The headline reads:
“Walmart, Target and others under fire for selling bogus supplements”
A recent article from CNN Money explains that the New York Attorney General issued a “cease and desist order” to Walmart, GNC, Target and Walgreens for selling herbal supplements that in fact do not contain the herbal ingredients the label advertises.
That’s what we said.
If you’ve been listening to us, you will remember that we at AC Spine & Wellness have been telling you not to buy generic supplements for years. This information is nothing new to us, and that’s why we make every effort to offer only supplements that we have personally reviewed, scrutinized and determined that our supplier is a reputable source.
The Attorney General agrees.
The New York Attorney General’s office performed tests on the supplements in question and found such results as, “No St. John’s Wort DNA was identified” in a bottle labeled, “St. John’s Wort”. And, “No plant genetic material of any sort was identified in the product labeled Echinacea.”
Does this alarm you? It should! Other supplements contained allergens, including wheat, that were not labeled as such.
St. John’s Wort is missing St. John’s Wort?
According to the article, multiple tests were performed on supplements from several different stores. The results were the same: that the supplement indicated on bottles of St. John’s Wort, ginko biloba, ginseng, garlic, Echinacea and saw palmetto, were in fact missing that particular ingredient! Thousands of consumers are throwing money away – and worse – consuming a product that is not what it says it is. That’s a very scary thought, especially because you could be doing more harm to your body than good by ingesting such supplements on a regular basis.
Contaminants and fillers are not good for you. Ever.
Although this report is from New York and is only regarding specific lots of each supplement, the investigation is continuing and, “focused on what appears to be the practice of substituting contaminants and fillers in the place of authentic product,” said the attorney general’s office. Again, if you are not yet alarmed, you should be.
We call this matter to your attention not to scare you, but rather to support what we have been telling our patients all along: know where your supplements come from; know the ingredients in them; know they are coming from a reputable supplier. We hate to see you waste your money and experience adverse health issues when you can purchase your supplements from AC, knowing that we do all the screening for you. Our promise to you is that the supplements we offer are authentic and do not contain harmful fillers or additives, but rather the ingredients the label says they contain – things that will help you feel better and live healthier.
– Dr. Altieri and Dr. Cavallo
If you would like to read more about the supplements in question, please see the following:
Walmart, Target and others under fire for selling bogus supplements
