Nutritional supplements, scam or what?

To be fair, opinions are like bottoms, every one has one! The thing about the area of health called ‘alternative’ is that it isn’t an area trusted or believed by everyone. Holistic or natural remedies are viewed with scepticism and caution and the word quack is often used in association. Many herbal or complementary therapies have been in existence for thousands of years and if they were utter garbage or nonsense there is absolutely no way the methodologies to use them would still be here, they would have been buried thousand of years ago. Perhaps we should try to be a little more open minded and less ‘Western’ in our attitudes especially as the vast majority of the world’s population still use ancient remedies and medicinal preparations. The vast majority of multi-millions of people can’t all be wrong, can they?

The thing with us sophisticated and civilized westerners (said with tongue firmly in cheek!) is that we have wonderfully packaged and scientifically proven pharmaceuticals to use for when we are ill. We go to our doctor or pharmacist and take whatever they recommend. We do not have to think about it or even consider the alternatives. The reason as to why you became was more than likely your own fault but hey, who cares, when I get ill, I’ll pay for the cure. But where are these medical professional recommendations born?

Mainstream medicine is a blinkered and indoctrinated industry dominated by the desires of the huge pharmaceutical companies. It costs time and millions of dollars to get approval for pharmaceuticals and these costs need to be recouped. These guys need their investment money back. Have you ever considered where the majority of investment in medical colleges comes from? Yep, the pharma giants – why do you think that is? Additionally, who recommends products to doctors or pharmacists, yep sales reps from pharma giants. The thing is, the pharmaceutical industry is a gigantic business. One giant, GSK is apparently considerably wealthier than quite a few countries added together!

I recently heard that last year in the US alone approximately 150,000 people died from the prescription drugs given to them by their doctors. Conversely, I have never heard of anyone dying from taking a supplement.

To a certain degree I feel quite sorry for our doctors. They are busy and they have to make important decisions on a variety of symptoms and illnesses daily. It must be stressful having to cope with the work load. Having little time to keep up to date with the latest drugs its no wonder they take on board what the pharma sales reps tell them. In our recent history, as soon as somebody walked in the doctors feeling a little blue, the next thing they knew they were on Prozac for 6 months! This drug had a lot of investment and marketing, so they needed to make a hell of a lot of money out of this one. Nowadays it’s all about cholesterol. In the West, apparently we are nearly all suffering with this problem called elevated ‘bad’ cholesterol levels. Ignoring the fact that the ‘correct’ level keeps changing (it keeps lowering – I wonder why?) suddenly we all need statins. My goodness what did we do without these wonder drugs! The pharma giant has done a great job on this one and the doc has bought the hype! This course of action is to prevent (my goodness I didn’t think they understood the word!) heart problems. But high cholesterol has little to do with heart problems and the actual statistics show the link is ridiculously tenuous. In Japan they typically have much higher ‘bad’ levels and yet, not only do they live longer but they have considerably less heart issues. There are so many other ways to maintain a healthy heart, surely taking a drug is a bit sledge-hammer. It leaves a bit of a bad taste with me.

I am not against mainstream medicine, if you need to take a drug and it works then great. If you need surgery, have it. My gripe is basically with the blinkered attitude which is passed through our society which builds mistrust of anything offered by a non-white coat wearing professional. Taking the course of prevention is surely much better than waiting until you fall ill but alas this is now the way of the rich and lazy West. Optimal health isn’t that difficult to achieve but of course this isn’t the goal of everyone. To make some positive changes only requires a little common sense and a small amount of effort to use nutritional supplements and vitamins, eat a healthier more balanced diet, take a little regular exercise, relax and get some decent sleep.

When anti-aging is mentioned, most people immediately think of anti-wrinkle face creams. This is the power of big business and marketing. When I talk of anti-aging I mean the slowing of age and combating all the aging diseases which most of us will inevitably encounter or suffer from. Anti-aging medicine is a proven area of medicine and science. If you believe in prevention being better than cure and the possibility to protect against the aging disease, then we are talking the same language. But this is not just about popping some pills, this is to do with an all round effort to fight the causes of aging. It is as much about good mental health as it is a healthy body. It is about whatever helps you relax and feel good whether it be meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, massage, sports, having a glass of red or walking the dog. It is about cutting down on the naughty foods and adding some more fresh fruit and vegetables. It is about stopping smoking and cutting down on your alcohol consumption and it’s about taking nutritional supplements and good quality vitamins.

Did you know that the Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamins was created during the First World War to establish the absolute bear minimum vitamin intake humans need to survive! Hardly optimum health!

Now this brings me to Can-C eye drops. Can-C eye drops are not a miracle drug or cure. They are a clinically proven, specially formulated supplement, created to deliver the super –antioxidant n-acetyl-carnosine (NAC) to the part of the eye which needs some help to fight the ravages of age. As we age the balance between oxygen, protein and sugar gets out of sync, causing massive amounts of free radicals. Free radicals cause an enormous amount of damage throughout our bodies, bringing on the aging process, and antioxidants are the slayers of free radicals. Carnosine has proven to be a powerful anti-oxidant that helps most of our organs but has little benefit to the eyes. It was the desire to create a delivery system for carnosine to reach the eyes that started the research 20 years ago that finally brought us the breakthrough that is Can-C, 10 years ago.

Can-C eye drops rid the age related ‘debris’ through its powerful antioxidant action. This leaves the eye clear to begin the process of healing itself. The drops could be used by anyone interested in protecting their eyes against the inevitable onslaught of aging. They have proved to be an excellent supplement for humans and pets wanting to naturally reverse aging conditions like senile cataracts. Also, by providing the healthiest environment for your eyes, Can-C helps with many other ocular conditions from Dry Eye or Presbyopia to Macular Degeneration and Computer Vision Syndrome.

Can-C not only offers an alternative to mainstream remedies like cataract surgery or practically useless drops for dry eye like artificial tears, but they are an excellent investment for the future health of your eyes. Can-c eye drops should be part of your anti-aging regime from your late thirties onwards.