JUST SAY NO TO EXCIPIENTS     Patrick Buehl, president of Generation+, says his company eschews the practice
of using such ingredients, known as excipients, in their natural health products.
“There are simply no unwanted chemicals to obstruct, inhibit or in any other way
negatively affect the results our customers deserve,” states Buehl. “We use spe-
cialized manufacturing equipment and very carefully select density-specific active
ingredients in the formulation process. This allows us to provide consistency in
batch-manufacturing without compromising our formulas with the use of excipi-
ents or ‘other’ ingredients that have, at best, no proven health benefits.”     Buehl urges consumers to pay attention and investigate any products before
purchasing them, and to educate themselves about the inactive additives found
in  their  dietary  supplements.  “This  is  equally  as  important  as  completing  the
necessary education process on active ingredients.” Unfortunately, not all prod-
ucts containing such additives are well-marked.     The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in a February 2004 report, conclud-
ed that “The voluntary system (for ingredient disclosure) is clearly inadequate,”
recommending mandatory labeling for all prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Over  773  additives  have  been  approved  for  use  by  the  Food  and  Drug
Administration (FDA), several of which the AAP expressed concerns over: sulfites and benzalkonium chloride, anti-asthma drugs that can, themselves, cause breath- ing difficulties; sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine, which can cause a
slew of conditions ranging from headaches to infant muscle tone problems; benzyl alcohol, a preservative linked to neonatal deaths; a number of dyes linked histori- cally to cancer, gastric upset and other conditions; milk sugar, which causes diar- “OTHER” INGREDIENTS: EXCIPIENTS BAD—ENZYMES GOOD Be careful what you don’t ask for... you might still get it. It’s been reported that we in the United States
consume at least our
own body weight each
year in inactive ingredients. Like the proverbial “filler” found in hot dogs, these substances offer no proven health benefit and may actually result in a number of health complications. Next Page