Posted by IsoM on December 19, 2001, at 13:11:13
In reply to Re: Hmmmm....vitamin chemical use - some facts » IsoM, posted by Annie Z. on December 19, 2001, at 11:48:27
Annie, I know there are extras added to the vitamin/mineral combination - I just wonder how much is added. It would be good if they stated the amounts too. I've probably given you the impression that I'm against supplementing your diet with other nutrients. I'm definitely not! I used to manage a health food store for a number of years before it changed hands, plus have a good background in biology & some chemistry from university courses & a lot of science journal reading.
In working in the health food environment, I learned how much hype there sometimes is. It's a mult-billion dollar industry itself & wouldn't flourish if hype & advertising wasn't done. Some of the information being presented is factual about health foods & supplements but much is "hearsay". Many individuals presenting the information are not properly trained in nutrition (standard or otherwise) or biochemsitry & tend to rely on a lot of New Age fluff. It's exactly because of all this fluff, that many sensible people are scared away from taking the good information seriously.
I honestly believe that while many psychotropic medications may get the brain's chemistry working again (I compare it to a defibullator for the heart - only an illustration, not how drugs actually work), something more is needed to keep the brain working properly.
Without the proper nutrients, our body cannot optimumly make the precursors & neurotransmitters needed for healthy brain activity. Now that I'm older, I don't have the mega-appetite that I used to when young & KNOW that I can't possibly get all the nutrients I need through my diet only. I supplement. But I prefer rather than all-in-one combination to buy the supplements individually & balance them myself. I won't use gingo biloba as I don't want my blood to clot less. Whenever I've been checked in the hospital, my blood's always been at the 100% oxygenated level besides. I've eaten carefully & well & taken supplements for over 30 years & the benefits show. I don't get ill - no colds or such, but despite all this, I HAVE needed medication for depression - it has a strong hereditary streak in my family & I had a very stressful marriage with an alcoholic husband.
It's not that True Hope's supplements are bad (except if I remember right, their potassium is quite low) or that psych meds don't cost lots, it's just that their supplement is VERY expensive & a person could pay FAR, FAR less by just buying their own combination. This company is making a lot of money (yes, I know drug companies are raking it in too but they also have to fund their own research - True Hope doesn't) & they're making *overblown* statements about the benefits. THAT'S what bothers me so much - not that supplementing your diet with extra nutrients is wrong. I think it's a very good idea for everyone.
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> > I did some checking about their supplement & found it's a multi-vitamin & mineral supplement.
>
> Actually the supplement contain more than multi-vitamins and minerals. The supplement contains dl-phenylalanine, glutamine, citrus bioflavonoids, grape seed, choline, inositol, ginkgo biloba, methionine, organic germanium, as well.
>
> What I'd like to know is why "their" supplement will make someone so much better but the competitor's supplement doesn't? Just a bunch of hype.
>
> How and where are they hyping their product, saying it is better than the competitors?
>
> > I also like the little disclaimer that's put on at the end:
> > "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."
>
> This statement is required by the FDA to be put on all nutritional supplements. The last sentence of the statement doesn’t seem to make sense, since the supplement company claims that their supplement will help cure mental illness throughout their website. Sounds to me like the FDA is trying to abridge the supplement companies’ right to free speech.
>
> > A person using this supplements supposed to take 16 tablets a day at a cost of $68.98 a bottle! And it doesn't even let you know how many tablets in a bottle. Cheap? I hardly think so.
>
> For about $68.98 you get 448 supplements. If you take 16 pills per day, that would last you about a month. I take 32 pills per day, costing me about $140 per month. However, the cost for the amount of medications which I gave up, and which didn’t do nearly as much for me as the supplement, is over $200.
poster:IsoM
thread:86991
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011213/msgs/87409.html