Many people patronize "health food stores" and "supplement stores" online and in person with little to no knowledge of the downsides and limitations of these places.   Many people frequent these places without the systems knowledge that a botanist has for a plant and how addressing the terrain of the body is paramount rather than taking 1 or more supplements for a specific health condition.

Do they ever ask how they got to that health problem in the first place and if what they are buying in terms of supplements is actually absorbing in their body in the proper and frequent amounts?

The answer is usually "no" mainly because they never saught individualized assistance in determining what their body needed and what it didn't need.  

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For instance:

• Many people take vitamin C and B complex mainly because many are aware that the human body does not produce Vitamin C on its own, and doesn't usually produce enough B complex on its own.
• B complex is made by the human body mainly in the intestinal tract but due to many factors including the absurd amounts of stress and lack of gut health, our bodies deplete these substances quickly due to stress and environmental factors we cannot produce adequate amounts of it on our own.
• Even if you obtain these via the oral route how do you know what amount you need of these and other substances and on what frequency?
• Animals such as goats and sheep and others make ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on their own especially in higher amounts when they are sick and/or excessively stressed.

Discover fascinating insights into the world of supplements and the top-selling products with the knowledge we've uncovered:

• Did you know that a whopping 77% of Americans incorporate at least one supplement into their daily routine? It's clear that these little powerhouses have become a popular choice for many.
• When it comes to spending, the average American invests around $96.50 per shopping trip on vitamins and supplements. It's a testament to the value people place on their health and well-being.
• The U.S. vitamin and supplement manufacturing industry is thriving, with a staggering worth of $35.6 billion as of 2022. This industry plays a significant role in supporting the health-conscious population.
• Looking beyond borders, the global supplements industry is projected to experience a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% between 2021 and 2026. It's a testament to the increasing demand for these beneficial products worldwide.

Some of the problems with the supplement industry's products are the following:

1. Consumers often do not seek individualized assistance in determining what their bodies need and what they do not.  Our bodies contain dozens of foundational substances that form and maintain our physical bodies.  We also contain dozens of toxins such as lead, mercury, cadmium and many others.
2. Virtually all supplements at these locales do not delve into detail on where many of the concepts originated from.
3. These supplements are not available in alternative forms such as trans-dermal, micro injections and many others that would significantly improve absorption.
4. Most supplements, advertising are geared toward the female identifying consumer.
5. Lack of independent oversight to prove efficacy of supplements

 1. Lack of individualized assistance

When you walk into supplement stores, you are usually greeted by a person who does not or cannot recommend resources to obtain individualized assistance.  This could be due to many reasons including: jurisdictional prohibition of recommending 3rd party and/or exterior assistance, lack of qualified agents within the stores to recommend these services.  

According to a study in Malaysia, almost 50% of individuals who take supplements do so in order to boost their immune system and safeguard themselves against diseases. Additionally, around 33% of supplement consumers use them to maintain their overall well-being. One-fifth of consumers are motivated by the desire to prevent serious illnesses, while an equal number aim to balance the nutritional deficiencies in their diet. Interestingly, 17% of supplement consumers rely on recommendations from their doctors to guide their supplement intake.

According to a study conducted by Siahaan, Usia, Pujiati, Tarigan, & Murhandini in 2017, a mere 11% of individuals actually take notice of the instructions provided when purchasing supplements. Surprisingly, the level of awareness regarding "traditional" medicine remains alarmingly low.

Would it not be a much better idea for supplement stores to possess agents within the premises or refer customers to  resources for individualized assistance from a systems practitioner to find out what they need on an acute and maintenance basis?

2. Lack of detail on concept origination

Few people know where most of the ideas/concepts consuming these supplements originates.  The truth is most of the supplement industry is based on ortho-molecular concepts originating from Saskatchewan, Canada from the 1950s under the direction of Premier Tommy Douglas and Dr. Abram Hoffer. MD and the whole community of ortho-molecular medicine coined by Dr. Linus Pauling in 1968.

3. Lack of alternative administration forms

Virtually all of the supplements in supplement stores are only available in oral form while there are about a handful of higher absorption methods available.  Some of these are trans-dermal (skin), micro injection (under the skin; subcutaneous), supository (the anus), sublingual (under the tongue). 

This is the confusing propaganda that misleads us all

There's no such thing as a "balanced diet" & nutrition isn't merely food. Why is that? It's because we're all individuals. Orthomolecular nutrition is the individualized analysis application of the substances within the food which our bodies often do not obtain enough of and are often blocked by antagonists.

Taking oral supplements is not as efficient as receiving micro-injections, which means you have to take them more often. The frequency of taking oral supplements differs depending on the situation, but it is generally advised to take them on a daily basis.

It's usually common to only find forms of Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) for sublingual administration while we should all know that B12 is part of the B-Complex set of substances our bodies desperately need on a consistent, adequate dosage.  Why isn't B-complex available in a sublingual form when we need the whole set of B-complex on a frequent basis?  

It is becoming more common to find supplements in liquid form, but again, this and others that you consume via the oral route  need to pass through the gastro-intestinal system and for many reasons including lack of proper gut health, does not absorp in the amounts stated on the label.

Micro-injections offer a very high rate of absorption due to bypassing the GI tract, but they are not anywhere near commonly available in this form.  In fact, micro-injections offer 99% to 100 percent absorption, so you could say that on average, they offer 4 to 5 times more absorption than the oral route.  This means that if the package states 500 mg per milliliter it would equal to 2000 mg delivery because of the enhanced absorption.

Another form of substance delivery that is completely absent in the supplement industry is the rectal route.  While it is true that drugs and supplements can be absorbed more quickly through the rectum from an aqueous solution compared to the oral route, it is generally slower with non-aqueous formulations. The amount of water present in the rectum plays a crucial role in the dissolution of substances during rectal absorption.

4. Most supplements geared toward female identifying consumer

Did you know that a significant majority of women, around 63.8%, rely on supplements to support their health? Surprisingly, the percentage drops slightly for men, with 50.8% of them using supplements. However, the gender gap widens as we consider age. Among women aged 60 and above, a staggering 80.2% turn to supplements for their well-being, while 67.3% of men in the same age group do so. It's fascinating to see how these numbers change with age!

5. Lack of independent oversight to prove efficacy of supplements

Many are rightly skeptical of many claims made by many agents and this is most pronounced with the pharmaceutical industry that is focused on the acute illness paradigm, but what about the supplement industry?  

Over the past decades there has been much controversy regarding how the supplement industry should be managed with some calling for often-corrupt govern-ment oversight, while others call for self-regulation.

Would all this be needed to such a degree if we had more agents calling for individualized assistance for the consumer based on systems biology?  The answer is probably negative due to the fact that if a qualified health consultant performed an individualized analysis on the body's bio-chemistry there would be near zero risk of negative side effects.

How do you know what your body and lifestyle needs?

References:

https://www.zippia.com/advice/supplements-industry-statistics/

https://journal.ipb.ac.id/index.php/jcs/article/download/34885/22171