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An Ounce Of Prevention

by Kate Quackenbush | March 11, 2010

There are those people with good, even excellent health coverage. These very fortunate few have the luxury of selecting who treats them, where they receive treatment and often a multitude of options from which to choose from. Then there’s everyone else,” offered Jayson Kroner, health and fitness editor with NOW Foods (Bloomingdale, IL), noting that there are 47 million who have no insurance, and at least 25 million who are underinsured.

But even for the consumer who still has health insurance, premiums have skyrocketed and the cost of health care co-pays and medicines has increased— people are spending more and getting less, according to Jack Grogan, a certified nutritionist and chief science officer with Uckele Health & Nutrition (Blissfield, MI). “Services are diminishing as the health care system forces doctors into five-minute visits, and the information the patient needs isn’t being delivered,” he said. “If you go to the doctor looking for nutritional education, they don’t have the time. The consumer is paying more for shrinking returns, and they’re looking for a better investment.” 

“We have a healthcare industry, not a true system, and I believe that consumers have been becoming disillusioned over the years by the continually increasing costs of treatment and medicines with marginal results,” said Ken Whitman, president of Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality (Burbank, CA). “We have a sick system, not a health system. I believe most people would rather be healthy in the first place. This is something you have to go outside of our health care ‘system’ to obtain.” To that end, consumers are spending more time educating themselves via the internet and with retailers, looking for safer, natural alternatives that deliver results.

“The consumer realizes it’s more costeffective to research and engage in preventive solutions than pharmaceutical interventions after the problem has occurred,” said Grogan. “Prevention has become a part of the customer’s financial economy, and more important than finances.” 

Breaking the Cost Barrier

All retailers have seen this: customers come in asking about supplements either something specific or searching for a recommendation— and then they pause when they see the price tag on a single bottle. When faced with that pause, perhaps the retailer’s next question should be: How much does it cost to be sick?

“The typical consumer purchases about $50-$60 per [natural retailer] visit, and they often visit about twice per month,” explained Jack Brown, vice president of sales with Lily of the Desert (Denton, TX). “The cost of a doctor’s visit is upwards of $75 plus prescriptions, any blood work or other tests required. I have heard that the typical family spends about $3,000 per year on medical costs. To be able to reduce or eliminate visits due to preventative measures, the math shows about $1,550 difference.” “One great argument is the cost of not living healthy,” said Michael Hill, sales and marketing with Reserveage (Gainsville, FL).

“Spending $25-$45 a month pales in comparison to the thousands of dollars that are spent on healthcare for the same issues that supplementation would support.” Hill offered the example of the benefit of paying for his company’s ubiquinol product is miniscule compared to the cost, pain and problems of having a heart attack.

Uckele’s Grogan cited an alarming statistic in the Journal of the American Medical Association: the fourth leading cause of death is the use of medication as directed—106,000 deaths occur each year due to adverse effects to properly prescribed medications.

“Supplementation is important to many people wishing to lower medications,” said Grogan. “We Find consumers seeking natural condition- specific solutions for conditions such as arthritis, allergies, high cholesterol, joint pain and blood sugar metabolism. In many cases nutraceuticals can work compatibly with medications, and can augment the effects.” But savings in terms of dollars is probably the least of it.

“We’re talking about health and happiness, but a good supplement regimen will end up costing a lot less than prescription drugs,” said Peter Gillham’s Whitman, adding that a good multivitamin will cost less than $1 a day, perhaps as high as $5 if one is addressing a specific condition. “Pass up one fast food meal or some processed food from the supermarket and you’ve more than paid for it.

“Our fixation with cheap prices brought us fast and highly processed foods, industrially farmed fruits, vegetables and meats, and a very expensive health care system,” he added. “It makes more sense to spend a bit more when you’re well to stay well than it does to spend a lot more when you’re sick. And good supplements with better ingredients cost more.” Where to Start?

Obviously lifestyle changes are the logical first step. Assuming consumers have begun to eat whole, natural foods, cut out sugar, exercise and get plenty of sleep, what’s next?

Multivitamins and Minerals

“Start with a full-spectrum multiple vitamin and mineral supplement at a dosing that will be significant.

This will bring the best bang for the buck in that they contain so many different vitamins and minerals that are needed for the body to function most effectively and efficiently,” said Uckele’s Grogan. “For example, vitamin C, Bcomplex vitamins and magnesium are all found in multiples, and are extremely important to overall health and function.

People often overlook these and skip to the specialty supplements, which will be more effective with a quality, solid foundation like a multiple.” Grogan also advised that customers look to gender-specific multiples as their first step, in response to the different requirements of men and women.

To that end, Uckele offers its NutriGNX™ line, which includes:

• Bio-M™ for Men—a comprehensive multiple-mineral formula that contains a higher level of magnesium to protect the cardiovascular system, and balanced amounts of zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and chromium to ensure health of the prostate and immune systems, and to improve sugar metabolism.

• Bio-M™ for Women—a multiplemineral formula that offers a high calcium and boron level to optimize bone health, along with iron for nonmenopausal women and balanced amounts of zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and chromium to stabilize sugar metabolism, maintain healthy connective tissue, optimize body defense mechanisms and improve cellular detoxification.

