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The internet is full of misleading information, exaggerations, and downright lies. It is a real challenge for you, as a consumer, to determine what to believe. This is especially true when people, trying to convince you to buy their products, use what I like to call "Crafty Advertising". It is buyer beware! But to be aware, you have to be able to separate the sensational from the valid.
Let me give you a number of examples to help illustrate my point:
Actual Product Claim:
“Most products are synthetically made and do not have the same absorption benefits as whole food ones. (The Product) uses Organic Whole food nutrients and we also use Organic minerals that are patented and proven through research to be absorbed up to 400% better than others.”
Dr. Z’s Analysis:
This is a good example of misleading and exaggerated information spiced up with some downright fabrications. The wording is meant to play on your potential fear that you may be getting unnatural synthetic vitamins. They also constantly use the word “Organic” to tap into the perception that anything organic must be better. The problem is that there is no such thing as supplemental “Organic Whole Food Nutrients” or “Organic minerals”. These are made-up terms that really sound good but have no real meaning. The last sentence about “Organic minerals” being patented is simply a lie! The “absorbed up to 400% better than others” is a gross exaggeration.
Actual Product Claim:
“This salt, (Product Name) is known as "white gold" because it contains eons of stored sunlight.”
Dr. Z’s Analysis:
How on this living earth can anyone claim this with a straight face? Give me a break! But, people fall for it all of the time.
Actual Product Claim:
“Scientists have identified (Product Name) as one of the most important discoveries for people’s health in the 21st century.”
Dr. Z’s Analysis:
Absolutely a downright lie! What scientists? And, when I looked for studies in the peer-reviewed literature I found NONE! How could something be the most important discovery if I could not even find one study about the product?
Let’s get real here! Advertisers LOVE to throw around words like synthetic, chemically altered, organic, whole food, research, discovery, and scientists. Why? Because they know that these words have a big impact on us and that the majority of us are pretty trusting. We don’t want to immediately believe that someone would mislead us in a premeditated manner. For example:
“Henry Godenberg, M.D., a highly respected doctor, has spent a life-time researching the difference between synthetic and whole food vitamins and has shown that chemically altered, synthetic vitamins are contributing to diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.”
The premise of this statement does not initially strike me as being unrealistic. In fact, it sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? Luckily, I just made it up! If you do not think that this same tactic is utilized to con you into buying natural health products, please think again because I see it regularly. It stinks that we cannot just trust people any longer. Unfortunately, the principle that my grandfather drilled into me of my word is my bond has gone out the door.
By the way, when you see or hear the terms “Highly respected”, “Top doctor”, “Internationally known”, or “Well-known” please ask yourself these questions. Highly respected by whom? Top doctor where? Internationally known how? And, well-known for what reason? I recently received an email from someone in Europe so I guess that makes me internationally known! See what I mean?
You may be wondering how they can get away with doing this? They do because there is little regulation of the supplement market. And, any of the potential penalties they may have to face are minor at worst. I don’t know about you but I am really sick and tired of these tactics. I believe that those who mislead, exaggerate, or lie to financially benefit themselves should have to face criminal charges! I believe that if someone lies to you about one thing you have to question everything they say.
My name is Dr. Edward Zimmer and I have a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition from Bridgeport University in Connecticut. My undergraduate degree in chemistry was completed at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. I am a full-time clinician who lectures frequently and authors Alternative Health Update which is a monthly newsletter published for Medical Doctors. I have written numerous other articles and booklets which you will find on this site along with my monthly educational e-Newsletter called Health-Zingers. I am a family man who has been married for close to two decades and I have four wonderful children (and Buttercup, our golden retriever).
I started ZimmerNutrition.com because I realized that people are desperate for an honest “go-to” source for scientifically backed educational materials, personalized nutritional guidance, and access to true physician quality vitamin supplements without the exaggerated and misleading sales job. You now have a resource to help you separate the valid from the sensational. You will learn about various health topics in a manner that is meant to educate, not sell! More importantly, though, by simply signing up for our monthly educational newsletter Health Zingers you will have direct access to me via a special email. You can actually ask me to visit a web site or evaluate a product that you may be considering to get my recommendations and opinions. My opinions will always be backed by reasoning so you will be able to determine whether you feel my line of thinking is valid, or not.
My passion is to help educate people about health care because I know that the saying “knowledge is power” is not only a cliché, but it is the truth! If you learn you will be able to empower yourself to actually become healthier. If you are sold a product or supplement, usually the only one who benefits is the seller. My personal promise to you is that I will give you information and recommendations that will benefit you, whether or not that is of benefit to me or not.
So, take a look around ZimmerNutrition.com and begin a learning experience that will hopefully help you to regain and claim vibrant health for you and your family.
In the left column of this page you will see the covers to my four e-books and CD's.
