Please be advised that our responses follow Food and Drug Administration regulations. We do not make health claims for our products and we are unable to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease or provide information regarding your individual health condition.

Do you have a question you’d like answered? If so, just send us an e-mail. We’d love to hear from you!

Q: If I eat natural and organic foods, why would I need to supplement my diet with Pure Synergy®, Vita Synergy®, or Pure Radiance C®?
V. Swartz, Fort Wayne, Indiana

A: Another good question! Many people who embrace natural, healthy lifestyles mistakenly believe that if they are eating natural or organic foods, a multiple vitamin and mineral, green superfood, and/or vitamin C are unnecessary. However, due to the realities of modern life and modern agriculture, food processing, and distribution, we believe that most everyone benefits from the additional support of concentrated, whole-food nutrition.

It’s a tough world out there, even under the best of circumstances. The lives that we live today would have been unthinkable even 100 years ago.

We are exposed to a myriad of toxic chemicals every day that our bodies must defend against. We are surrounded by people, events, and information that move at hyperspeeds, and the deafening blur of sensory overstimulation keeps our bodies in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight stress response. We work a lot more, we juggle multiple responsibilities, and many of us engage in recreational or fitness activities that further intensify the physiological stress response. In short, much more is demanded of our bodies today than at any other time in recorded human history.

Simultaneously, most of us are undernourished due to both our lifestyles and modern food production. For example, many of us are not outside enough (with bare, unprotected skin exposed) to obtain sufficient vitamin D, and our food loses substantial quantities of its original nutritional value by the time we consume it. While it is true that organically grown foods tend to be higher in nutrition than chemically grown crops, the nutritional value of any food begins to decline rapidly as soon as it is harvested. National surveys have found that there is usually a three-week delay between the time a fruit or vegetable is harvested and the time a consumer purchases it in the store, and, during that three-week period, nutrient degradation is rapidly occurring. This is one of the reasons healthcare professionals encourage people to eat fruits and vegetables that are locally grown.

Finally, due to sedentary lifestyles, people simply consume less food now. Thus, to avoid overconsuming calories and to sustain a healthy body weight, it would be necessary to obsessively plan our food consumption so that we could be assured of receiving the best possible nutrition. In truth, who does this? I know I don’t!

The realities of modern life being what they are, by including Pure Synergy, Vita Synergy, and Pure Radiance C in our daily diets, we can help ensure that we receive the optimal nutrition necessary to create a solid foundation for long-term health and well-being.

Q: I really enjoy my Pure Synergy® every morning. My problem is that I travel a lot, and the directions on the bottle say Pure Synergy should be kept refrigerated. What can I do?
E. Whitlow, John’s Island, SC

A: Good news! You can enjoy Pure Synergy when you travel. In fact, we encourage it. Pure Synergy is a welcome source of nutrition and energy when schedules and lifestyles are disrupted, even when the disruption is pleasurable. Whether you’re going backcountry camping or on a business trip to Rome, Pure Synergy will retain its potency and freshness at room temperature for a few weeks or more. Because so many of Pure Synergy’s ingredients are freeze-dried, its moisture content is very low, and this enhances its stability and shelf life. Additionally, we’ve included our Synergized® Natural Antioxidants in Pure Synergy to protect its active constituents from damage due to oxygen or light exposure. Just make an effort to keep it dry and protected from excessive heat. In other words, try not to leave it in a hot car.

Simply pour the quantity of powder you will need into a reusable plastic baggie and tuck it into your luggage or another protected place. If mixing Pure Synergy powder into liquid will be awkward, take Pure Synergy capsules with you. They are a great alternative when convenience is your primary goal.

Q: How come there’s not more calcium in Vita Synergy for Women?
L. Sutherland, New York, NY

A: The issue of calcium supplementation is complicated. Some people require additional megadoses of calcium, and some do not. Moreover, research indicates that adding megadoses of calcium or magnesium to a multiple vitamin and mineral formula is not an effective way to deliver supplemental calcium or other vitamins and minerals.

