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Most Vitamins Are Now Made In China

You may be surprised to know that China is actually one of the largest exporters of many drugs and vitamins. About 90 percent of all Vitamin C sold in the United States is from China, for example. They also produce 50 percent of the world's aspirin and 35 percent of all Tylenol. Ditto for the majority of Vitamins A, B12 and E.

Hot on the heels of the poisoned pet food scandal, and reported instances of toxic food and toothpaste, all eyes are now turning toward the Chinese vitamin market. How safe are they?

The industry in China appears to be split between top-notch operations and bottom-of-the-barrel producers. Since the United States does not require country-of-origin labels for any of our drugs, foods or supplements, there is no telling where that vitamin you are taking came from.

China also suffers from the same conflict of interest that we are seeing here in the United States, where the regulators have financial interest in the industries they are supposed to regulate and inspect.

Supplements can sometimes be helpful; however, your best bet will always be to try to get the majority of your vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. You can’t “make up” for a poor diet by simply adding vitamin supplements. Processed foods are sorely lacking in nutrients, but eating plenty of raw organic foods, farmed locally (or as nearby as possible), can supply you with most of the vital nutrients that you need.


The Seattle Times June 3, 2007


Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Almost all vitamin C sold in the United States is from China. They also produce 50 percent of the world's aspirin and 35 percent of all Tylenol. Since the United States does not require country-of-origin labels for any of our drugs, foods or supplements, there is no telling where that vitamin you are taking came from.

The industry in China appears to be split between top-notch operations and bottom-of-the-barrel producers, with no way for a consumer to easily tell which produced a given product. China also suffers from the same regulatory conflict of interest that we are seeing here in the United States.

Remember that while supplements can sometimes be helpful, your best bet will always be to try to get the majority of your vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. You can't "make up" for a poor diet by simply adding vitamin supplements.

Remember it is your total lifestyle, not a "magic" supplement, that will help you achieve optimal health. Relying exclusively on supplements is a typical allopathic approach. If you don't understand that then please watch the video I created, The Town of Allopath.

Processed foods are sorely lacking in nutrients, but eating plenty of raw organic foods, farmed locally (or as nearby as possible), can supply you with most of the vital nutrients that you need.

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Comment on This Article Community Comments (33)
 
 
Posted On Jun 04, 2007

I think it was Russ that said China is becoming an EVIL EMPIRE and I am afraid he is quite right!

However it breaks my heart as a TCM Clinical Herbalist to see this happening next to all the Wealth of Healing Knowledge that China gave us and the many good caring Chinese Herbal Doctors both in China and this country! There system of diagnostics with Yin and Yang and the 5 Element Theory is the best in the world! Bar none! It is still the worlds most aggressively developing medical system (based on whole natural herbs and acupuncture) and has been for a few thousand years! It is not an “ancient dieing system” at all!

It is only fare to say that Mayway Corp. (A very trusted importer of Chinese Herbs who Lab tests there herbs in China and again in the US) Has been faithful in supplying wonderful fresh safe herbal materials to me for many, many years.

China, I am praying for you!


 
The Herb Doc
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 11/2006
The Herb Doc  
Replied

Lynn46
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 12/2006
Lynn46  
 
Posted On Jun 05, 2007
Dr. Christopher Gussa,
My sister is an acupuncture practitioner, and I agree with you, it breaks my heart, too, that the ancient Chinese methods of healing are now starkly eroded by the unregulated, unmitigated corporate greed going on in China today. I have been seeing and reading horrific stories about how the average Chinese factory worker is severely mistreated and/or overworked in unhealthy working conditions. That breaks my heart even more.

China has the largest population on planet Earth, and apparently the central and provincial governments don't really care how many of the people there die premature deaths because of the rapidly developing corruption and environmental disasters going on.

