Taking supplements is really a choice that we all have to make. Should we, or shouldn’t we? Is it really necessary? There are so many choices to make. You can stand in the isle full of supplements and wonder which ones are right for you and which ones you will get the most out of. More often than not, we hear how our bodies don’t absorb all of the nutrients we need from over-the-counter supplements. We are pushed toward buying pharmaceutical grade supplements that our bodies are said to get more out of. Yet, most of the time these kinds of supplements cost more.
For someone with multiple food allergies, such as I have, it is a trying venture to find supplements that do not contain any allergenic foods. It is important for someone with food allergies to take supplements as there are many foods that cannot be eaten and therefore, those nutrients cannot be of use. Finding allergen-free supplements is nearly impossible if you are looking at the grocery store shelves. You will find extracts of fish, berries, soy, milk, colorings and other artificial ingredients that can cause allergic reactions.
Searching for supplements in the organic section of a store, you will still find extracts of certain foods and plants that can be allergenic such as berries, but on the brighter side, you will be less likely to find artificial flavors and colorings in organic supplements. Still, there is the matter of the allergenic food extracts.
Everyone knows that if you have an allergy you should the allergy, especially in the case of food allergies. This may mean not taking supplements even though you feel you should. All is not lost for those with food allergies. I have found four companies who produce relatively allergen-free supplements. One is over-the-counter, Natrol, and the other three are pharmaceutical grade supplement suppliers called Xymogen, Dynamic Nutritional Associates, Inc., and Bio Vita.
Natrol, founded in 1980, is based out of California and has since made a name for itself as a global leader in the dietary supplement industry. This company manufactures and distributes high quality supplements as well as herbal teas and sports nutrition products. They not only sell under the name Natrol®, but also sell products under the following brand names: MRI, Prolab®, Laci Le Beau®, Promensil®, Trinovin®, Nu Hair®, and Shen Min®. Their products are available in thousands of drug stores, retail stores, health food and mass market stores, as well as gyms, catalogs and last but not least, through the Internet.
Natrol claims their innovative formulas have a scientific backing with the latest research that ensures their products will help their customers reach optimal health and well being. Their product line includes supplements for women, men, heart health, vitamins and minerals, weight management and energy, sleep, stress and mood, complete health, digestive health, eye health, immune health, children’s health, joint health, sports nutrition and brain health.
On the labels of these products you will see a statement that says: “no: yeast, wheat, corn, milk, egg, soy, gluten, artificial colors or flavors, added sugar, starch, or preservatives”. Natrol does try and eliminate as many allergens as they can from their products, but it is always best to read the labels of every product you are thinking of purchasing, just to be safe.
Out of Natrol’s products I have personally used the Stress Complex Tablets with the combination of melatonin, valerian and B-complex vitamins and the 5mg Melatonin tablets to help me sleep. I do not use these both at the same time. I have tried one and then the other. They both work fairly well, but I find the Stress Complex Tablets help me sleep more soundly. I also have tried the Alpha Lipoic Acid 600mg capsules, and the Omega-3 Fish Oil 1000mg capsules.
If you would like more information on Natrol you can contact them at the corporate office at:
21411 Prairie Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Ph: (818) 739-6000
Toll Free: 1-800-2-NATROL (1-800-262-8760)
Em: [email protected]
www.natrol.com
For those who would rather seek out pharmaceutical grade companies, I would recommend Xymogen. I use many of their products and find them to work wonderfully.
Xymogen has had over twenty-five years of experience in providing professional quality supplements to healthcare providers. Xymogen is focused in four main areas of concern:
1) Guarantee purity and potency by way of Third Party Assays.
2) They use CPEPA, or Clinician-Patient Exclusivity Protection Agreement, to prevent any widespread discounting of products on thousands of Internet sites.
3) Eliminate the distributor network which secures optimal pricing.
4) Reduce backorders which improves efficiency. They have invested a substantial amount of time consulting with PHds representing the best quality of raw material suppliers.
Xymogen prides themselves in using the very best ingredients to create their professional formulas, thus setting them apart from higher priced retail brands. Their supplements are offered in vegetable-based cellulose capsules, powders, and softgels to ensure easy swallowing.
