Why use professional grade supplements?

Why use professional grade supplements?

The supplement industry has been riddled with controversy regarding the purity and efficacy of its ingredients, leaving the consumer wondering where to find the truth. Each day, there is a new headline that proves or disproves a previous study regarding the health benefits of a supplement. While there are many factors that play into a valid medical study, the ability to replicate its results at home can be even more difficult when the source of the supplement is in question. The supplement industry is highly unregulated which leaves room for products that have been cross contaminated, diluted with “interesting ingredients” and have very little of what is claimed on the label. In addition, the individuals responsible for ensuring proper education to the patient regarding the supplement, many times have very little knowledge on herbs, vitamins minerals and other nutrients and how they function in the human body.

In order to have replicable success with supplements, one must use a quality product and gain the advice of a knowledgeable health care provider.

What is professional grade or pharmaceutical grade?

Although professional grade or pharmaceutical grade is not an official or regulated term, it refers to products made by manufacturers that follow guidelines structured for the pharmaceutical industry that manufacture prescription medications. Quality Quality of supplements can vary between brands and between batches, especially if the manufacturer does not follow a defined set of manufacturing guidelines such as CGMP. Current Good Manufacturing Guidelines or CGMP, is a set of regulatory standards for ensuring pharmaceutical quality that is used by the FDA to regulate pharmaceutical companies. Adhering to CGMP, gives assurance for the identity, strength, quality and purity of the product as well as a system to prevent contamination, mix-ups, deviations, failures and errors. Labeling should be accurate and appropriately reflect the ingredients in the product.

In addition to adherence to CGMP, independent third party testing (not by the manufacturer) to validate the purity and quantity of the ingredient is also important in choosing a supplement manufacturer.

It is also important to ensure that the manufacturer does not use unnecessary fillers and avoids using offending, allergenic agents when possible. In fact some manufacturers of professional grade supplements are GMO free and have certified gluten free products.

Standardized potency

With most herbs, the cultivation, harvesting and processing can affect the final potency of the product. Using standardized potency values allows the consumer and the health care provider to know exactly how much is in each dose.

Bioavailability testing

Many factors can affect how much of an herb or nutrient is absorbed in our digestive tract. The manufacturing process can sometimes alter how rapidly a product is broken down and absorbed in our body. Bioavailability testing can give insight into how much of the supplement is available for absorption before being eliminated by our bodies.

Other benefits of professional supplements

Most health care providers have used their favorite professional grade supplement companies for many years and have a good working relationship with the company and their local liason. These supplement companies have built trust with providers for ensuring high quality supplements with ingredients that are pure and consistent and of the best quality. If there is a concern with the product, the provider receives direct feedback from the patient and is able to identify the problem much faster as well as contact the local representative that often times, the provider has a running relationship with. If any ingredient question arises, such as, whether a product contains an ingredient such magnesium stearate that may cause headache in certain patients, the provider is able to contact the supplement company directly and in most cases will have an answer from the scientific department within hours.

These companies also offer innovative formulations that incorporate multiple ingredients to help with specific conditions such as three or four ingredients in one product that have been shown to help manage high blood sugar.

The efficacies of certain supplements have been compared to that of prescription medications in clinical studies. Natural does not always equate to completely safe and using potent supplements without the care of a trained healthcare provider may lead to imbalances in the body that have unintended consequences. While using professional grade supplements, careful monitoring by a trained health care professional is necessary to achieve optimal results and avoid unwanted effects.

Professional grade supplements are only available through a trained licensed health professional.