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Why Spend the Money for Professional-Grade Supplements?

  blog post author icon   blog post published date icon   11/28/18

Supplements  

The term professional-grade is used to create a clear distinction between the quality of supplements used by healthcare practitioners compared to those used by the majority of consumers who buy over-the-counter. Professional-grade speaks to sourcing methods and quality of the ingredients used, the reliability of the manufacturing process, and efficacy of the quality assurance testing process. These work together to insure the supplement minimally meets and generally exceeds the standards documented on the supplement label.

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    Professional-grade supplements are reliable to the consumer and deliver the purpose intended with minimal side effects. Meanwhile, consumer-grade (over the counter) supplements often contain additives and chemicals that limit their effectiveness and can slow down overall recovery. Manufacturers of professional-grade supplements are few, reliable, and easily distinguishable. Whereas, the consumer-grade supplements manufacturers are widespread, however do not cater significantly to the one's nutritional needs.

    Why professional-grade supplements ARE worth it

    Unless individuals are educated, they generally do not know or care about the differences between professional-grade and consumer-grade supplements, and even with professional-grade supplements, the ingredients used may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, professional-grade supplements stand uniform under the following parameters and thus should be prioritized for purchasing and consumption.

    illustration of the benefits of profession-grade vs consumer-grade supplements
    Increased purity, potency and quality

    1. People can have allergies and sensitivities:

    No government body or regulatory agency has yet taken the responsibility to directly regulate consumer-grade or professional-grade supplements, at least not to the degree pharmaceuticals are regulated. The FDA is not authorized to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. The manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements are responsible for making sure their products are safe BEFORE they go to market. Manufacturers of professional-grade supplements do however adhere to much higher standards. With consumer-grade, there's an increased likelihood and prevalence of the usage of ingredients that cause cross-contamination, evidence of additives and fillers which aggravate allergies, genetically modified products, pesticides, and various other toxins.

    It is obviously better to obtain supplements that are made with superior quality control procedures. Professional-grade supplement manufacturers not only test their products in-house using more rigorous standards but also typically send them out for external screening to prove the quality independently. Professional-grade supplements are clearly a better choice for those with allergies and known to be hypoallergenic. The rule established states: no nutritional supplement should contain any kind of toxins, harmful lubricants, additives, and allergic elements.

    2. The ability of absorption:

    One of problems with consumer-grade supplements is that they have lubricants which prevent the proper absorption of active nutrients into the body. Professional-grade supplements are chemically proven to be free from all such lubricants. Lubricants help the equipment to manufacture medicinal supplements easily. However, they do not support the body in any way.

    These lubricants can be classified under the heading of large fatty acid additives, and they harm the body in the same way as the other oils of the same family do. The other lubricants include calcium stearate and magnesium stearate. Magnesium stearate irritates the mucosal lining of the bowels, causing spasms and triggering painful bowel movements. All these lubricants distort the cycle of absorption and reduce dissolution.

    3. The overall quality of the supplements:

    Professional-grade supplements are tested for quality and freshness by specialist agencies and can be trusted. The ingredients used and the chemical composition are carefully evaluated to provide superior quality to the consumer. The consumption of various supplements has implications on the bowels and should be controlled. Professional-grade supplements cover all these aspects. While nobody should claim that they cannot have a side effect, the side effects when they occur are generally minimal, not harmful, and extremely short-lived.

    Professional-grade supplements are typically not available in large stores and big retail chains. They are usually provided by healthcare providers or other healthcare specialist including nutritionists.

    If you see the merits of using professional-grade supplements, you can seek referrals for specific supplements from trusted healthcare providers. If he/she provides the supplements within their practice you should consider purchasing from them. If not there are reputable providers online.

    Since 2010 SupplementRelief.com has provided NuMedica professional-grade supplements online supported by practical wellness educational content focussed on healthy living, risk reduction, and chronic disease elimination.

    Why NuMedica?

