Wow, been a while. It has been a tough
year here at Vita-guru. One of me had a month long computer problem,
then another of me lost a very dear friend suddenly. Combine all that
with training and my other employment and team Vita-guru was not
very prolific at the prose production.
Yesterday I was “discussing”
various multivitamin/multiminerals in the market with a couple of
friends out for lunch. One of the ladies was buying her supplements
from some never-heard-of-before supplement company. She proudly
boasted that they were “pharmaceutical grade”. The implication is
superior quality that is rare to find in the industry.
Yep. Sure. Got it. OK then.
Here we go. Pharmaceutical grade is
marketing bullcrap. I have found ONE supplement manufacturer that
can back that up with a use claim as well. Ajinomoto makes amino
acids with the pharma claim, then backs it up with having a
pharmaceutical division and being the major supplier of free aminos
to the medical industry for their various needs. They do not make
multivitamins.
The tightly held secret of supplement
companies is that most don't make their product in-house. They have
teams of scientists looking at the data and determining what they
want their supplement to include. Then they give the new supplement
formula to a buyer who prices it out. Next, to some accountant. So,
the scientists look at the data and start over. I assume that
scientists drink heavily, largely due to the accountants. (maybe
lawyers, too)
Eventually, the raw materials are
bought and sent to a job shop that probably also encapsulates
medicines and pet supplies. There is your pharmaceutical grade
production. Big Fuckin' Deal. You want to impress me? Get rid of the
“accountant” and let the good stuff out.
All this leads back to the lady and her
friend. They came to me because she wanted to see what I was about.
Her friend was allergy miserable. I suggested a simple nasal wash and
an Olbas Inhaler. I use them and went from being a connoisseur of
allergy meds to not having any real problems for 5 years.
Her friend was thrilled. She was
trapped by marketing.
One last note. Annual medical checkups
are a good thing. DO THEM FOR YOUR FRIENDS.