• Bio-V™ Vitamin—a full-spectrum vitamin formula containing generous amounts of fat and water-soluble vitamins, as well as pure grape seed extract to complements the antioxidant and cell protecting effects of the other vitamin antioxidants, vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin E, in just two capsules per day.

NOW’s Kroner agreed that good gender- specific multis are accepted as entry-level supplements. “Retailers can support the desire of their customers to stay healthy short term with good immune support products and a strong multivitamin formula like NOW’s gender-specific Adam and Eve products.” According to Kroner, NOW’s Adam ($23.99 retail for 90 vcaps) and Eve ($21.99 retail for 90 tabs) are very popular with consumers because they feel a difference and yet tolerate the nutrition density very well.

Peter Gillhan’s Whitman suggested a liquid multi, like his company’s Organic Life Vitamins (OLV), due to its bioavailability.

“Our OLV was designed to be a comprehensive cornerstone of good nutrition,” he said. “Just by taking 1-oz.

Of OLV daily at a cost of less than $1 per day you get the functional food benefits of organic aloe vera (4.5 g), 24 organic fruits and vegetables, essential vitamins, ConcenTrace minerals, amino acids, OptiMSM, antioxidants and more.” Additionally, Whitman offered that customers routinely report increased energy with OLV.

Companion Pieces Lily of the Desert’s Brown offered that his company’s Aloe Vera Whole Leaf Preservative Free Juice is “the truly best supplement companion on the market.” Introduced four years ago, the company has had Gold Standard clinical studies performed that showed a 16 percent increase in white blood cells counts for immune support, a 40 percent improvement in antioxidant support and a 12 percent reduction in nitrate levels in the blood cells for detox benefits.

“For those consumers looking to maximize their supplement efficacy and benefits, our products showed a 2,000 percent increase in the uptake of vitamin C based supplements when taken with our juice versus water,” said Brown.

With all the positive publicity surrounding omega-3’s, Kroner shared that they could also be a great complementary entry-level item for first-time shoppers, adding that his company’s “molecularly distilled fish oils are also very good because not only do they provide all of the high-quality EFAs needed, they are also affordable,” he said.

“Given our lifestyles, so few of us are getting the proper nutrients and many of us are poisoning our bodies with chemicals, fats, etc. Proper supplementation allows us to pick up the missing nutrients from our lives and importantly counteract some of the damage,” said Reserveage’s Hill. In March 2009, the company launched Resveratrol 250 MG, which has been shown to have many benefits when taken daily. “Resveratrol helps to combat the damages done to the body by the forces that we think of as age. 

The truth is that aging is as much biologically built into us as it is caused by our own lifestyles.” From this platform, the company is also set to launch its Vibrance Liquid Multivitamin. “By providing a multivitamin packed with nutrients as well as resveratrol, consumers are gaining immense health benefits without taking multiple pills,” said Hill.

Harking to the concept that good health begins with a properly functioning digestive and elimination system, Sunil Kohli, COO of Health Plus, Inc. (Chino, CA), offered that his company’s Colon Cleanse and Super Colon Cleanse line “is the most prominent with which to begin a journey of health and well-being.” The company also provides the Targeted Body Cleanse system along with its targeted digestive line, Colon Cleanse Max. “American consumers love ‘kits’ and ‘systems,’” Kohli said. 

“They like the idea of one-two-three steps, which takes the guesswork out of creating their own regimen from scratch.” Similarly, Uckele introduced in January its 7/21™ Detox Kit, which contains a combination of nutrients, fatty acids, plant extracts, amino acids, phospholipids and enzymes in a capsule form, and a rice protein-based meal replacement powder that helps the body cleanse the numerous toxins it is exposed to on a daily basis.

“This combination improves all phases of internal detoxification, supports the natural detoxification pathways and prepares the body to more efficiently absorb and utilize nutrients. Once cleansed, the energy previously used for toxin storage will now be available for the body’s rejuvenation,” said Grogan.

The 7/21 offers two programs: the seven-day program offers a more aggressive, intensive detoxification for a heavier release of stored toxins and a quicker restoration to a more balanced organ system function; the 21-day program offers a gentle detoxification process over a longer period of time and can be used for periods longer than 21-days in conjunction with the accompanying Food Guide recommendations. But Grogan cautioned that a detox program should not be a shopper’s first step.

“Outlined in detox program are dietary changes first,” he said. “Without dietary changes as foundation—say three to six months of food changes with a solid multi and mineral combination— novices may not like how they feel with the detox. They need to allow the body to transition into it. The toxins we’re exposed to are substantial, and it takes effort to remove them.” Monitor Finally, Grogan suggested retailers advise customers to note how they feel, and to adjust their programs as they progress.

“Understanding physiological individuality is very important,” he said. “A cookie-cutter approach to your nutritional program is a thing of the past.

Just as human beings are unique in our external physical characteristics, we are unique on an internal metabolic and physiological basis. As a result, we all process foods and utilize nutrients differently.”

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