Do you ever find yourself in the supplement aisles at your local market, stuck on which vitamin or herbal remedy to choose amongst the large array of options?  Are all supplements created the same?  What determines your supplement purchase; is it the label, the price or the quality?

There is a distinct set of attributes that comprise quality nutritional products.   Knowledge is power and understanding how to pick a quality supplement, is what drives the success of your desired health outcome.

In choosing which products to stock in the Vitalia Natural Medicine dispensary, we use the following criteria:

Purity – Safety and efficacy of supplements comes from a pure product.  Purity of supplements is achieved through third party testing of both the raw and finished ingredients for contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, mold or bacteria.  Lab analysis also accurately confirms the presence of the active medicinal components that are necessary to create a successful product.  At Vitalia, we ensure that the supplements we recommend have been tested for purity and screened for contaminants through an independent lab (that’s a lab not associated with the nutritional company). If you use a brand regularly, call the company and ask for third party purity certification.  A good quality company will be able to supply you with this.

Form – The selection of ingredients used to make a supplement are pivotal to the quality of the final product form.  Bargain nutritional supplements are commonly made with low cost ingredients, which means that the form of nutrient chosen does not have the capacity to perform as it would if it were provided in its most efficacious form.  High quality supplements are made with active forms of nutrients that are better absorbed and often proven more effective through research.

Dosage – Even with the best ingredients, the dosage needs to be adequate to produce an identifiable benefit to your health.  Using ineffective forms of nutrients at low dosages makes poor quality supplements, versus high quality supplements that are providing key ingredients at dosages considered effective based on scientific research.

GMP-Certified Manufacturing with Quality Assurance & Control – Companies that produce high quality supplements are manufactured in facilities inspected and certified by one of several organizations.  Many nutritional supplement manufacturers don’t operate in accordance with GMP standards, because it is expensive to become officially GMP-certified.  This touted certification assures that the supplement you are purchasing started with raw ingredients and has gone through a rigorous system of independent laboratory testing and documentation to assure that the final product has the identity, strength, composition, quality and purity that it is labeled to possess.  Many formulas from GMP-certified manufacturers have also been clinically researched with human clinical trials. Make sure that the brands you use are GMP-certified.

Why is a Naturopathic Doctor an expert in nutritional supplements?

Naturopathic Doctors are natural medicine experts.  They have 4 years of post-graduate medical school education with extensive training in nutrition and herbal medicine to learn how to effectively choose and apply the use of natural medicine supplements for a variety of health conditions.  If you want to make significant gains in your health, the licensed Naturopathic Doctors at Vitalia Natural Medicine can help you create a customized treatment plan to realize your health goals.  Call us today!