Articles posted on December 2008 (6)
If it seems to good to be true...it is!!
You may have come across promotions on the internet by companies giving away 'free samples' of their supplements. All you have to do is pay for the shipping and handling.
I see them from time to time and usually have a look to see where the catch is. More often than not you will find buried in the small print of the terms and conditions that you are committing to a regular monthly shipment of the product and that it is automatic UNLESS you specifically cancel it.
But, even that can be problematic as many of these companies do not provide phone numbers, physical addresses or even email addresses. The only point of contact is through a webform. Often these companies are not even companies at all but individual marketers working from home without the infrastructure to support customer complaints etc.
In some cases they may be a company with premises but they choose to ignore the complaints until they get so severe that the FTC or some other authority steps in. These people and companies do the industry a gross disservice so it is pleasing when they are caught up and brought to court such as Ultralife Fitness Inc in Utah. But, then they got off lightly.
Slim Chance Awards for 2008
Each year the Healthy Weight Network issues it's annual 'Slim Chance Awards'. I thought that I would give you a link to the article announcing the winners for this year.
On one hand it is quite amusing but on the other it is quite sad that people are given false hopes and expectations whilst wasting their hard earned money on what is often no more than a scam.
The 'awards' are broken down into four sections.
1. Most outrageous claim
2. Worst gimmick
3. Worst claim
4. Worst product
To read the article please click here.
Resveratrol...is there sufficient in your Supplements?
Question: from James
For some years I have researched the Internet on health issues and as a result have elected to purchase your products relevant to myself. However firstly we in the UK do not have the luxury of chopping and changing Doctors ad lib, My own GP in fact insists that I use statins for cholesterol control . and was unaware of the Co- enzyme depletion as a result.
He also precribes Losartan Plus for B.P control ..
However I do take Cardio Klenz and Total Balance Mens Premium together with Dr Sears Accel(coenzyme Q10) and for a man of 72 feel pretty fit.
However my only concern re your products is that whilst they are well researched .is. are the quantity of the ingredients sufficient . \i.e. resveratrol in Cardio Klenz is only 50mg whereas other suppliers offer products containing 300 mg or more ??? this applies to a number of ingredients in TB and CK . I have every confidence in Xtend Life and your ethical approach to general wellbeing and I feel sure that with your approach you would provide products which are have adequate amounts of the various ingredients to provide effective treatment and I would welcome clarification.
Nattokinase...is it any good?
Question: from Al
What is your advice regarding Nattokinase
Answer: from Warren
Nattokinase is a good enzyme and can be very beneficial in helping clean your arteries…provided it is the right sort. There are a number of different forms on the market most of which are not approved by the FDA in the US.
When we researched this ingredient some time ago the only quality form that we could find that was approved by the FDA was called Nattozimes and is produced by the National Enzyme Company in the USA.
We now use this in both our Total Balance Premium and Cardio-Klenz.
Why are some forms of Nattokinase not approved by the FDA?
The simple answer is how they are produced.
How to better understand Omega 3 Fish oil claims!
Recently in a discussion on this blog about MOXXOR a reader Ari asked for my opinion about another product called OmegaXL. Because the answer applies in general terms to many other products I felt it would be helpful for readers interested in Omega 3 to read my response.
Comments about OmegaXL provided to Ari.
The info on OmegaXL seems to be quite sparse. Like Moxxor there is plenty of hype but little detail.
For example, other than saying there are 60 soft gels in a bottle there is little other information. For example, what are the contents of each soft gel, how many mgs in a soft gel? Without this it is difficult to do an accurate assessment.
I did however have a quick scan of their website and after just a couple of minutes on their home page I picked up two major misleading statements and did not read further.
One was that is the product has DHA 60% and EPA 70%. This is misleading and a physical impossibility. You cannot have a combined total of more than 100%.
Are you 100 years old and depressed?
Seems some are according to a recent study!
I sometimes wonder why resources are allocated to studies that serve no direct purpose. Here is an example of a recent one!
“One in four centenarians hit by depression”
Let have a look at what was said in a news release from Temple University a week or so back.
“Results of a recent study suggest that at least one in four centenarians suffer from depression, yet few have been diagnosed with the disease.
Adam Davey, a developmental psychologist at Temple University, and colleagues surveyed 244 centenarians taking part in the Georgia Centenarian Study. Results showed that more than 25% of respondents had clinically relevant levels of depressive symptoms, however just 8% had a current diagnosis of depression.
"People who suffer from depression tend to have a high risk of mortality, so it's puzzling to see higher numbers among the oldest old," said Davey in a news release. He adds that further studies are needed to identify why the incidence of depression is so high amongst centenarians.