Become Part of the Solution to a Major Industry Problem
 Tens of millions of Americans take vitamin, herbal, or other dietary supplements. According to the National Institutes of Health, in 2007, nearly 4 out of 10 adults had used some sort of dietary supplement. Out of dietary supplement users, 34% are male and 43% are female. Annual sales of supplements in the United States alone exceed $23 billion, and more than 40,000 products are on the market. Most users of these products are seeking a natural way to manage their health problems. And many of them are unsatisfied with the care they are receiving from their doctors and the traditional medical establishment. They are seeking a way to take more control over their healthcare.
But the supplement industry is largely an unregulated one. This means that what appears on a supplement label may not always reflect what is actually in the product. ConsumerLab.com is an independent company that has studied and rated numerous supplement products. They found that in their testing over the past decade, at least one out of four dietary supplements has a problem.* For example, in November of 2008, ConsumerLab.com found that four out of seven supplements contained less gingko than claimed on their labels.* Similarly, six out of nine chondroitin supplements failed testing in April of 2007.* One had only 8% of what it claimed to contain, and one "maximum strength" product contained none.* ConsumerLab.com also found that a "high potency" iron supplement contained less than half the amount claimed, and the same went for vitamin c pills.*  But the problem is not just with what isn't in the supplement products. There is also a problem with what is in the ingredients. Many supplements have been found to include contaminants, such as lead or arsenic, or ingredients that exceed safe limits.* The FDA has also warned that several of these supplements have been found to contain real drugs not disclosed on the labels. For example, certain herbal pills have been found to contain Viagra, and "natural" weight loss pills have been found to contain prescription drugs.* According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, tens of thousands of supplement-related health problems are handled by U.S. poison control centers each year.*
Part of the reason for these problems is because of who's behind the manufacturing and distributing of these products. Many supplement companies are owned or run by individuals who have no real medical knowledge or training but are looking to make a quick buck. They know very little about how the human body works, what dosages are safe and effective, and what ingredients should or should not be in certain products. They have simply entered the business to capitalize on and collect their piece of a major money-making industry. In short, millions of people are buying into an industry of products that is not delivering on what it promises. Many of the products on the market are not only ineffective but downright harmful. There is a major need right now for consumer education to help the public understand and recognize the difference between high-quality supplements and imposter products. By becoming a part of the Envita Lifestyles family, you have the opportunity to impact the industry for the better. By helping to increase consumer savviness and awareness, and by offering others access to the highest-quality supplement products backed by a reputable medical clinic, you will become part of the solution to a major industry problem. |
* The Associated Press. "Contaminants Lurk in Many 'Natural' Products." June 9, 2009.