    NuMedica makes professional-grade supplements used by healthcare providers

    Supplements by NuMedica are certified Good Manufacturing Practice, GMP. This system ascertains that the supplements are consistently produced and meet the superior quality standards they are tested against. This minimizes the risks involved in the production processes and works to insure an error-free final product. GMP covers various aspects of production which include material, labor, equipment, and the premises. All the mentioned aspects aid in providing the best quality final product and are of considerable importance to any business.

    NuMedica supplements have NSF Supplement Certification

    NSF certifies products against NSF/ANSI 173, the only American National Standard that establishes requirements for the ingredients in dietary and nutritional supplements. There are three main components of the NSF dietary supplements certification program:

    1. Label claim review to certify that what's on the label is in the bottle
    2. Toxicology review to certify product formulation (note: does NOT test for efficacy)
    3. Contaminant review to ensure the product contains no undeclared ingredients or unacceptable levels of contaminants

    NuMedica is a member of the AHPA

    The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the only national trade association that is focused primarily on products containing herbs, which includes dietary supplements, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and other related natural products. All of the AHPA's activities are focused on its mission: to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products, to maintain and improve market opportunities for companies that sell products that contain herbs, and to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy informed access to a wide choice of goods.

    Some Notes on the FDA

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It consists of the Office of the Commissioner and four directorates overseeing the core functions of the agency: Medical Products and Tobacco, Foods and Veterinary Medicine, Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, and Operations.

    FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, quality, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products, and medical devices. The FDA is also responsible for the safety and security of most of our nation's food supply, all cosmetics, dietary supplements and products that give off radiation.

    Please note - NOT ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE EQUAL! You get what you pay for.

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Author

Jay Todtenbier is an original founder of SupplementRelief.com in 2010 and has operated the business ever since. He is also a tennis instructor and gospel musician. Formerly he spent 25 years in business development, technology and marketing with startups and major corporations having gone through the tech boom in Silicon Valley in the 90s. He became passionate about, and began studying and practicing Wellness as a Lifestyle after experiencing chronic, personal health challenges including depression, auto-immune disorders, and being overweight that impacted his ability to live a healthy, vibrant life. Since then, he has been an advocate for healthier living encouraging others to live better through making small, gradual changes to lifestyle behaviors relating to whole-foods nutrition, stress management, reasonable exercise, proper sleep, and the use of targeted, high-quality supplements.

Learn more about Jay Todtenbier.

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FirstFitness Nutrition
Reseller Order Policy Change
Effective December 1, 2023

SupplementRelief.com has been an Authorized Reseller (Team Member) of FirstFitness Nutrition (FFN) since April of 2020, selling FFN products directly from our website to our customers, handling the payment processing, order fulfillment, and customer service.

Effective December 1, 2023 FirstFitness Nutrition REQUIRES ALL Authorized Resellers, who have formerly sold FFN products DIRECTLY from their OWN website, to refer the PRODUCT PURCHASE to the Reseller's FFN Team Member website.

You may continue placing orders on SupplementRelief.com through December 31, 2023 for the remaining products we have in stock.

SupplementRelief.com's FFN Team Member website is:

supplementrelief.firstfitness.com

On the top right of every page you will see our Team Member name to confirm you are on the correct FFN Team Member website:

Your FFN Team Member: SUPPLEMENTRELIEF.COM

Please BOOKMARK this new website supplementrelief.firstfitness.com for future shopping. You may begin using the Team Member website immediately.

You may also place your order directly over the phone by calling either SupplementRelief.com at 888.424.0032 or FirstFitness Nutrition's Customer Support line at 800.621.4348. Please let them know that your FFN Team Member is SUPPLEMENTRELIEF.COM.

You may continue to use this website (supplementrelief.com) for FFN product descriptions and other Wellness content from our Blog, Education, or Recipes, but on December 1, 2023:

  • The "Add to Cart" button will change to a "Purchase on FFN Team Member Website" button, and your browser will automatically open a new page on our FFN Team Member Website to purchase the product. You can stay on the new site and shop for ALL other FirstFitness Nutrition products without returning to this website.
  • If you formerly had a LOGIN ACCOUNT on SupplementRelief.com, it WILL NOT WORK on the FFN Team Member website. You will be given an option to create a new account on the FFN Team Member Website. You WILL NOT NEED your SupplementRelief.com account on this website anymore, unless you want to see your Order History for orders you placed on SupplementRelief.com in the past.

