Why can't I buy my supplements from a discount store?  Do I have to get them from my clinician? One of the realities difficult to understand is that all supplements are not created equal.

If you purchase supplements from a discount store, consumerlab.com shows it's likely they you are not getting what you pay for.

When a person comes to my office, they are paying me for wisdom and results. Many ask should I be taking this particular supplement? I respond by saying, you will need to research out the company because I stick with the supplements that have worked for many decades.

So if you are not getting the results you deserve, maybe you need to increase the dosage, change brands or both. Many come to me when their way has not worked.

Consumerlab.com tested various supplements for purity and quality. See consumerlab.com November 9, 2010 posting.

They analyzed 10 different forms of valerian root and found only 3 met label claims. Herbal remedies have many properties or chemical components that have health benefits. However there is usually one group of compounds that has been given credit for its effectiveness. "Valerenic Acids" are the group of sesquiterpenes that have been given credit for the anti-anxiety effects of valerian root. So ConsumerLab used valerenic acid and related compounds as the set of chemical markers to determine potency. 

Here's what they found: 5 of the 10 tested did not meet label claims. They had levels of 0% (yes, 0%), 26.7%, 36.8%, 57.1% and 82.5 % of what the label claimed.

They also looked for the heavy metals, lead and cadmium. 3 of the 10 products had measurable amounts of lead anywhere from 1.2 mcg to 3.5 mcg. In this investigation they did not find cadmium. However, prior testing by ConsumerLab.com has found the heavy metals lead and cadmium in valerian supplements.  

Cadmium is a carcinogen and a kidney toxin. Lead can impair mental functioning and may affect blood pressure. The amounts of cadmium and lead in supplements tend to be small when present and will unlikely cause toxicity. But heavy metals "accumulate over time" due to our food supply and dietary deficiency of the opposing minerals that displace them. And there's a small safety margin between exposure in the normal diet and levels that can produce deleterious effects. Here's the point: heavy metals are a common problem but few manufacturers are looking for them.

One company I use, Biotics Research Corporation, has used 2 suppliers in the past but demand has forced them to look for other suppliers. In looking for a third supplier, Biotics found one that provided material that was free of heavy metals; but when they checked it for solvents found out that it contained a carcinogenic chemical that was nearly 30 times the allowed limit, 30 times.

Different from root products, extracts or standardized concentrates by their nature have been "extracted" and, as a result, have less heavy metal content. But suppliers have to use something in the extraction process. Sometimes it's water, sometimes it's alcohol, but sometimes stronger chemical solvents have to be used to separate and then concentrate the phytochemicals from the plant. Sometimes those solvents are not healthy above a certain level and must be removed. If they are not removed, problems can arise.

Here's a question we should ask, "Who's checking for those solvents?" If manufactures are not checking for heavy metals which are relatively easy to spot, do you think they are checking for solvents? Very, very few companies are screening for solvents. The professional brands I use like Designs for Health and Biotics do!  Keep in mind that solvent testing is not required by GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices). These professional brands don’t do it because they have to; they do it because it's the right thing to do.

I use and recommend professional products because I don't want to waste a second thinking about whether my patient is ever in danger of accumulating heavy metals, if solvents may be harming them, if the active ingredient is in the product, or if the tablet will dissolve?

Here is my question to you:  Do you think cancer patients need to be worried if their supplements have what it says on the label or if they are free from heavy metals that can cause the very disease they have, such as cancer or heart attacks? Neither should you have to worry!