How to Choose Quality Vitamins and Supplements

(Family Features) More than half of Americans take an over-the-counter vitamin or dietary supplement, but many may not realize that the quality of these products can vary greatly. Because supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration like other medicines, not all are quality products. When choosing a vitamin or other supplement, checking for independent verification can help ensure quality.

A recent study in the “Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine” found that the amount of actual melatonin in 71% of supplements is off by a 10% margin, meaning that labels of many melatonin substances do not accurately reflect how much melatonin is in the pill. The study also found the amount of melatonin within pills in a single jar can vary by 465%. This incident illustrates the value of verification, which confirms what is on the label is what is in the bottle.

Measures of Quality
The following are some of the characteristics to consider when evaluating the quality of a dietary supplement:

• Positive Identification: There are products on the market that do not contain the ingredients indicated on the label. Tests by an independent third-party can confirm that what is on the label is in the bottle.
• Potency: It is crucial that ingredients are present in the right amount. Too little may have no effect on your health, while too much may be harmful.
• Purity: Unwanted ingredients can have a negative effect on health. Examples may include heavy metals, mold or mildew, and chemicals from pesticides.
• Performance: A pill or tablet must properly dissolve, or else ingredients cannot be absorbed by the body. In that case, it is more likely to pass through your system without any effect on your health.

Another example is saw palmetto extract, a supplement commonly used to support prostate health and help to reduce frequent urination. Studies indicate that not all saw palmetto products are the same. Differences in purity, potency, and quality among the various available saw palmetto products are thought to affect the usefulness of these supplements.

“As with any supplement, a consumer should look for the most reliable option,” said Ed Wyszumiala, head of the Dietary Supplement Verification Program at U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP). “Only consistent and quality saw palmetto extracts have been shown to be effective based on clinical research. Therefore, consumers seeking a quality dietary supplement can feel confident choosing products with third-party verification, such as Flomentum, the only saw palmetto extract supplement that has been independently verified by USP.”

How to Make Supplements Part of a Healthy Daily Routine
Following a few simple guidelines can make it easy to include supplements as part of your daily routine.

• Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any supplements, as they may interact with your prescription medications.
• Do your homework on the manufacturer to make sure it is a reputable company that adheres to good manufacturing practices and does not appear to be the subject of frequent consumer complaints.
• Avoid companies making questionable claims about curing diseases and do your research on the science behind the products.
• Carefully follow the directions on the labels, so you take the supplement exactly as intended.

Tests by an independent third-party can confirm that what is on the label is in the bottle. Learn more about quality supplements and check whether your products are USP Verified at Quality-Supplements.org/Verified-Products.

 

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Photo courtesy of  Pexels.com/Thesis

SOURCE:
U.S. Pharmacopeia

The Power of Getting Clarity

Clarity helps us to focus, to take action, to feel energized. A lack of clarity causes stress, inaction, a scattered focus, relationship difficulties, confusion on teams.

Some examples of areas to find clarity in:

• Your mission in life
• Your morning routine
• Your financial plan
• What you need to do to improve your relationship
• How you’ll get healthier
• What others expect of you; what you expect of them
• How a meeting will be run
• What your boundaries are in each relationship

As you can see, this is a pretty broad topic — it can apply to every part of our lives. And we don’t have to be perfect, and we don’t have to get clarity on everything this week. It’s something to bring awareness to, that we can improve over time.

But the more we find clarity, the more we’ll have focus, calm, motivation.

How to Get Clarity

OK, great … we want to get clarity in our lives … how do we do that? I’ll share some things I’ve learned for finding clarity:

1. Create some space. When we’re unclear on something (how we should reach a goal, for example) … most often we put it off instead of getting any clarity. Instead, try creating some space to get clarity. Carve out an hour. Half a day. A weekend. (Depending on how big the thing is that you need clarity on.) Then do the things below. But carve out the space.
2. Journal, iterate. Write about what you need clarity on — it doesn’t have to be any solid answers, or any kind of coherent writing. Just let your thoughts pour out. Stream of consciousness. Just give yourself space to reflect.
3. Meditate & contemplate. Similarly, you can go out in nature and spend some time in solitude. Go for a walk. Sit on a rock. Meditate. See what comes up for you. Hold one question in your mind: “What do I want here?” Or something like that. See if anything emerges as you hold the question.
4. Talk to others. Share your thoughts with others. Share what you’re not sure about. What you’re afraid of. Hear their thoughts. Just the act of talking it out is valuable — you’re giving space for your thoughts and feelings, and having them heard. Often you can get clarity from a good conversation.
5. When you have a little clarity, write it down. If you have some kind of answer, any kind of clarity at all, write it down as simply as you can. Two sentences. Putting it down simply helps it become more clear. And then you can start to take action on it.
6. Take action to get clarity. Many people think they need to have clarity before they take action, but it often happens the other way around. Have the slightest bit of direction? Go in that direction, take the first steps, see what it’s like. You’ll learn more from doing than going back and forth on things. For example, as I started working on my mission, I got clearer and clearer that this is what was meaningful for me, but I also got clearer on how I’d go about doing it. Maybe in a couple years, I’ll have even more clarity, but I’m not going to wait for that in order to take action. Start moving, and learn from that.
7. Reflect after you take action and get clearer. As you set things in motion, it’s useful to step back every month or two to see how things are going. What have you learned? What’s getting in the way? Use what you’ve learned to get even more clarity. Write it down simply. Take action again.

What areas of your life need clarity? How is the lack of clarity affecting you and those around you? Are you ready to create the space to get the clarity?