How Does This Affect Future FFN Purchases?


This means that as of December 1, 2023:

  1. You may purchase FFN products only from an FFN Team Member website.
  2. ALL ORDERS will now be PROCESSED and SHIPPED directly by FirstFitness Nutrition. The company name on your credit card statement will no longer say SUPPLEMENTRELIEF but will now say FIRST FITNESS.
  3. You may optionally create a new account on our FFN Team Member website, or you can shop as a Guest— both options work fine. Setting up a new account on the FFN website is recommended to make placing future orders easier, as FirstFitness will already have your information to process your order once you log on to our Team Member website.

FirstFitness Nutrition's Order Policy


  1. Delivery using UPS in 3 - 5 Business Days
  2. 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
  3. Shipping Charge is a minimum of $10 or 8.5% of the retail price of products purchased.
  4. Sales Tax is automatically calculated and is based upon the Shipping Address.
  5. You will receive an Order Receipt confirmation email directly from FirstFitness Nutrition (no longer directly from SupplementRelief.com) as soon as you complete placing your order on our Team Member website.
  6. You will receive an Order Shipment confirmation email directly from UPS (no longer directly from SupplementRelief.com) with the tracking number as soon as your order ships.

Every FirstFitness Nutrition order, from every FFN Team Member website, is subject to the exact same Order Policy. This means that shipping charges and sales taxes will be calculated the same way for every FFN product purchased from every FFN Team Member Website.


FirstFitness VIP Customer Rewards Program


FirstFitness Nutrition offers a Customer Loyalty VIP Rewards Program for savings whereby you can earn future discounts on product purchased.

This is a monthly autoship program (called a Smart Ship) where you choose the product(s) you want shipped to you each month. You can easily create and then log into your Customer VIP Rewards account anytime and change the products on your monthly auto-ship or pause/cancel it.

  • Receive 20% in VIP Reward Points redeemable for Free Products (4 points for every dollar spent - 400 points = $100) after three consecutive Smart Ships
  • Free shipping on a monthly Smart Ship order of $100 or more
  • Incentives to receive additional Reward Points

Learn more about the VIP Customer Rewards Program.


Transition Customer Support


SupplementRelief.com wants the transition to the FFN Team Member website for future orders to be a smooth process.

Faith Hoffman, our Customer Support Specialist, is happy to assist you. We appreciate your business and are prepared to answer questions and provide additional details on any or all of the above information, policies, products, costs, discount opportunities and programs, etc.

Please get in touch with Faith at your convenience:

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Faith Hoffman has spent 23 years in business practices, research, and customer relations for brand products and national companies. Lengthy hospital stays for auto-immune disorders, including the onset of heart and liver disease, led her to research the benefits of quality all-natural supplements and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

She became a customer of SupplementRelief.com three years ago. Positive results from healthy lifestyle changes and using quality, targeted supplements compelled her to share and recommend SupplementRelief.com products to family, friends, and clients. Studying through her journey and having a passion for helping others, she joined SupplementRelief.com as a customer support specialist in 2023.

When Faith is not assisting SupplementRelief.com customers, she enjoys singing gospel music, volunteering, and spending time with her family and pets.

Faith can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone or text at (225) 316-5716.

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We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards.

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We DO NOT retain or store your credit card information after the purchase. We DO NOT share your information with anyone. We DO NOT auto-subscribe you to anything. Your information is YOURS.

The charge will appear on your credit card statement as SupplementRelief.com with our phone number (888) 424-0032.

Shipping & Handling

A safe and accurate address for delivery must be provided at the time the order is placed. Once an order has shipped, SupplementRelief.com is NOT responsible for lost or stolen packages CONFIRMED BY THE CARRIER to be delivered to the address provided for the order.

Since COVID-19, and the ensuing economic challenges in the USA economy, we respectfully ask that you allow some additional time for delivery for the carriers (USPS, UPS, and FedEx). Most orders still arrive on time, or near on time, but some may run late. We make every effort to get your order packed and into the carriers hands the same day, or by the next business morning if your order came in later in the previous day after carrier pickup, but we have no control over any delays that may happen within the shipping carrier's delivery system. Please order earlier for the time being if you are time-sensitive.

