High quality supplements?: Dr. Marasco

[Guest guest]

ine,

Hi Dr. ,

>>>This is a tough question to answer because better than 90% of

what's out there is all about marketing. I would say go by brand and

reputation. The supplements must be made from food not synthetic.

***I'm glad ine asked this question, because I'm still trying to sort

out supplement issues myself. And thank you for recommending the three

companies you did. I've been moving away from synthetic supplements for the

most part, and trying to locate carefully processed, organically-grown or

wildcrafted whole food supplements. There seem to be very few, and I never

know if the quality is what it's claimed to be. One complaint I have about

some of the superfood formulas, such as " Perfect Food " from Garden of Life,

for example, is that they contain a HUGE array of ingredients, and I'd like

to find something with fewer ingredients. This is in part, because I'd like

to find a superfood that I can feed my dogs as well as eat myself, and their

nutritional needs differ somewhat from mine. Some herbs that are OK for

humans, may be harmful to dogs. As well, when a supplement contains a vast

array of herbs to provide various nutrients, I question whether there may be

some undesirable biochemical interactions that were not anticipated by the

formulators. I have tried Superfood formulated by Dr. Schultze because it's

such a simple formula with a short ingredient list and is claimed to be

organic and/or wildcrafted. But I really have no idea how to check the

veracity of the claims about it's nutrient content. AND, I'm concerned about

possible contamination of heavy metals or other undesirable substances, not

just in Superfood, but all supplements I buy. Are you familiar with

Superfood, and do you have an opinion on it? One of my dogs recently had a

bout with liver disease - a brief, extreme rise in liver enzymes, and one

potential cause I considered (among MANY) was microcystin contamination in

the spirulina blue-green algae (one of the ingredients in Superfood). This

incident, which may not have had anything to do with the Superfood, just

made me realize that I really don't know much about the quality of

ingredients, and level of contamination, if any, in most of the supplements

I eat or feed my dogs. And that bothers me.

All I ask for is a choice of carefully cultivated, organically grown or

wildcrafted foods, that are minimally processed and reasonably priced. I

also want clear nutritional data, and periodic batch testing for toxins as

well as nutrient content, and I want the results of the batch testing

published where I can read it. Am I asking too much? Is there any company

that offers such products? I realize that SP is far better than most, and is

the company that probably meets most of my criteria. I'm not thrilled with

their use of titanium dioxide as a capsule colorant, though. But, I do like

the company and will look more closely at their catalog listing to see if

there are better alternatives to some of my current supplements.

I have a few general questions, and I'd love feedback from anyone who can

answer;

1) Does " GMP " mean anything? I mean, are GMP products any better than non

GMP products? Are GMP products periodically tested for nutrient content,

standardization and/or contaminants?

2) I've read recent literature suggesting that some herbal formulas

manufactured in Asia have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals

and pharmaceuticals...does anyone know about this? Could this be U.S.

industry-sponsored literature with a political/economic agenda...or is it

true that some Asian countries have very lax regulation of herbal product

contamination?

Hmmm...I know I have some other questions floating around in my head, but

I'd better get back to work now. I'd appreciate any input on these issues

Suze Fisher

Web Design & Development

http://www.suscom-maine.net/~cfisher/

mailto:cfisher@...