It is also really important to keep in mind that calcium is not the only nutrient, or even the only mineral, required for healthy bones. Strong bones require vitamins C, D, and K as well as calcium, magnesium, boron, silica, manganese, and other nutrients. For these nutrients to be optimally utilized in the body, they must be in proper proportion to one other. If these ratios are destabilized by a disproportionate amount of just one mineral, the absorption and utilization of all minerals is adversely affected. So while a large quantity of calcium in Vita Synergy might seem desirable, a significant amount of it would imbalance the mineral ratios and might adversely affect the utilization of other minerals in Vita Synergy. For this reason, most nutritionists and healthcare practitioners recommend that if you need extra calcium, take a separate supplement that contains calcium and other bone nutrients by itself at bedtime (in other words, not with your other supplements). This reduces the possibility that one of your supplements will negatively affect the absorption of another and might enhance your body’s utilization of calcium. Calcium seems to be most effectively deposited into bone tissue when we are sleeping.

Q: I keep hearing about the importance of phytonutrients. I know they aren’t vitamins or minerals. What are they, and why are they important?
G. Runyan, Eagle, ID

A: You’re right, Gwen, phytonutrients are not vitamins or minerals. Phytonutrients are naturally occurring, highly beneficial compounds found in plants. There are hundreds of phytonutrients. The ones most familiar to us are those responsible for the vibrant colors of greens and other vegetables, berries and algae. Examples are carotenes, lutein, chlorophyll, anthocyanins and proanthocyanins. Though colorless, bioflavonoids and the active constituents in healing herbs are also very important phytonutrients.

Our knowledge about phytonutrients has grown considerably over the last decade. Healthcare practitioners have always urged people to eat an abundance of greens and fruits because studies have consistently shown that people eating diets rich in these foods have far less risk of heart disease, cancer, macular degeneration and diabetes. However, many people (including some modern scientists) made the mistaken assumption that vitamins and minerals alone were responsible for the benefits associated with these phytonutrient-rich foods. As a result, companies began producing isolated, synthetic vitamins and minerals, and consumers began using them, expecting that the results would be the same as eating whole, phytonutrient-rich greens, fruits and algae.

Unfortunately, the results were not the same, which caused scientists to examine these special foods more closely. In doing so, they discovered a myriad of potent, health-protective compounds that function as plants’ immune systems. We now know that phytonutrients and their synergistic interaction with vitamins and minerals create many of the highly beneficial effects, including antioxidant protection, we associate with these vital foods. Grandma did know best when she told you to eat your vegetables! In short, one of the most potent ways to nurture your health is to consume an abundance of fruits, vegetables, algae, nutritive herbs and whole-food supplements rich in naturally occurring phytonutrients.

Q: I’ve been using Pure Synergy® for six months now, and I know it has really contributed to my health. I’m wondering, though, why I don’t notice its effects as much as I did at first.
N. Shepard, Seattle, WA

A: Although most people continue to notice enhanced vitality and a greater sense of well-being after using Pure Synergy for years, sometimes we all forget to notice! In our culture, we’ve become accustomed to the “magic bullet” approach — we associate health with a rush. When we first begin consuming a deeply nourishing food such as Pure Synergy, our bodies respond noticeably to the increased levels of nutrition, protective phytonutrients and vibrant life energy present in it. That response continues — what changes is our attention. As our bodies become accustomed to an enhanced sense of well-being, we stop noticing. It’s much like recovering from the flu. When we’ve had the flu and then begin to feel better, we really notice how good it feels to be well again. A couple of weeks later, though, we no longer notice that feeling of wellness because it has, once again, become normal to us.

Wellness is a process, not a static goal we reach and then replace. We consume foods and products that support our well-being not just because they help us feel better today, but because they support our health for a lifetime. There is no way to measure what unpleasant experience we might avoid tomorrow by making healthy choices today.

