There it was flashing in my mind like a neon billboard sign in New York City. "Raspberry Keytones" it said on the label. I was simply scrolling through Facebook posts at the end of the day, and saw it right there presented to hundreds of people on a friends page. I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't believe the person didn't realize what they were promoting and that it was a horrible mistake that their direct-to-consumer sales company had probably spent thousands of dollars on. Did I comment? No! Why? Because when you are a healthcare professional you carefully select what you get involved in and what advice you give to those who are not in your direct care. I just shook my head and had to walk away. I later realized that I just couldn't ignore the problem and wished to do something in ways that might reach more people. Thus, this article and it's content.
So what's the big deal? Well, raspberry keytones printed on the label should correctly be printed raspberry ketones. I thought, at first, that I was reading it wrong and saved it to my desktop to remind myself that I wasn't in a peri-menopausal fog. Keytone? Don't they mean Ketone? Yes, I resolved in my mind, they should have put ketone. OK people, it's medicinal and not musical. It was a hard note for me to swallow. Literally!! I couldn't believe that a company with some magical product for weight loss would not know how to spell ketones. It actually made me quite angry that people, in the general public, would actually consider taking something for weight loss when the makers didn't even take the time to review their product label and get it right. And the problem didn't stop there. The other ingredients were also listed, and spelled appropriately (bonus!), but as a highly trained professional, I realized that there could be dangers and contraindications for someone consuming such a thing without professional advice.
I then went to the next step in my fury and used a professional and restricted nutritional database to review each of the ingredients just for my sanity and to make sure I wasn't too far off base. Nope, I wasn't! The specific ingredients could cause unwanted issues for those with asthma, gastrointestinal disease, blood disorders, and so on. I sadly realized that someone would jump on board the weight loss wagon, ingest the product, and not know the ramifications of something that seemed so safe. They simply wanted to lose weight, but didn't realize that they could gain a host of other problems as a result of taking the product.
The label is the bread and butter of the product. It's the attention grabber. It's the thing that sucks you in and makes you want to use it. But, I can tell you as a professional that "claims" have to be carefully written and reviewed before sending something out to the masses. In fact, I am hired as a consultant to get involved with manufacturers and product makers who want to give solid information to patients before they ever swallow or consume anything they didn't intend to. It's very important and to me is a huge deal breaker. And, if it's not even spelled right, do you think I'm going to put it in my mouth and swallow it? No way!!
Claims really can't be trusted in my professional opinion, but instead, the list of ingredients can serve as a better guide. I'll give you an example. Dirt is "naturally occurring" and "organic". I have the capability and special equipment to scoop up an unlimited supply of dirt from my back yard and formulate it into capsules that would look similar to many products on the open market. Would it harm someone? Likely not, and especially if I used a small amount. And while on that note... since this all started with "keytones"... no pun intended (smile), I think the quantity of an ingredient is important. Is it a standardized pharmaceutical grade component with appropriate strengths? Is it safe to take in that amount? Not sure? Then ask someone who truly knows and is trained to understand the details of the product ingredients. To the "naturally derived" dirt, I could even add some inert ingredients as fillers, or add some ingredients to make it break down a certain way in the GI tract, but it doesn't change the fact that it's dirt and it needs to be reviewed by the consumer. Never take anything that you haven't researched for yourself and talked to your personal healthcare provider about. Physicians, Pharmacists, and Naturopathic Doctors are specifically trained to consider side effects, contraindications, and other disease states before giving their stamp of approval on anything that might harm someone. First do no harm! It's a creed that embedded within the minds of those professionals that really have your best interest at heart. Trust them before you trust the untrained friend of family member who doesn't realize the full scheme of things to the body as a whole. And who doesn't even realize that their favorite product label, that's going to provide them extra income if they sell a lot, has a misspelling. Okay, I'll stop since we already covered that little tidbit of information which started this whole thing.
I hope this helps you understand the importance of a personal relationship with a healthcare provider that you know and trust. Opinions do matter, but the source of the opinion means all the more when it comes to taking medicines, supplements, and herbal products. It pays to know the smallest of details to help you live better, feel better, and look better. I want you to end on a good note.
To your good health,
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan is a highly trained medical professional with a keen interest in helping patients live better, look better, and feel better. Providing natural and complimentary supplements in addition to formulating pharmaceutical grade custom formulations for diseases and health problems is where Dr. Sonja serves full time in her consulting and compounding pharmacy practice in Bolivar Missouri. Dr. Sonja also teaches to physician, community, and women's groups across the nation on the topics of anti-aging, natural medicine, and lifestyle. To book Dr. Sonja O'Bryan for your upcoming event, visit http://www.onpurposewomen.com/ or call 417-770-3111. Customized programs are available.
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