Orders that contain only FirstFitness Nutrition products have a shipping fee automatically calculated based upon the actual shipping weight of the items purchased. The charge ranges from $4.95 to $14.95.

For orders with NuMedica products you may choose from the shipping options below on the Order Checkout form in the Shipping Information section on the first line that says Choose Shipping Method.

Shipping Options

Country Option Schedule Cost
United States Standard 3-6 Days $4.95
United States Priority 2-4 Days $9.95
United States Free 7-10 Days $0.00
International FedEx International 4-7 Days $79.95*
International GlobalPost International 12-21 Days $39.95*
*International shipping costs may be higher depending upon package weight and destination. We will contact you for your approval of the additional amount if this occurs.

SupplementRelief.com may use the email or phone number provided on your Order to call or text you regarding Order Status or to inform you of changes to the Order Policy.

When your order ships we will send you a confirmation email with the delivery tracking information.

International Shipping

Shipping anything these days internationally is expensive. COVID resulted in more rigorous customs import processes, and now with much higher energy prices, international shipping rates are higher.

FedEx is the most reliable and faster carrier, at least for now, but they are expensive. Our FedEx international shipping fee is a minimum of $79.95. It usually makes more sense to get several months of supply (3 months or more) in one order to minimize the shipping expense per order over time. While the added weight of additional items may increase the base shipping price by a little (usually 10-25% depending upon total weight and destination), it is usually not by very much relative to shipping an additional small order later.

We also offer a lower-cost international shipping option using GlobalPost International for $39.95. So far, they have been reliable in getting packages correctly delivered but it takes 2 - 4 times as long to get the package delivered. Packages may take longer to process in the receiving country's customs process and status updates may not be reported as quickly. Please be patient if you choose this option to save money.

Some International orders may cost more to ship depending upon weight and location. If that happens we will contact you first and get your approval for any additional charge before proceeding. International orders may also be subject to additional customs fees and duties/taxes based upon the destination country's customs import laws and policies. These fees are NOT known or included on our order form and are typically charged and collected by the shipping carrier when they are delivering the product to it's final destination once the package has cleared the destination country's customs process. It is recommended that the buyer research custom import fees for the products/services they are importing beforehand to be aware of potential, additional fees.

Shipping Refrigerated Products

Our manufacturers formulate their probiotics to ensure their products retain viability until they reach the consumer. Probiotics that are recommended to be refrigerated remain so until the time of shipment, then shipped alongside an ice pack to ensure potency (Note: Ice pack will not arrive frozen, and product may not arrive cold). Orders placed on a Thursday-Sunday requiring cold shipping will not ship until the following Monday.

Cancellations

If your order has not been shipped yet, you can request a cancellation. Your original purchase amount will be refunded within three business days. If your order has already shipped, see Returns and Refunds.

Changes, Returns and Refunds

If you want to make a change to your order, please email us as soon as possible so we can make the change before your order ships. If your order has already shipped you may incur additional shipping charges for the second shipment and the return label for any products returned.

If we have made a mistake on your order, or the product arrives in a damaged or unusable condition, we will make every reasonable effort to right the situation quickly to your satisfaction.

We accept returns subject to when the return is requested and the condition the product is returned in. All returns must first be authorized by contacting us. In your request, please let us know why you are returning the item(s). We will respond promptly with authorization, the return address, and a return shipping label if appropriate.

If your order has already shipped you can return any un-opened products within 30 days of receiving your order for a 100% refund of the price paid for the product, less the actual shipping charges we incurred to get the product to you originally and then returned, less a $10 restocking fee. Un-opened means the protective seal on the bottle or container, or the shrink-wrap on the box or kit, has not been broken and the product has not otherwise been damaged in any way. You may use the original packaging for the return or acquire your own. We will provide the return shipping label. We DO NOT accept returns for NuMedica products once the protective product seal has been broken.

Upon receipt of returned product(s), we will refund your credit card within three business days for the product(s) returned.