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Q: I heard some pretty scary reports last year about too much vitamin A causing birth defects and liver damage. The report said women should have only 700 mcg and men 900 mcg. There are 10,000 IU in Pure Synergy, and I also take Vita Synergy™, which has 15,000 IU. Can you please explain this?
Adina, Arlington, VA

A: I’m so glad you’ve asked this question because those reports have alarmed many people. First, we need to define some terms. The daily amounts of retinol vitamin A recommended in the report were measured in micrograms — 700 mcg for women and 900 mcg for men. The report further stated that regular use of levels over 3,000 mcg could cause liver damage or birth defects. Supplement manufacturers are required to list vitamin A amounts on product labels in international units (IU). For purposes of comparison, it is necessary to convert IU to mcg. With vitamin A, approximately 3,000 mcg equal 10,000 IU.

The next important distinction is the difference between beta carotene and retinol vitamin A. Retinol vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient found only in animal products, such as liver, egg yolks and butter, and in some dietary supplements. When we consume retinol vitamin A, unused excess quantities are stored in the liver. That is why chronic excessive consumption can lead to liver toxicity and birth defects.

Beta carotene is found only in plant foods such as algae, greens and carrots. Beta carotene is not retinol vitamin A, although our bodies can convert it to retinol vitamin A, if it is needed. However, it is not a one-to-one conversion. A healthy person’s body converts approximately 12,000 IU of beta carotene to 1,000 IU of retinol vitamin A.

So let’s apply all of this to Pure Synergy. Pure Synergy contains 10,250 IU of beta carotene per serving. If your body converted that amount of beta carotene to retinol vitamin A, it would become the equivalent of 854 IU, or 259 mcg, of vitamin A. This quantity is well within the safe range, even if you are also using Vita Synergy.

All of these confusing numbers aside, the most important pieces of information about beta carotene are the following: Carotenes are vital antioxidants and play an important role in supporting the health of our eyes and skin. Additionally, unused quantities are not stored in the liver, and there is no known level of toxicity. For this reason, there has never been an upper limit of safety established. So how much beta carotene should we consume? It is not uncommon for people to consume as much as 100,000 IU with no adverse reactions, but most health professionals and nutritionists agree that 25,000 to 50,000 IU of beta carotene are safe and desirable — the amount found in Pure Synergy and Vita Synergy combined!

Q: I notice that other companies use grass powder in their superfood products, but you have grass juice powder in Pure Synergy. What’s the difference?
S. Wells, Bellingham, WA

A: Grass powder is simply whole cereal grass that has been harvested, dried and then powdered. To create 100% grass juice powder, the freshly harvested grass is washed and chilled and then juiced at low temperatures. The juice is then immediately freeze-dried or cold-dried — drying methods proven to most effectively protect all the fragile enzymes in the grass juice. As you can see, a lot of extra effort and expense are required to produce grass juice powder; nonetheless, we believe using juice powder is crucial to the potency and quality of Pure Synergy. Cereal grasses are an astonishingly rich source of enzymes, protein, vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll and other highly beneficial phytonutrients; however, all these valuable constituents are locked within the tough cellulose fiber of the grass. This is why cows and other grazing animals have such robust digestive systems — the cellulose fiber must be broken down to release all the nutrients contained within the grass. Unfortunately, humans do not have three stomachs — nor do we chew our cud! Juicing allows us to break down the grasses’ fibrous cellulose bonds and free their nutrients for absorption in the human body.

Insoluble fiber, such as grass cellulose, is an important component of everyone’s diet, but that’s not why other manufacturers add it to their superfood formulas. Grass fiber (and other fibers, such as rice bran, flax, apple pectin and apple pulp) is bulky and cheap. We believe there are better and less expensive ways to increase the fiber in your diet that won’t simultaneously interfere with the nutritional value of your superfood product. Because we remove the unnecessary fiber, Pure Synergy provides densely packed nutrition and vital life energy in a form your body can easily utilize.

Q: What are tonic herbs?
F. Flower, Lummi Island, WA

A: Tonic (also known as adaptogenic) herbs are a special category of herbs that help support, balance and strengthen different organ systems and the endocrine system, without being stimulants. Unlike other herbs that are used for specific symptoms, tonic herbs are nutritive and nourishing. Thus, they are most effective when used in moderate quantities, daily, over long periods of time. What makes this category of herbs unique is that they help the body to adjust to the effects of stress. Stress is associated with a myriad of undesirable health effects, and tonic herbs help the body to adapt in a more positive way and maintain its equilibrium.

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