 
 
 
Posted On Jun 04, 2007
First of all, Chinese origins or not, lets get something straight, the vast majority of vitamins and minerals used for supplementation, or fortification, ARE NOT ABSORBED through the human KREBS CYCLE for utilization in nutrition, or health improvement, or prevention.

Why?  These mineral and vitamins are of the incorrect polarity/charge or solubility, in their delivered forms, to be broken down, and therefore merely pass right through the intestinal tract, or if partially absorbed, are purged through the urinary tract.

The number one selling branded multi vitamin in the USA is NOT absorbed at all in humans!  You know the "complete" one for silver haired seniors?

Fortification one sees on many cereals boxes, bars and other food or beverage items, are at best 'window dressing' amounts, so even if absorbed, are too little and too late.

Recommended Daily Intakes or allowance set by the FDA are the minimum daily amount need to ward off primary malnutrition or scurvy!!!

Back to the Chinese.  The DAILY number of economic adulteration scandals out of China in food, food ingredients, piracy of brands, counterfeiting, and particularly nutrient related fortification, is staggering. 

The blatant and overt violation and parallel rip off of western food and ingredient patents  in China is so frequent as to make the head spin.

Can you have ANY confidence in any product sourced out of China?
HELL NO!!!

 
Russ Bianchi
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 9/2006
Russ Bianchi  
Replied

Bryan - oz4caster
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 6/2006
Bryan - oz4caster  
 
Posted On Jun 04, 2007
Russ - I agree with you and Dr Mercola that it's best to get the nutrients and probiotics that your body needs from food as much as possible.

I thought it was interesting that the former head of China's equivalent of our FDA was recently sentenced to death for corruption.
China's Top Drug Regulator Gets Death Sentence

Hmmm ... maybe we should be a little tougher on our corrupt FDA regulators?


Lynn46
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 12/2006
Lynn46  
 
Posted On Jun 05, 2007
Russ,
I had not heard that most of the vitamin and mineral supplements were coming from China. This is new news to me. But, I'm not surprised...sigh...

Regarding your last paragraph--HELL NO!!! is the right conclusion for me, too.


hayseed
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 4/2007
hayseed  
 
Posted On Jun 19, 2007
Bottom line: we don't need to worry about Chinese supplements if we never take any,and since isolates are useless why would we. Simply taking a good probiotic and enzyme blend from Garden of Life or Mt. Capra along with your organic food will be all you need.


Young Health 4 Life
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 3/2007
Young Health 4 Life  
 
Posted On Jun 19, 2007
I grieve the loss of China's "old ways" even among themselvesm at least in terms of health care and knowledge, not in terms of government.
Corruption and greed are universal despite any governmental title and form.
"Power to the people" here and everywhere.
It is sites like Dr. Mercola's that are able to educate efficiently about the demise of the health care industry here and internationally.
It is crucial to understand as Russ states that isolate chemicals are unrecognizable by the body and not only cannot break them down but also add to the toxic overload of the body.
It is also crucial to know that even according to our own government that some of our foods have lost 50% of the nutrients they had even in 1950. One source stated that we would need to eat 10 times as many vegetables today to get the equivalent nutritional content we would have gotten just over 50 years ago. Another source stated that iron and magnesium levels are down by 80% Another source stated that our nutritional levels are down in foods by 30% just since 1975.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that we are destroying our world and everything in it including our foods.
This is where, to me, I am glad that we DO have some whole food state supplements available to us that the body does recognize as food as can break down into known nutrients to be utilized as needed.
Check the products and check the resources.
And although you may use TCM, don't use anything imported from China labeled as food or supplement!
Again, as Dr. Mercola stated, raw, locally grown foods on all fronts for all reasons....the body will not only sigh with relief but I feel will jump for joy!!
And the planet would be all the better for it as well!!


 
 
 
Posted On Jun 19, 2007
Everybody:

Is anyone interested in starting some kind of online listing of Chinese-origin foods and vitamins so that we can communicate with the distributors and/or boycott them? In my opinion, there is no reason to buy any foods or vitamins from China -- ever!