They enforce no Internet sales to protect doctors from Internet discount sites by using the Clinician-Patient Exclusivity Protection Agreement. This is so patients will not question their doctors about the pricing or their intentions after visiting a web site that offers deep discounts on nutritional supplements. Because of this, Xymogen is also only available to healthcare professionals with a license issued by the state.
Xymogen assures their products to be free of wheat, gluten, corn protein, yeast, dairy products, artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. Remember to always check the labels just in case.
I have used several supplements from Xymogen such as: IgG 2000 DF, Lacidofil, Saccharomycin DF, Alpha Lipoic Acid (the controlled release version), GlutAloeMine, Adrenal Essence, and Activ Nutrients (without iron). I found Xymogen through my nutritionist and it took us a while to find a company whose supplements were relatively allergen-free. So as you can imagine, I am partial to Xymogen’s products and find them to work very well, better than I had expected. So far I have had no problems (reactions) with their supplements.
To find out more about Xymogen you can contact them at:
Xymogen, INC. Exclusive Professional Formulas
725 S. Kirkman Rd.
Orlando, FL 32811
Toll Free: 1-800-647-6100
www.xymogen.com
If you would like to purchase their products, you can talk to your healthcare provider, or you can visit www.prohealthforum.com to see what they have to offer. Prohealthforum.com also has listings from other companies as well. However, you can only purchase these supplements if your healthcare provider has an account with this website.
You can contact Xymogen/Numedica at:
9503 E. 55th Place
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74145
Ph: (918) 665-1151 (local)
Ph: 1-866-787-5175 (toll free)
Fax: 877-270-2005
Dynamic Nutritional Associates, Inc. offers products free of sugar, starch, soy, yeast, corn or other known allergens. Free of preservatives, artificial coloring or flavoring. Their product line includes supplements for allergies, weight control, thyroid, immune system, ear drops, respiratory function and a few others.
From this company I use Allerstop which is a combination of calcium pantothenate (pantothenic acid), quercertin, MSM, bromelain, ammonium chloride and vitamin C. All of these work together to fight both food and environmental allergens, combat inflammation as well as balance histamine levels in the body.
I have found Allerstop to work better than most allergy medicines on the market today, such as Claritin. However, I still carry Benadryl around with me for the more stubborn allergy symptoms.
I have searched the Internet for the contact information for Dynamic Nutritional Associates, Inc. but I have been unable to find this information. However, if you would like to view the kinds of products they offer, you can visit www.prohealthforum.com and click on “catalog”. Under companies you will see “DNA”. Click on the name and a list of their products will appear.
The last company I have to talk about is Bio Vita. I was able to find a bit more information about this company from their website. The staff at Bio Vita is a mixture of medical and business professionals on natural health for their consumers. Their mission is to educate and inform people that they can choose natural health products for any purpose synthetics products can be used for. The staff have also found that natural health products and natural sleep aids have proven to be safer with few, or no side effects. They have combined the knowledge of ancient civilizations with today’s modern technology to create natural health alternatives.
The main goal at Bio Vita is to reintroduce health products and natural sleep aid products by using the wisdom of the ancients. Bio Vita claims that products purchased through them are a quality alternative to the synthetic products currently on the market.
Many of Bio Vita’s products are free of: corn, salt, yeast, wheat, milk & egg products, sugar, starch, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
In Bio Vita’s product line, you will find supplements like digestive enzymes, thyroid supplements, cod liver oil, anti-inflammatories and so on.
From Bio Vita, I use their digestive enzyme supplement, Pancrenex, which works very well. I really have no complaints with this company. To view some of their products you can again, visit www.prohealthforum.com or go to the company’s website at www.biovitalabs.com.
For more information you can contact the company at:
Bio Vita Labs
100 Cummings Suite B20D
Beverly, MA 01915
Phone Numbers:
Customer Satisfaction – 1-800-914-6002
E-mails:
General Information – [email protected]
Customer Care – [email protected]
Returns – [email protected]
Regardless of what you hear about over-the-counter-supplements not having the quality as professional-grade supplements, it is really up to you to determine what works for you and what doesn’t. Try out various products and make note of each one and how you think it works for you. Then stick with whichever one you feel does the job. It comes down to what your body tells you works and what you can afford.
