Image courtesy of Rick Liva
Several weeks ago I introduced you to a friend of mine, Linda Shanahan, who is also a nurse and an herb farmer. One of the lessons from our conversation was understanding better how to evaluate the quality of herbal products on the market. Today, let’s take it a step further and understand the quality concerns related to dietary supplements.
To do this, let me introduce to you my today’s guest, Dr. Rick Liva. Rick has been joining me for the past 10 years or so to educate my students about the concepts of dietary supplement quality.
A naturopathic physician and registered pharmacist, Dr. Rick Liva, RPh, ND, received his degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Temple University and earned his Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.For the last 30+ years Dr. Rick Liva has been the Managing Director and a Naturopathic Physician at the Connecticut Center for Health, where he oversees clinic staff and manages the naturopathic treatment of patients. In his daily treatment of patients, he combines traditional and alternative practices to cultivate good health and prevent the development of disease.Dr. Rick Liva is also the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Quality Assurance at Vital Nutrients, an industry-leader in quality nutritional supplements. In this role, he oversees the quality assurance process of each of the firm’s dietary supplement products, developing testing procedures and conducting research, as well as consulting with medical professionals on the use of supplements in everyday care.
Dr. Rick Liva has twice served as president of the Connecticut Society of Naturopathic Physicians and is a member of the Naturopathic Physicians Association.
By the end of this episode, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to evaluate your dietary supplements for quality.
Topics:
- Dr. Liva’s journey to becoming a naturopathic doctor
- Why Dr. Liva decided to start a dietary supplement company
- Understanding basic testing (such as testing on raw materials/identify testing, testing of herbicides, pesticides, aflatoxins, and solvent residues, finished product testing, rancidity markers, PCB’s and more) and why knowing company’s quality assurance process is crucial before you commit to a supplement line
- Ways to learn more about products you’re thinking of using
- Some of Dr. Liva’s favorite resources on quality of supplements
Web resources:
- Dr. LIva’s personal website, his clinic’s website, Vital Nutrients website as well as their quality page to explore and learn from
- Dr. Liva’s writing and research on the topic of dietary supplements and quality
- Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act
- Good manufacturing practices (GMP)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Warning letters
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Emerson Ecologics – Quality Program
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED)
- ConsumerLab.com
- Natural Products Association
- Council for Responsible Nutrition
- American Herbal Product Association
- American Botanical Council
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Thank you for listening!
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