Not All Supplements Are Created Equal

There are 100's of products that people ask me about. I can't vouch for the quality of any other product except for the ones I have vetted.   Lower quality = lower results and potential  harm.    I stick to the brands I use because of quality, reduced toxicity and the resulting effectiveness on your health.   Feel free however to research quality on your own if you choose your own products: As long as they are the same quality and ingredients then you can use them but I can only coach you on the ones from our clinic because I don't have time to research other products.  

Watch this and learn more about how to protect yourself so that you can have optimum wellness, energy and vitality!

“Lower quality supplements = lower results and potential  harm”

— Dr. Paul Kwik

Emerson Ecologic’s on Supplement Quality: https://www.emersonecologics.com/blog/post/eqp-how-it-works

Save Money and Increase Efficiency in Organizing Supplements

Watch this video to see how I organize my supplements

Intro:

Do you think that the fruits and vegetables and other wholesome food we have today are the same as 100 years ago?

Are agricultural practices the same!

Do we rotate our crops?

Do ever give our soil a rest?

Do we load our crops with GMO and pesticides?

Are our soils rich with nutrients anymore?

If we have to eat 20 servings of vegetables to get the same nutrition as 5 servings back then, do you think it would be wise to supplement our foods with vitamins etc.?

I think a resounding yes!

Autoimmune disease like Hashimotos, which has recently creeped into my health, Lupus, MS, Adhd, autism, allergies, asthma are all increasing!

All that to say, I’m on this health journey with you and yes I take a lot of supplements based on pre and post lab testing to know which ones I need to be on as well as the ones I don’t need anymore. Yes, it’s a lot at first but as you get healthier, you need less and less. See the video above to get insights to make it easier for you.

Are Your Supplements Causing More Harm than Good?

Questions to ask Before Buying Supplements?

1. Will they work for your problem or if you have bought them already, is it solving your health issue?

2. Have your supplements been tested and proven successful as evidenced with scientific lab tests?

3. Has your supplements been used in real life clinical experience from many doctors with 100’s of total years combined experience?

4. Are they cGMP certified?

   FDA is becoming more stringent with supplement companies.  Those companies that don't abide, will close up shop!  GMP Certification (Good manufacturing Practices) was started in 2007.  GMP is the minimum that you should look for in a supplement.  It’s important to understand that GMP certification by itself may not ensure that the vitamin or mineral supplement you take will provide the benefits you’ve seen or heard advertised. But it can help to make sure that you are getting what you pay for in the bottle, and that it’s been handled in a manner that attempts to ensure your safety.    A study was done by Consumer labs (www.consumerlab.com) did a study on Valerian for 10 companies.   5 had the amount of Valerian it said on the label.  5 did not.   One had Zero Valerian!  Getting what it says on the label is where GMP is critical.

5. Are they providing Certificates to disclose any harmful ingredients have been checked for?

   In a dedicated effort to secure  the superior quality and purity of our quality professional lines, raw materials and finished product lab documentation retention is a must to prove the standards required prior to giving them to our patients. In the interest of full transparency, all independent lab Certificates of Analysis are available upon request.

   The following is from one of our vendors that we trust:  Designs for Health:

   Certificates of Analysis & Raw Material Testing

   Our raw material vendors are measured against criteria designed to quantify the stringent quality parameters we insist upon. We purchase our raw materials only from those vendors who are able to meet our exacting requirements.

   Designs for Health maintains the following documentation requirements for raw materials:

   Certificates of Analysis (C of As) : Every lot must be accompanied by comprehensive vendor-supplied documentation of the material's identity, potency, and purity.

   Independent Laboratory Analysis: Providing an extra measure of quality assurance, all raw materials used in the manufacture of Designs for Health products are monitored for potential contaminants and tested for the marker compound quantities as defined on our label. Numerous analytical testing processes are employed, as applicable, including HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), to name a few.

