What to Consider When Purchasing Supplements
As with many great compromises, no party to the 1994 DSHEA Act was truly satisfied with the resultant law, which left supplement manufacturers free from obligation to submit to drug trials and prevented the FDA from regulating dietary supplements. Therefore, in 2022, supplements continue to remain federally unregulated in the United States. Only supplements that are found to be dangerous are removed from the market, but no regulatory body oversees the efficacy of supplements, and therefore no treatment claims can be made by dietary supplement manufacturers.
This leaves the consumer wondering which supplements are safe, effective and accurate in accordance with their label. When I was in my i-know-everything teenager phase, I tried an herbal supplement for my chronic migraines. That supplement did NOTHING for me. Being a snot-nosed teenager, I immediately wrote off the entire supplement industry as bogus. Since that experience, my mind has been changed. The exact same formula from a reliable supplement company has proved incredibly helpful in relieving my chronic migraines. The difference is likely that the supplement I took as a teenager was not what it said it was on the label, or the quality had been severely hampered due to shipping or storage. If all supplement companies only adhered to the law, it might occur that there were no options for the consumer to trust. However, and fortunately, some companies are committed to third party testing.
As a consumer, best practice is to use reputable supplement companies that rigorously and regularly conduct third party testing for contents. The best companies are conducting safety and efficacy trials and are transparent about their testing. In the “before times”, yes pre-2020, this meant that consumers could most reliably count on Professional Line supplements. Professional Line supplements were produced by companies committed to selling their products solely through doctors. These supplements brands were considered “prescription” supplements because they were only available through a doctor.
Since March of 2020, many of these supplement companies pivoted and made their products available on the consumer market. That muddies the waters considerably for the consumer when deciding which supplement brand to buy. To compound the problem, some supplements are now available through distributors that have never considered the way supplements need to be stored for optimal effect, and there is no way to determine if that supplement that you bought from a large online retailer, a large box store or a corporate pharmacy was kept at a reasonable temperature between packaging and receiving. How effective is fish oil after sitting at 120 degrees F for 1-365 days? Not very. In fact, it could be rancid in spite of its future expiration date.
A non-exhaustive list of brands that I know are still making a good product:
Integrative therapeutics
Pure Encapsulations
Vital Nutrients
Da Vinci
Metabolic Maintenance
Thorne
New Seasons (last I knew!!)
Standard Process (must thoroughly check the label for gluten ingredients if you have sensitivity or celiac)
Vitanica
NFH
Designs for Health
Mountain Peak
Herb Pharm
Gaia Herbs
Wise Woman Herbs
Mountain Rose Herbs
Briar Rose Herbs
Woodland Essence herbs
Heron Botanical (still must have a prescription)
Xymogen (still must have a prescription)
Byron White Formulas (must be ordered by a doctor’s office)
Distributors who know how to store and ship these products in a manner that preserves efficacy:
FullScript
WholeScripts
National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM, and remember they still require a prescription for everything.)
New Seasons
Natural Grocers
Mountain Rose Herbs
Briar Rose Herbs
Woodland Essence herbs
Unlike a large box store, pharmacy conglomerate or online retailer, it could be challenging to do a one-stop-shop when it comes to buying the supplements your doctor has prescribed. In regard to my own practice, there is not a single distributor that carries everything that I prescribe. However, my aim is to reduce your workload by providing the lists above, while simultaneously providing you with resources that you can use to review in finding authentic, safe supplements.