is true FOS feeds goodThey are calm and confident, not defensive.
bacteria, it also feeds a lot more of the badFrequently, they will praise the quality of other
bacteria in the gut, thereby making things worse!similar product lines I ask about. They also will tell
How Vulnerable Are You?me if they think it would not be good to use their
Are you desperate to find an answer to healthproduct for clients of mine with certain health
problems? Desperation increases the likelihood ofconditions.
vulnerability to hype. You want to believe whenOn a More Subtle Note:
someone says a product will take away pain orWhat if the ingredients listed on the label are
limitations, or keep you young.state-of-the-art, top-quality forms of nutrients?
I have more than passing familiarity with that kindYou are not there yet even if the ingredients look
of desperation. In a seemingly endless search forawesome!
'the answer' to my health challenges, I repeatedlyWhy?
hoped that the next new supplement or techniqueBecause over 90% of all supplements do not
would release me from daily torment.contain exactly what is listed on the label (see my
Who Do You Believe?article 'Straight Talk About Supplements,' also here
How do you know which of the two hundred toon the Ezine Article site). The problem is so
two million sites are 1) giving you the truth aboutubiquitous in the supplement industry that unless
your condition, 2) providing correct information onyou know enough to find a company with real
supplements that are shown to be helpful and 3)integrity, the likelihood is that what you buy will be
offering nutritional supplements with provensubstandard.
potency and effectiveness? With the beyondIn over 30 years involvement with nutritional
overwhelming array of excellent to misleadingsupplements, I have found some excellent
advice the internet can increase confusion rathercompanies run by knowledgeable product
than diminish it.developers who are uncompromising about quality
Yes, I Wasted Money on Lousy Products!control. They rigorously monitor all aspects of
In the distant past, I bought products that weremanufacture, and track the results obtained by
virtually worthless. The good news is that threetheir customers. It is only those companies that I
decades of experience puts me in a position torecommend to my clients.
save you plenty of time, and LOTS of money! I