Standard Process Whole Food Supplements and My Experience

Dr. Royal Lee

Standard Process is a company committed to providing the highest quality whole food supplements to improve health and nutrition. The company was started in 1929 by Dr. Royal Lee, an inventor and dentist by training. Even as a young boy, Royal Lee was interested in nutrition, keeping notebooks on nutritional and biochemical information of foods that he gathered from school resource books.

Royal Lee had many talents and interests. He had a knack for electrical and mechanical devices and started a successful business fueled by his inventions. His inventions were used in film, sound, telephone, photographic and war industries. His career was interrupted by military service in World War I. After the war, he went to dental school, graduating in 1924.

In 1929, Dr. Royal Lee combined his love of invention and his love of nutrition by establishing Standard Process. He believed that the best nutritional supplements were from concentrated whole foods.

The Path to Standard Process

Whole foods are as close to their natural form as possible, grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Whole food supplements are made from raw whole foods, nothing synthetic, and undergo minimal processing to be broken down into supplement form.

Dr. Lee used his passion for mechanics to invent equipment to prepare supplements from raw whole foods. His equipment made it possible to manufacture supplements at low temperatures, so nutrients would not be destroyed by heat.

Dr. Lee believed that “Americans are overfed and undernourished. We eat plenty but we are still starving.” We eat too many fast foods and drink too many sodas. Manufacturers process the natural nutrients out of our foods and fill them with preservatives to maximize shelf life.

Believing that given the proper nutrition, the body can heal itself, Dr. Lee launched his first whole food supplement, Catalyn, in 1929. Catalyn is made up of thousands of “known and unknown nutrients.” Over the years, as science identified more nutrients, Standard Process researchers analyzed Catalyn and found the nutrients already there.

Catalyn contains 15 different food sources, and is made from raw produce, whole grains, and organs. It contains enzymes, vitamins, and all of the trace minerals.

Criticism of Dr. Lee

Dr. Lee sought to educate the public about synthetic vitamin supplements, and the refining of foods. The refining process removed crucial nutrients, and manufacturers attempted to compensate by adding synthetic vitamins. Dr. Lee’s effort to provide a better way of doing things drew the attention of the FDA—you can read the Quackwatch report on Dr. Lee and Standard Process. Notice the review is written by an MD. Rarely have I encountered a Western medicine provider that viewed any alternative medicine practices to be of value.

Of course, conventional medicine has mountains of criticisms as well. There are books written about corruption in the pharmaceutical industry.

My Introduction to Standard Process

I discovered Standard Process products through my chiropractor. At my final Air Force duty station, the medical provider I was assigned to changed with the wind, an average of 2 to 3 times a year. When I first went to the chiropractor that set me up on a program with Standard Process products, I was on 11 prescription and over-the-counter drugs recommended by a doctor, as well as 3 supplements for clinical deficiencies, including B12 shots. I just felt sicker and sicker and had no life except work and sleep. Even one of my MD providers at the time was appalled and started decreasing my meds.

Many chiropractors and naturopaths prescribe Standard Process whole food supplements for their clients. Although Standard Process products are intended to be recommended and dispensed by a licensed provider, I have noticed them available on Amazon. The prices are about the same as what I pay from my chiropractor and naturopath. I’ve ordered a few products through Amazon for convenience, but keep in mind I am using products recommended by a licensed provider, and at doses recommended by them.

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My Return to Health

When I started on Standard Process products in September 2006, I did not expect a quick fix. After all, I didn’t get to where I was overnight. Also, I had been told early on that with thyroid disease, how you feel today is more of a reflection of what you did or what happened 3 weeks ago. This rule of thumb included medication dose changes and had proven true for me. So best case scenario, I expected possible results in 3 to 4 weeks. Guess what? I felt better at the beginning of the second week!

I gradually started reducing my prescription medications. By December 2006, my labs showed my best-ever thyroid panel, and even higher B12 than I had achieved on the injections. My iron panel values also improved. I was subsequently assigned to a nurse practitioner on base who did not judge or lecture me about “going fringe”. She documented what I was doing, and ordered labs to check my status as appropriate.

Standard Process Products I Have Taken

The Standard Process product line is extensive. I have selected a few that I feel were instrumental in my journey to wellness, as examples of Standard Process whole food supplements. For most supplements, the website provides only brief descriptive information. These products are not marketed for direct access. They are intended to be supervised by a licensed provider, such as a chiropractor or naturopath.