   Finished Product Testing

   Our quality control process does not end with C of As and raw material testing. As an additional line of assurance, each and every Designs for Health product is analyzed for finished product content to confirm that the manufacturing process has resulted in a finished product that meets label claims.

Are Your Supplements Causing More Harm than Good?

Questions to ask Before Buying Supplements?

1. Will they work for your problem or if you have bought them already, is it solving your health issue?

2. Have your supplements been tested and proven successful as evidenced with scientific lab tests?

3. Has your supplements been used in real life clinical experience from many doctors with 100’s of total years combined experience?

4. Are they cGMP certified?

   FDA is becoming more stringent with supplement companies.  Those companies that don't abide, will close up shop!  GMP Certification (Good manufacturing Practices) was started in 2007.  GMP is the minimum that you should look for in a supplement.  It’s important to understand that GMP certification by itself may not ensure that the vitamin or mineral supplement you take will provide the benefits you’ve seen or heard advertised. But it can help to make sure that you are getting what you pay for in the bottle, and that it’s been handled in a manner that attempts to ensure your safety.    A study was done by Consumer labs (www.consumerlab.com) did a study on Valerian for 10 companies.   5 had the amount of Valerian it said on the label.  5 did not.   One had Zero Valerian!  Getting what it says on the label is where GMP is critical.

5. Are they providing Certificates to disclose any harmful ingredients have been checked for?

   In a dedicated effort to secure  the superior quality and purity of our quality professional lines, raw materials and finished product lab documentation retention is a must to prove the standards required prior to giving them to our patients. In the interest of full transparency, all independent lab Certificates of Analysis are available upon request.

   The following is from one of our vendors that we trust:  Designs for Health:

   Certificates of Analysis & Raw Material Testing

   Our raw material vendors are measured against criteria designed to quantify the stringent quality parameters we insist upon. We purchase our raw materials only from those vendors who are able to meet our exacting requirements.

   Designs for Health maintains the following documentation requirements for raw materials:

   Certificates of Analysis (C of As) : Every lot must be accompanied by comprehensive vendor-supplied documentation of the material's identity, potency, and purity.

   Independent Laboratory Analysis: Providing an extra measure of quality assurance, all raw materials used in the manufacture of Designs for Health products are monitored for potential contaminants and tested for the marker compound quantities as defined on our label. Numerous analytical testing processes are employed, as applicable, including HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), to name a few.

   Finished Product Testing

   Our quality control process does not end with C of As and raw material testing. As an additional line of assurance, each and every Designs for Health product is analyzed for finished product content to confirm that the manufacturing process has resulted in a finished product that meets label claims.

Why is there a Prop 65 Warning Label on this product?

This is a frivolous warning label from California Proposition 65.  My family and I take products with this label because its safe.  Please read below.

1. Proposition 65 is a California law that requires a warning on any products containing qualifying
levels of over 800 substances, such as pesticides, heavy metals, and even Vitamin A at certain
levels.
2. The reason some of our products contain this warning is due to the presence of lead above .5 mcg
per recommended daily dose or per serving. This affects less than 15% of our products.
NOTE: The highest per serving lead level found in any Designs for Health product is less than
you might find in a 4 oz. serving of lettuce.
3. We use the purest ingredients available, but lead is everywhere in our environment and is
impossible to avoid in many natural, plant-based ingredients. That’s because lead is found in the
soil where the plants are grown and, therefore, it is present in virtually all plant-based foods.

Examples of lead content of common foods as reported by U.S. FDA
(These foods would require a Prop 65 warning if they were dietary supplements)
Median Highest found
Food mcg/serving mcg/serving
Lettuce, leaf, raw 0.57 1.59 4 oz. serving
Spinach, fresh/frozen, boiled 1.47 7.03 4 oz. serving
Bread, cracked wheat 0.68 2.38 6 oz. serving
Sweet potatoes, fresh, baked 1.59 7.26 4 oz. serving
Fruit juice blend (100% juice) 0.85 2.38 6 oz. serving
Data from US Food & Drug Administration
Total Diet Study - Market Baskets 2006-1 through 2008-4; Market Baskets 1991-3 through 2005-4
The fact is – most foods found in the produce section of the grocery store, along with many other
healthy foods such as nuts, fish, wine, and many others – would require a Prop 65 warning label if the
law was uniformly enforced.

