What Should You Look for in a Supplement?

Will The True Quality Supplements Please Stand Up Blog

The week’s New York Times news report about the New York State general attorney’s office’s investigation of six herbal supplement formulas from Target, Walmart, Walgreens and GNC showing alarming test results has understandably shaken consumer confidence. (See link at end of story.)

However, while more details surface about the validity of the test findings, it’s important that consumers not hastily “toss the baby out with the bath water.” Instead, it may be more productive to let the story serve as a reminder to be a discerning consumer when it comes to dietary supplement choices.

So, what should a consumer look for?

In terms of quality control, here are two important items:

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Look for or inquire about manufacturing practices. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set industry standards in a guide called the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs or simply GMPs). Be sure to choose a brand that follows GMPs.
Third Party Verification
Since the FDA simply sets standards, but does not conduct testing, outside parties are often used by reputable companies to verify manufacturing practices as well as ingredients. This is very important. There are four main certifying bodies: ConsumberLab.com, the Natural Products Association, NSF International, and the United States Pharmacopeia. You can more assuredly trust supplements that have been tested by one of these organizations for both manufacturing practices and ingredients.

But there are a couple more important questions to ask:

Did a medical doctor or reputable medical professional play a part in the formulation? A licensed medical doctor is more likely to create an efficacious, science-based formula.
Has there been any credible research conducted using the formula? Look for research published in a medical journal. Positive results speak for themselves.

The BrainMD Health supplement line meets all of the important criteria. It’s a stellar choice, and here’s why.

Nutritional supplements make up a foundational component of the world-renowned Amen Clinics program and research quite simply because they work. In fact, Amen Clinics founder, Dr. Daniel G. Amen, decided to formulate the BrainMD Health line specifically to support brain and body health. As a clinical neuroscientist, board-certified psychiatrist, nine-time New York Times bestselling author and brain imaging expert, Dr. Amen needed to be certain that the supplements he recommended to his patients were made with the highest quality ingredients at efficacious levels using the very best manufacturing processes.

The BrainMD Health line of supplements are manufactured at a pharmaceutical facility, approved by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), which follows stringent Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) set by the FDA. The ingredients in each formula are rigorously tested by a third party.

Even more compelling, several of the BrainMD Health supplements have been an integral part of a clinical brain rehabilitation study. In 2011, the Amen Clinics conducted the first and largest study on active and retired NFL players. Certain BrainMD Health nutritional supplements were used as part of the overall brain health rehabilitation program. The results? Eighty percent of the participating NFL players experienced a high level of improvement in several markers of brain health!

While we know that the BrainMD Health supplement line is exceptional, you may need to try them for yourself to be a believer too. There’s absolutely nothing to lose as they all come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back. You can check them out right here.

To access the New York Times report referenced above, click here.