Why Invest in a Nutraceutical Consult?
By NP Dr. Olivia Young, FPMHNP-BC
According to a major nutraceutical industry magazine, Americans are expected to spend over 75 Billion dollars on nutraceuticals during 2017. This expected growth is being fueled by more and more American demand for natural nutrients to optimize health and longevity and in particular to help maintain cognitive functions. See a PBS Frontline piece on how the industry’s size challenges regulatory agencies at all levels. There is a tremendous amount of conflicting and misinformation and myths regarding nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals are not all good and are certainly not all bad. Unfortunately, however, like all businesses (pharmaceutical, medical, nursing, social work, psychology, hospitals, religious institutions, universities, etc.), the nutraceutical industry is mainly driven by the bottom line. This means buyers should be wary or trust but verify the quality and fairness of the prices of the products they take, to the best of their ability.
But, why should you buy nutraceutical consultations from experts like Dr. Young rather than relying on the advice of friends, advertisers, and store clerks? The answer is simple, Dr. Young can give you:
1. Informed, unbiased, expert advice
2. Guidance to the best value food and pharmaceutical grade nutrients for the money
Nutraceuticals are not all good and are certainly not all bad. But, the U.K. Daily Mail recently noted that many branded over-the-counter formulations can cost up to 725% more than generic brands. Yet, several major U.S.A. chains have been cited for selling their generic brands that “don’t contain the herbal ingredient on the label, or contain only a small amount of it.”
Then again, Consumer Reports (CR) notes,
Shopping for a multivitamin has crossed the line from being confusing to becoming mind-bending. On a recent visit to a CVS store in the New York City area, our reporter counted no fewer than 50 adult multivitamin/multimineral supplements (multivitamins, for short). One A Day is available in 15 formulations for everyone from teenage boys to women watching their "metabolism”; its competitor Centrum comes in nine versions.
If you think you can avoid the confusion by heading straight for the "silver" products marketed to seniors, think again: About a third of the CVS offerings targeted people in the 50-plus range, with formulations for men, women, and menopausal women, as well as the standard unisex formulas. And here's a news flash: You may not even need them.
With all the choices, it's no wonder half of multivitamin users in a new, nationally representative Consumer Reports telephone survey expressed some doubt that they were taking the right product for their needs. Our survey, which included 2,002 adults and took place in April 2010, uncovered some other concerns, too: Fifty-six percent of respondents who took a multivitamin worried that it contained harmful ingredients, for example, and 47 percent expressed concern that their multivitamin didn't contain the levels of nutrients listed on the bottle.