Does a Prop 65 warning mean the product is unsafe?

1. No. As the State of California’s own Proposition 65 website states, “A Proposition 65 warning
does not necessarily mean a product is in violation of any product-safety standards or
requirements.”
2. The FDA’s Recommended Safe and Tolerable Daily Diet Lead Intake for adults is 75 mcg. 
• This is 150 times the amount that requires a Prop 65 warning, and yet is considered safe by
the U.S. FDA
3. The FDA has established 750 mcg as the amount of lead that is known to cause health problems.
• This is 1,500 times the amount that requires a Prop 65 warning
An Industry-Wide Issue
This issue affects all companies that make nutritional supplements. The fact that some companies
selling in California are not adding warning labels to their products does not mean their products are
free of lead. Some companies may not be aware of the law; some have apparently chosen not to
comply; still others have been sued or are currently in litigation with the state of California regarding
their failure to comply with the law. 
Since consumers have the right to be informed, and even practitioners are subject to the law and
subject to fines for failure to comply, DFH has chosen to add warning labels to any affected products, 
thereby informing consumers and protecting all parties involved. 

980    South    St.    Suffield,    CT    06078    n Phone    (800)    847-8302    n Fax    (860)    627-0661    www.designsforhealth.com

Fighting Osteoarthritis. How to Preserve My Joints for a Lifetime.

I had a mom and daughter struggling with weight issues come to me.   The mom was also battling "bad knees" from "Osteoarthritis".  I told her the great success I was having with a medical food called "Arthroben" for my patients with joint problems.  She tried it and a month later she comes to my office and says that she feels so much better taking the Arthroben. She says walking and going up and down stairs is so much better, so she came back to get more Arthroben from my office.

What is a Medical Food and how can Arthoben help Osteoarthritis?

Regarding arthroben,  it is a medical food with "osteoarthritis" on the label.  Notice that supplements are not allowed to have any "condition" on the label or the FDA police can stop them.   In this case the condition is osteoarthritis. A supplement anybody can obtain at a store for general health but will only have "general statements" like "supports immune health" or "joint health"

If the supplement does not say "a condition", i.e. a diagnosis like "osteoarthritis" than it's just a supplement.  

The FDA regulates this and professional companies that primarily supply doctors offices must be very careful or can get hefty fines or even get shut down.  It's definitely not just a marketing gimmick.

Here is more info on medical foods from the fda:  http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/MedicalFoods/UCM362995.pdf

This "medical food" has helped my patients with osteoarthritis tremendously.  

More info:  http://www.designsforhealth.com/SitoMedica_Medical_Foods.html

If you would like to talk to me personally whether this can help you, feel free to call me at no charge to you. 

To those of you interested in trying it out,  it is a medical food and must be obtained from a clinic,  I have a limited time offer to give you.   20% off your first bottle.   Its $60-63 for the bottle (3 varieties, unflavored ($60), green apple and lemon lime ($63).  You take it with water and it tastes good to most patients. Your first bottle lasts 2 wks and then after that,  1 bottle will last a month.  Your first bottle does not last as long because you take more the first 2 wks.

Offer expires on June 30, 2015 

To your Health, 

Dr. Paul

What is the Best Medicine For All Your Ailments?

If you are struggling with weight, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, autoimmune condition or anything else,  do you know what the best medicine is?   You!  God has given your body natural chemicals to heal itself. But what drives your chemicals to do that?  We are now one of less than 25 clinics in the US using Field Control Therapy that focuses on homeopathics to help your body fight cancer, diabetes or any other chronic condition by deploying messengers in your body to heal.   Its a marvelous God designed technology!     Click here to Read more.....