Credibility
Credibility Ratings
Not all nutritional substances are created equal, at least not in the eyes of the medical establishment. It might be argued that no alternative health modality can attain respectability in their view and that might be right. However, some substances have more research and more of the right kinds of double blind studies and so on that lend credibility to them than other substances.
To help you determine the credibility of a product we have devised this index:
CR I
These are products which have hundreds and perhaps thousands of papers written on them. They are well known to researchers and widely regarded as having met the standards of good science. No one except ignorant members of the medical cartel can dispute these (although some so-called quackwatchers still do.) Benefits and risks are well known. Examples include DHEA or Melatonin.
CR II
Products in this category are generally regarded as unproven by the medical establishment and are often the subject of anecdotal reports. Anecdotes are stories in which someone claims a product helped them, though that has not been proven to be the case. Other kinds of situations also apply.
These are products which have had only a few studies done on them, but they were performed by competent researchers or doctors who published their reports in journals. The research is usually paid for or conducted by the company which is selling the products.
Sometimes they are products for which the studies were done in other countries. The FDA never considers studies done in other countries as being valid.
These are also products for which no formal studies have been done but which have been used successfully in clinical practice, usually by the inventor.
The entire spectrum of benefits are not generally known and neither is potential toxicity, especially over the long run. They tend to be innovative and unknown to the scientific establishment. Sometimes they are substances which are usually CR I substances but are being used for an innovative purpose, e.g. Pantothenic Acid for weight loss or acne.
Alternatively, they can be substances used in folklore or the traditional medical systems of other cultures.
Examples include Body Biotics and most others.
The information found in the monographs of products in this and the next section must of necessity often be supplied by the companies that make these products. This means that the information may be biased or found to be wrong when subjected to the scrutiny that CR I products receive. It does not mean that the product does not work, but it is no guarantee that it will. We make no claims except to report what we have learned. Regard these as experimental.
CR III
These are products which are at the very leading edge of innovation or beyond, and not only in applied science but in basic science. Such products should be regarded as experimental and although they are generally safe, not much is known about their long term properties. (In fairness, not much is known about the long term effects of most prescription drugs, either.) In return, they have the most potential benefit which can be almost revolutionary. Anyone interested in what the next century holds should investigate these. Examples include Tachyon Silica Gel and Microhydrin. This also includes homeopathics which still irritate the medico-scientific establishment after 150 years because they defy the principles of pharmacology that modern medicine is built upon. Please note! According to commonly accepted scientific principles, there is no proof that these substances work as claimed.
It should be emphasized that in a free society, the burden of judgment is upon an informed citizen. As long as the facts are not fraudulent it is the right of a free citizen to assess risks and act accordingly, something understood by everyone from smokers to sky divers. The government has no trouble risking your life in one of their wars when it is in their interest. It is only when you take this responsibility for yourself that they object. Of course, the more cynical among us has noted the connection between the AMA, the drug companies and the FDA which protects the profits of each by its own admission!
Although almost no one has died, or even been made ill by even the CR III products, the potential buyer should always keep an open mind, but not so open that brains fall out. The buyer is the sole recipient of any benefits, but is also the bearer of any risks. Everyone is biochemically unique and any unfamiliar substance is a risk. Natural Health Consultants is different than your health food store or pharmacy. We look for innovative, breakthrough products not easily found. These are impact products that can make a difference and for that reason should be regarded as experimental.
We do not presume to evaluate the products we sell. Nor do we make any claims about anything we sell. We are not a testing laboratory and we don't do double blind studies. We report what we have learned and let you decide. Nor do we recommend a regimen (although we may report what various health practitioners do.) That would be prescribing and we don't want to be put in that position. You have to pick and choose after doing your own research, at this site and through other resources. If you would like to know the source for the information we place on these pages, by all means, let us know and we will see to it that you find out. We have no secrets.
For that matter, we don't censor information because it may seem implausible or offend the sensibilities of the health Nazi's. That's why we have this index. We are still a semi-free people. Let's keep it that way.
In these pages claims are taken from product literature or other sources of information. We do not and cannot verify the truth about any supplement. We can only report in good faith what we have learned and try to qualify the source as a study, patent information, a clinical experience, or an anecdotal report. You have to decide for yourself.
Natural Health Consultants has taken great pains to choose what appear to be safe products, but assumes no responsibility for the user's results.
