Supplements – what’s the difference between practitioner strength and over the counter?

Supplements – what’s the difference between practitioner strength and over the counter?
Date Added: October 04, 2011 12:18:04 PM
Author: naturalhealth12
Category: Health
Most people take some kind of supplement on a daily basis, whether it be a multivitamin, fish oils or other products which they have researched and found to be good, or hopefully gotten with the advice of a qualified naturopath. There are dozens of different brands on the market – how do you know which is best? I am always surprised to find my patients taking the cheapest brand of a herb or nutrient that they have been told to try or have decided to based on what they have read somewhere about their condition. Price can very well be an indicator of quality, although this is not always the case. There is a HUGE variation in the types and quality of over the counter supplements. Here are some common things that can affect the quality and efficacy of supplements... Nutrient or herb levels are not in therapeutic range The herb or nutrient levels are often too low to have a therapeutic effect. This is true for many of the cheaper brands, which is one of the reasons why patients often do not get results with them. Poor bioavailability The vitamin or mineral are in the wrong type. You may be surprised to learn that each individual nutrient is available in different forms, each with different properties and different absorption rates. Two such examples are iron and calcium, which are commonly recommended in the wrong form by doctors and pharmacists. Iron in commonly used products such as Ferro-C is a ferrous fumerate, which is very poorly absorbed in the intestines, leading to constipation and bowel symptoms. Many people who are reading this would have experienced this ill effect of iron, which is easily avoided by using an amino acid chelate of iron, which aids absorption. Calcium is another example, with the commonly used calcium carbonate (found in caltrate) not having very good absorption rates. Incorrect plant part or adulteration I never recommend over the counter herbal supplements, as I cannot guarantee their potency, or that they are indeed what they say they are. Med herb are one of the few Australian companies that produce herbal medicines that do comprehensive testing to ensure that the herbs they receive from suppliers are the correct herb, and that the levels of active constituents are in range. They do this with the use of multiple tests to evaluate the levels of actives and to identify possible adulteration. It is unfortunate that there are a lot of dishonest suppliers of herbs across the world. There have been many identified cases of adulteration, where the supplier either uses a similar herb that is cheaper or adds chemicals to the herbal product so that certain colorations’ of markers are elevated. Without comprehensive testing most herbal companies will think that the herb they have is genuine when it may indeed be a fake. A test of all Tribulus products on the market has shown that not only do most products use the incorrect plant part (fruit instead of leaf), but often the wrong species are used or a different plant altogether! This means that you are not gaining the benefit which is outlined for the herb as different types have different levels of active compounds. Excipients and compression Excipients are the compounds used to stabilise a tablet and help it stick together. Certain excipients can impair absorption of the nutrients that the tablet contains. Other recipients can contain what, lactose or gluten which is allergenic. The way that a capsule is compressed can also be an issue. A common problem is slippery elm capsules, which can be too compressed to actually expand, leaving just a small compact pellet to pass through the intestines. This means you will not get the maximum benefit from the product. Oxidation Many nutrients and particularly oils are susceptible o oxidation and are not stable in supplement form. Vitamin D and coenzyme Q10 are 2 such nutrients that unless specially prepared do not last very well in a capsule form. I hope this has helped to shed some light on why prices vary so much between companies. To be sure you are getting the very best in quality, see a Brisbane Natural Health naturopath, acupuncture Brisbane or chiropractor Brisbane and they will hook you up with the good stuff a take the guess work out of it for you! http://brisbanenaturalhealth.com.au/


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Supplements – what’s the difference between practitioner strength and over the counter?

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