If you have ever wondered if there really is a difference between regular store-bought and high quality multiple vitamins, I urge you to read or listen to the Vitamin Answer Book.
You have a number of options to receive the Vitamin Answer Book, Stress: It is a killer, Heartburn Hell: Putting the fire out naturally, and Cholesterol: Angel or Devil. You can order a CD, download the audio MP3 file, or download the print version in Adobe PDF format. Go to the CDs & Audio Downloads link to get the audio files or to the Articles & Zingers section to get the printed versions.
If you are interested, you can click on the video screen to the left to hear what other practicing health professionals have to say about the Vitamin Answer Book. These testimonials include a Medical Doctor, a Nurse Practitioner, a Pharmacist/Physician Assistant, and a Chiropractor. None of them are affiliated with my clinic in any way.
In addition to my CDs/MP3s and e-Booklets the Articles & Zingers link contains past issues of our FREE monthly newsletter and most of my writings covering numerous health topics including ADHD, Arthritis, Cancer, Digestion, Menopause, PMS, and Artificial Sweeteners to name just a few. I am constantly writing about new subjects so new articles are added on a regular basis. My sincere hope is that some of my insights and experience will help you on your journey towards better health.
If you have ever completed or want to perform a body detoxification, the information under my Detox Your Body link is a must read. Nowhere are there more exaggerations and false claims made than with the subject of body detoxification. Detoxification can be a great healing tool or it can be a great waste of time and money. The protocols I have formulated are thorough and complete. Educate yourself before doing any type of detox.
One of the things that I noticed (other than the exaggerations, misleading statements, and lies) when I began to look on the internet for information about natural health alternatives was that you, as a consumer, had NO access to unbiased expert guidance when it came to making a decision about what to do for your health. Again, mostly you get crafty advertising which typically includes many wonderful testimonials about a product. Here is an example that came directly from the web for a very popular product:
“By the end of 1 month, I realized my G.E.R.D. (gastro esophageal reflux disease) was gone, and after years of expensive daily prescribed medicine;no longer needed. For about 9 years I also used nystatin for candida, which made my tongue white, and often with inflamed, red welts, making my tongue very sore, especially when mold is high. Disappeared! Allergies are getting better…as well as asthma is so much better. I have found on high stress days, (allergy, weather, etc.) I will (use the product) under my tongue every hour or so. It really helps tremendously to get me through those times, so stress won't trigger a CFS or fibromyalgia episode.”
Now that is great stuff! It cures years of stomach problems, yeast infections, allergies, asthma, fatigue, pain, etc. in just 1 month! Others claim that the same product helped them get pregnant, cured cancer, and grew hair back. I promise you that I am not making this stuff up! Years ago I actually tried this exact product on myself and numerous patients and NEVER saw any of these results.
So what is going on here? Why in the world would this person and the many others blatantly lie about all of these benefits? I really do not think that they are lying. Let me share a quick story that I think may give you some insight into why people make and whole-heartedly believe claims like the one above.
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I had a patient who came in wearing a large magnet product on her mid-back. I asked her how the magnet was doing with reducing her pain. She gave me a wonderful testimonial about how this magnet she was wearing had significantly reduced her pain levels. She would not do without it and would have gotten up in front of God and the world to tell them about her experience. So, being the doubtful but curious type, I went home and cut out a piece of cardboard and wrapped it with aluminum foil. I wrapped that with tape and put my logo on it that I printed off of my computer. I asked her if she would be willing to wear my product instead of hers for two weeks. I also told her that I was testing a theory on magnets and thought that my product was going to be great.
What happened? She returned in two weeks and wanted to know if she could keep my product. She had seen a definite improvement over the magnet she had worn. Even more interesting was that she volunteered to give me a testimonial for my product! |
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My point is that you should not let testimonials have too great an impact on your decision making. The person giving the testimonial may be HONESTLY WRONG! Not all testimonials, however, are bad. We have them on our site. You will find, though, that the testimonials we use attest to who we are instead of trying to promote a product for you to purchase.
“Dr. Zimmer has been such a great help to myself and my patients. I appreciate that his knowledge of herbal medicine is evidence based and very thorough. He has helped me out many times with successful alternative treatments to try with my patients. From what I hear back, my patients love him! They love the friendly non-threatening atmosphere and the fact that the treatments work. They get better - who wouldn't love that?”
~ Dr. Dana Caylor, M.D.
Fishers, Indiana
So, to help you navigate through the mess of information about your health, I have established two ways to give you some expert guidance. The first is by signing up for our educational monthly newsletter, Health Zingers; you will have direct access to me through a special email. I quickly answer all kinds of basic questions about specific health problems, products and health related claims. If you are unsure of a product claim, let me give you my opinion! More importantly, I do not shy away from giving you direction and advice. One person from Alaska emailed me and stated:
“I realize you cannot give medical advice, but what is the upper limit on Vitamin A?”
