I have heard of and seen programs where they test certain brands of vitamins and other supplements sold in drug stores. On these programs they ‘expose’ brands as not having in the ‘pill’ what the brands say they have.
For example, a glucosamine capsule which advertises 1500 units on the bottle may only have 1000. This is just an example. I do not remember the brands which were ‘bad’ nor the supplement.
So, my question is, how do I know I am paying for what I am getting? Today, I entered into a health store which sells a huge selection of vitamins and other pills. I wanted a specific supplement which might the pain I have in my rotator cuff. There were lots of these pills for joint health, and that is when I started to wonder if I am just buying a sugar pill or am I getting what it says on the bottle.
I don’t know if this is totally correct or not, BUT someone told me to look on the bottle and make sure it says “STANDARDIZED”. This is supposed to mean that it has the correct amount of whatever. They said that the “standardized” pills are checked for potency. Again, this is only what someone told me (it was a person who works at a health food store).
Unfortunately, there is no way to know for certain unless you have a lot of $$ and can afford to have the supplements you take, analyzed. Since that is not an option for most of us, I recommend avoiding the big national chains (GN- somethingorother) comes to mind. I know certain brands to be really good. Eclectic Institute, Biospect, and Jarrow to be really good. While any label may make any claim under the sun, there is still no way to know for certain. FYI- you mention joint health. If you were looking into Glucosamine Sulfate, make sure the label says it has G. SULFATE and NOT glucosamine “compound”, or G. “HCL” Only sulfate will give you the results you are looking for!!
You have to call the company and ask for a printed copy of their quality control program. They should be using assays, and independent labs to batch test their final products. I spent years trying to find a copy that met these standards. They are out there though, so if you just ask the right questions you’ll find the answers you’re looking for.
P.S. It’s not so much a sugar pill that you should be worried about. With few exceptions, the companies are putting the right ingredients in their mixes. The problem is that antioxidants can oxidize, improper mixing can result in inconsistent formulations and poor quality ingredients can lead to ineffective products.
see the pills which are real
http://healthonline.ueuo.com
you never really know whats true and whats false when it comes to health….the best thing you can do is to research on your own. I recommend this website as I swear by it : http://www.newstarget.com
you can type in any word in the search engine there (i.e a vitamin) and usually it has a very detailed yet simple explanation for what you’re looking for.
also you might want to try ‘arnica’ gel for any aches, pains and bruises…its amazing.