Vitamins and Minerals are classified as foods. Therefore testing is not legally required by the FDA to prove active ingredients in supplements and whether proper disintegration and absorption occurs.

Following are three vital questions to ask before making a decision on the best product/company for you⁽¹⁾.

1) Is the product in harmony with Nature?

The truth is that few things are truly natural. Since you want the best for your body, the more natural a product is, the better. To be natural, Dr. Bruce Miller points out, the product should be "concentrated from a quality natural source." The product will then be accepted and more easily tolerated by our bodies. Just because a bottle says "All Natural" doesn't necessarily mean it is because there is no law requiring companies to use 100% natural ingredients although products are advertised "All Natural". For example, any company can say their product is "All Natural" even if it doesn't contain 100% natural ingredients....tar, coal, etc. have been found in items claiming to be "All Natural". Therefore, be careful and read the entire product label. You might be surprised by the additional or alternative ingredients companies include in their products. For example, beware of:⁽²⁾

• Artificial colors / Artificial flavors - why would you want to ingest a colored product...do we have a deficiency? Artificial flavors save companies money because natural flavoring is more costly.
• Synthetic Vitamin E - Natural E is better absorbed and utilized by the body than synthetic. When looking at a label, you will find Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) preceded by a -d-, -l- or -dl-. Natural E is described as d-alpha tochopherol whereas synthetic is dl-alpha tochopherol
• Bone Meal or Dolomite as a Calcium Source - Government warns us against these as they might have a higher lead content.
• Synthetic Sweeteners, artificial preservatives, harsh binders, fillers might hinder absorption. In addition, who wants added ingredients when we are searching for the "All Natural."

2) Does the product disintegrate in adequate time for proper absorption?

Disintegration standards for drugs have been established by the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) - 30 minutes or less for uncoated tablets and 90 minutes or less for coated tablets. However, since vitamins and minerals are not classified as "drugs", there is no law stating a product must disintegrate in a certain amount of time, which is a vital factor in the body absorbing the supplement. For example, Dr. Ralph Shangraw, Chairman of the Department of Pharmaceutics at the University of Maryland reported, "if a calcium tablet doesn't disintegrate by the time it leaves your stomach, there is a good chance that it will not be absorbed into your bloodstream."⁽³⁾ Although standards have not been established for vitamins, some in the health care industry recommend disintegration take place in 60 minutes or less because otherwise the supplement is not absorbed into your bloodstream.

Recently, Michelle Marvel heard a story about an older woman who had been concerned about osteoporosis all her life because it was in her family. At a young age, she started taking calcium to help protect her bones. (Shouldn't we all be that smart!). When she was in her 60's she fell and broke her hip, which surprised her considering she had taken calcium supplements daily for most of her life. Needless to say, she had osteoporosis which caused her hip to break easily. She couldn't understand why these events occurred considering her daily calcium intake. In light of her circumstances, she decided to have the calcium pills tested. Come to find out that the calcium pills didn't disintegrate fast enough for her body to absorb them...ultimately resulting in a waste of money and energy. As stated earlier, typical absorption should be within 1 hour; if not, your body is not absorbing the vitamin which is ultimately not doing you any good as this woman had to learn the hard way.

3) Does the company offer published scientific research on the product?
As with medications for Endometriosis, individuals should be concerned with learning the scientific research of supplements especially since the industry is not regulated. According to Dr. Miller, "proper studies should be of an adequate sampling of people, done long enough for the data to be relevant, closely controlled, and presented to a recognized scientific meeting or published in an authoritative scientific journal."⁽⁴⁾ Some companies claim to have conducted research on their products with the above criteria, but be cautious and examine the research closely.

As many know, medical and scientific research journals carry much weight in the health field. To have an article published is actually quite difficult. To give you an example, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) receives approximately 3,500 submissions in one year. Approximately only 55 get published (15% to 18%).⁽⁵⁾ Therefore to have an article published in a medical journal is an honor to be proud of.

To obtain the complete facts about the supplements you will take, request clinical studies on the products. In addition, look for the company's studies to be published in medical and scientific journals as these are the studies that can verify the contents of the product, that absorption is taking place into the bloodstream and the effectiveness of the product on one's health.

The only way for us to learn the above mentioned criteria about the product is to ask questions and read the clinical scientific research. Write a letter to the companies of your choice and inquire about their products by asking the above questions. Most importantly, request a list of their clinical research studies on their products. As a consumer, don't you want to know the validity of what you are taking? We should be fully educated on alternative products just as we should be with any other Endometriosis treatment offered. Since a major reason for taking supplements is "prevention" we should try to prevent making mistakes in selecting products where we don't see a benefit. We don't want to be like the woman earlier who took calcium for "prevention" and ultimately ended up with osteoporosis because she relied on "truth in advertising"; that the supplement would "do its job."

After doing your research and finding the best company/product for you that provides all of the above, you can embark on changing your habits to have better overall general health.

Footnotes:
(1 - 5) Miller, Bruce, The Shaklee Difference, Texas: Bruce Miller Enterprises, 1995.

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Alternative Treatment:  Diet & Nutrition

Preventive Healthcare:  Why Is It Important?

Should I Use Supplements or Make Changes to My Diet?

Things To Watch Out For When Choosing Supplements

Did You Know - Vitamins and Minerals are classified as foods?

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