Part of my response was:
“Hi, (Name of person). Thank you so much for your email. I have absolutely no problem giving you medical advice at any time. As for Vitamin A…”
We are so worried about getting sued in this crazy country of ours. I will not shy away from helping people because some idiot might sue me for no good reason. I will never give you advice that is cavalier or reckless. I try very hard to give you the reasoning for my point of view so you can make better decisions about what you want to believe. Again, my goal is to empower you with knowledge, not to convince you of something for my benefit.
The second way I have established to give you expert guidance is through One-on-One nutritional counseling. If you are suffering from some condition, are unhappy with your overall health, or really need personalized direction, my phone consult is for you. You need to know that this is not your typical take this supplement for that symptom type of nutritional consult. My goal and mission is to dive deeper to find the root of your problem. My suggestions for you will be based on helping you find the path towards true healing, not symptom chasing! The most exciting aspect of this consult is that you get a 100% guarantee of satisfaction with the consult or you will pay nothing!” Go to the Nutritional Counseling link for detailed information.
Do you believe that there is a difference in vitamin supplements? I can tell you that I STRONGLY believe that there is a difference. The companies we use only sell their products to health care professionals. But instead of weaving a made-up story about synthetic vs. whole food supplements, or liquid vs. tablets, or store-bought vs. high quality, I want to give you the FACTS and let you decide for yourself. Again, I urge you to listen to or read the Vitamin Answer Book as a starting point.
You will find some very interesting FACTS about store-bought vitamins, herbs, and information about the RDA/DV (Recommended Daily Allowance/Daily Values). You will find out whether you are simply creating expensive urine by taking higher doses of certain vitamins.
Most companies buy the cheapest raw materials in order to make the highest profit. For most natural products there are different “grades” of products available for purchase. Highest grades contain the purest forms of the supplement while lower grades can contain many impurities and sometimes may not even contain the claimed product.
Here is an outtake from a recent study from The Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association looking at the label claim for Chondroitin Sulfate (taken for arthritis symptoms) which they bought from internet sources and stores:
"Twenty-six out of 32 products were found to contain less than 90% of the chondroitin sulfate stated on the label. Only five out of 32 products contained the labeled amount of chondroitin sulfate in the product. This would suggest that in many cases 84% of brands that were tested are inferior products."
Abedowale A, et al. JANA 2000 Vol.3, No. 1 Spring.
Logic dictates that the higher grade products will be more expensive and this is true. But how do you know whether or not a company is actually buying the more expensive form? You do not, as they could be less than honest for the sake of profit! Thus, you have to look at how the company manufactures its products to make any determination of quality.
It makes sense that any company concerned solely with profit will not employ costly procedures in the making of the supplement to ensure quality.
The companies we use to supply our supplements employ costly procedures to ensure quality. Not just one procedure, but a number of them. These are listed below:
This program is based upon third party inspections of member suppliers and comprehensive audits of their GMP practices. This program ensures that all elements of the manufacturing process are reviewed to provide reasonable assurance that processes are sufficiently controlled so that products meet their purported quality.
The problem is that the GMP certification DOESN’T govern the quality of raw materials. So, a company may be GMP certified but still buy the cheapest raw materials. More than the GMP is needed and this is where you will find the difference in our product manufacturers.
Our companies analyze EACH & EVERY lot of incoming raw materials and outgoing products against strict standards and specifications. Almost none of the other companies do this due to cost and because it would prove their product’s inferior status. Thorne Research, for example, has a state-of-the-art laboratory to test their supplements that includes:
- Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer (ICP)
- High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) with series 200 Diode Array Detector and series 200 Fluorescence Detector
- Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) with Flame Fluorescence Detector and Electron Capture Detector
- Near Infrared Spectrophotometer
Our companies pay for independent audits of their procedures and products. This is an additional level of cost for these companies, which well illustrates their true commitment towards manufacturing quality products.
Obviously, the manufacturers we use are in business to make a profit and they accomplish this by charging more for their products. This is why you will generally pay more for quality, but this is not always the case. (Listen to or read the Vitamin Answer Book for some eye-opening information.)
The main point is that you should not have to hope or guess whether the products you buy are actually what you paid for in the first place. You should not have to put up with crafty advertising or fantastic testimonials. When you buy from ZimmerNutrition.com you do not have to worry whether you have just been duped into buying worthless junk. This is the real ZimmerNutrition.com difference. Click on our Buy Supplements link to visit our online store. When you sign up for an account you will qualify for significant discounts on all of our products. You will see the significant discounts at check-out.
My hope is that you will soon realize that ZimmerNutrition.com is here to help you advance your all around personal health in an individualized and caring manner that has been lost in today's health care system.
God bless in good health,
Dr. Edward Zimmer |