• Thytrophin PMG supports thyroid function. It contains thyroid gland extract from cows. Over time, and under supervision from my health care provider, I took Thytrophin PMG, in combination with other supplements, and decreased and ultimately stopped taking my prescription thyroid medication.
• Prolamine Iodine supports healthy serum iodine levels and healthy thyroid function.
• Adrenal Desiccated contains cow adrenal, carrot root, and calcium. It supports the adrenal glands for energy and immune function. According to Dr. Bruce Rind, adrenal fatigue is an issue for many clients with hypothyroidism, and adrenal support is a crucial part of improving thyroid function. He notes that adrenal support also serves to reduce anxiety in many clients.
• Folic Acid B12 contains folic acid and vitamin B12, which support cellular health. This supplement also contains glandular extracts from cows, pigs, and sheep. In early 2006 I had been prescribed B12 shots due to low levels. After several months, my labs revealed only a small increase. My chiropractor recommended Folic Acid B12, and about four months later my B12 level was on the high end of the normal range.
• Ferrofood contains iron, and vitamin C to help with iron absorption by the body. Iron is essential for healthy hemoglobin levels and the delivery of oxygen to the red blood cells. My MD had recommended an over-the-counter iron supplement, which I took for a while before switching to Ferrofood. I achieved good lab results, without the side effects usually associated with iron, like constipation.
• Zypan contains digestive enzymes to facilitate good digestion, particularly protein digestion. I take this with any protein meal, particularly meat.
• Congaplex contains vitamins A and C, calcium, and magnesium to support the immune system. I take up to five Congaplex three times a day when I feel an illness coming on.

Talk to Your Health-Care Provider

One of my purposes in sharing this is to say there are lots of options out there. If you’re not enjoying your best health, don’t give up. If the same thing worked for everyone, we’d only need one of everything, right?

This is not the kind of thing you should pursue on your own!! Your supplements, and your health status, reflected by things such as lab reports absolutely should be supervised by a health care provider, whether that person be an MD, or an alternative health provider, such as a naturopath or chiropractor.

Source

• Standard Process - Standard Process - High-Quality Nutritional Supplements
  High-quality nutritional supplements from time-tested formulas with whole food and other ingredients. Provide safe, effective, high-quality nutritional support.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency.

© 2010 rmcrayne

Comments

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on November 15, 2011:

jan, my experience was similar. I felt better after one week when I first started on them.

jan on November 12, 2011:

i have just started taking standard process supplements for ibs and have already seen a difference. i am only taking them for 3 weeks

Angie on September 13, 2011:

If you look @ their website, it claims to be whole food, but not organic...just FYI the supplements are not derived from all organic sources. The meat product isn't even purchased entirely in the US.

ReuVera from USA on August 01, 2011:

I am using SP Complete for my breakfast shakes. Love it.

HD Willson on July 16, 2011:

Very interesting points are mentioned Whole foods and Standard Process Company. Thank you so much for sharing this information.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on June 27, 2011:

Thanks for reading and commenting ChristinCordle, chamilj, and atgmelv.

atgmelv it can be hard to get uncontaminated organic foods. Also, it is difficult to consume enough of the right food to get great nutrition.

atgmelv from Eastern US on June 04, 2011:

I'm all on board with whole food nutrition - but why supplement with these products as opposed to just eating the whole food? Shouldn't that be better than even the minimal processing for these products? Supplements are an exciting idea that I'd like to get on board with but I don't know much about them yet. Thanks for the info!

chamilj from Sri Lanka on May 13, 2011:

Great hub with useful information. Thanks sharing. Voted up!

ChristinCordle12 on May 13, 2011:

Thanks for this hub, Great article.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on February 05, 2011:

Thanks for the visit and your clarification coinmanone.

coinmanone on January 25, 2011:

The suits involved disease cure statements about Catalyn. That doesn't mean it is not an excellent organic whole food supplement that strengthens the immune system.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on June 11, 2010:

Chris, Most of the quackbuster reports I have read have been by an MD, critiquing an alternative medicine concept, product or strategy. Western and Alternative Medicine are very different paradigms.

Chris12 on June 09, 2010:

I wonder why www.quackwatch.org gave them such a bad review. Someone there spent a lot of time to mention that Lee got sued left and right for promoting the products the way he did.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on March 30, 2010:

Thanks for reading Paradise. Standard Process gave me my life back.

Paradise7 from Upstate New York on March 26, 2010:

Very interesting, the video in particular. Thanks, RM.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on March 25, 2010:

Thanks so much for your kind comments Dale. I spend an insane amount of time on my hubs! Maybe I'm just slow.

Thanks Pamela.

Pamela99 on March 23, 2010:

Very good hub with interesting information.

Dale Mazurek from Canada on March 23, 2010:

How exciting to find this while hub hopping.

You are a great writer. the time you must put into a hub absolutely shows.

I enjoyed every single word of it.

You definatly get a thumbs up

Dale