Links
To qualified, proven and honest sources of vitamins, supplements and other products needed for health maintenance.Updated: 05/18/09
During these troubled days, we find ourselves inundated with scams, junk products and marketing tricksters known as MLM (multi-level marketing or sometimes called "networking." We are listing only those suppliers who have proven themselves to our satisfaction to be honest and quality suppliers.
— Homeopathy —
Here's a one-stop source for nearly everything concerning the alternative medical science call "Homeopathy." You should call or email for their comprehensive catalog - 1-800-466-3672
Email to: www.1800homeopathy.com
— Vitamins —
Swanson - A top line, mail order source of vitamins & supplements. Honest and proven to provide quality items at the lowest cost available. Reasonable shipping charges. Highly recommended.
— Supplements —
Vitamins are pretty much a status quo situation. You either need them or not and while there's many different brands available, they are basically the same. The hucksters haven't moved in with their typical advertising spin to make theirs the best. But its a different story when we talk about supplements!
Supplements are in another field altogether, for many reasons. You take them to gain weight — you take them to lose weight. You take them to fill in the gaps of your diet that has been missed. You take them to improve your lifestyle and overall feeling. You take them for your overall health or you take them for a more specific health problem. You take them to offset some negative environment condition.
While we are, at this time preparing information about some specific products, again, Swanson is recommended for supplements.
ACAI Berry Juice and other exotic tropical juices. Blend to your own desires. Avoid MLM - buy direct and save!
The juice from the ACAI berry (from Brazil) has been found to be high in antioxidants and other nutritional ingredients. As it became more widely known, along came the MLM scammers and other con-men. Avoid the crooks and buy direct. We have used this source highly recommended them.
Natural Products - Great selection of natural products to improve your health, including: books, remedies, and articles.
Note: This company is an excellent source for water filtration products including replacement filter elements for Berkey water filters.
Your Local
— Health Food Store —
If you live convenient to a health food store, this source shouldn't be overlooked. Unless they are staffed with someone knowledgeable with their products, they can, also, be a source of great confusion. This is due to the vast array of similar products available.
By comparing their price vs. Swanson, many times the same product will be twice as much locally. In today's economy, this is an important consideration. In this case it is simply a matter of convenience weighed against cost.
AVOID - AVOID - AVOID
— MLM —
Multi-Level-Marketing
With the growing interest in food supplements it was only natural that the MLM vultures would sweep in to take advantage of the very people who are lest able to endure another scam.
Most food supplement MLMs differ from an original Ponzi scheme by the fact they actually sell a product. In almost typical fashion, they will take an existing product and apply a lot of Bravo Sierra advertising, fancy packaging, etc. Most of their claims of research was done — not by them — but by the company actually manufacturing the product. They may even claim patents. However, upon examination, you may find the patents are held, again, by the manufacturing company.
It is not uncommon to find the background of the CEOs of these companies to be tarnished with a history of other scams. One such character had been busted by the state attorney's office for promoting an electronic mouse trap that didn't work. A top associate in another situation is actually a "con" man — having served prison time for practicing medicine without a license!
Adherents to alternative medicine consider the federal government for what it is, an evil institution. At the same time, MLMs are usually at odds with the government. This situation winds up making us allies against a common enemy. MLMs are quick to take advantage of this!
You'll sometimes find these vultures at church get-togethers, where they'll have a table set-up peddling their wares while recruiting more unsuspecting people for their "down-line." Since most of these churches are dead-bodies, it's only natural to find vultures!
The product involved may actually be a viable item, only sold for 2 to 3 times as much as an identical product through normal retail channels. The mark-up is necessary to provide the profit to feed the complicated up and down lines in their marketing scheme.
The typical MLM "associate" will try to sell all their friends and family and enlist them as his down-line. He, in turn gets a commission on their sales. On and on it goes.
To learn about the ugly side of MLM goto: http://www.mlm-thetruth.com/
The bottom line is to avoid such schemes and stick to normal retail outlets where no gimmicks are involved.
Some of the MLMs that are presently active in the supplement area are: Mannatech, Mona-Vie, Herbalife, Amway, etc.