Any ideas about how we can do this? Would anyone like to set up a website to get this going?

 
Dr. Rick
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 6/2006
Dr. Rick  
Replied

Carol63
Novice User Novice User Joined On 7/2007
Carol63  
 
Posted On Jul 02, 2007
I think that this would be a great idea.  We need to start somewhere!

 
 
 
Posted On Jun 05, 2007
Although we should get all our nutrients from food we eat, it is almost impossible for my wife and I to currently get all nourishment we need from food.
We drive a truck and are unable to carry enough food to last the entire time we are out. We try to avoid the worst food but even so we do not get the proper nutrition.
It would be nice to find a good "natural vitamin/mineral supplement" to help make the difference up till we are able to get off the truck. Any suggestions?
It is sad to know it is next to impossible to get nutritious food if you travel.
We know of some wild plants to eat yet are afraid to pick and eat any for fear of poison. I am seriously thinking of reducing the over population of some birds.


 
ladonnadavid
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 6/2006
ladonnadavid  
Replied

Reesacat
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 1/2007
Reesacat  
 
Posted On Jun 05, 2007
One of the things I am currently using is organic barleygrass tablets
grown in Amish country (www.greensupreme.net).  Everyone I have
given them to has more energy and just feels better.  I think because
they are a whole food grown in organic soil it is more bio-available.

Also, barley grass is very alkalizing-it helps to counteract the acid in
our American diet.

They are easy to pack-no powders-so you can take them with you.

Best wishes for safe travel on the road-truck drivers work very hard!

Dawn


drfairman
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2007
drfairman  
 
Posted On Jun 14, 2007
Ladonnadavid-- 
    
    I highly recommend learning more about whole foods supplements which are made in the USA from organic food, not chemicals.  Check out the web-site http://www.standardprocess.com and tell everyone you know.

Disclaimer:  I prescibe and sell these supplements but only because they are the only ones I would take or give my family.  Everyone needs to know the difference between food and chemicals!

 
 
 
Posted On Jun 05, 2007
First, everything made in china is crap. Years ago the vit. c, calcium, etc had high levels of lead.  And they are preparing too attack us, as in the book their gov. wrote years ago explaining how they will do it. One is blowing up our satellites, which we now know they are capable of. Even nostradamous said they will blow up our platforms in they sky 185 cubits high.

  Second, get it straight, alot of cheap inorganic vitamins do absorb.

  Take a B3 and wait half an hour.
 
 Vit. C raises the blood plasma level of c.  Linus Pauling said body sees all c same chemically.

 Magnesium ionized calm is a godsend for anxiety and muscle twitches

Take a B1 or B2 and see how long the yellow makes it thru your urinary tract.

Sure can overdose on cheap old vit A and D

Calcium absorbs depending on which type it is.

Zinc sure gets rid of my white fingernail specks.


That said, im getting away from inorganic vits and minerals. Maybe even though absorb into the blood stream (the capsules that dissolve, not tablets), maybe they hurt the inner cells or something?

Ive been switching too fermented vitamins grown in culture and then changes into organic vitamins grown in vermont.
 
 The wheat grasses and barley are grown in rich soil, unlike the southern here in fl. lacking selenium.

 I also juice, but not enough.

 
steve1956
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 6/2007
steve1956  
Replied

N. C.
Novice User Novice User Joined On 11/2006
N. C.  
 
Posted On Jun 22, 2007
Steve you are right , synthetic vitamins do get absorbed. While not best, they do have benefits you can feel and see. China and Russia will be attacking the U.S. in the future between 2025-2100 max. The U.S. will be utterly destroyed. The will take out the communications and then from subs etc, destroy america. Much of the destruction that is coming to america will start internally and then come from external. It is time to get in the arc(christ) and be ready because those not in Him will not have a chance.

 
 
 
 
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