back to faq index

Q. Are gelatin capsules a concern for BSE contamination?

A. Pharmanex products with bovine gelatin capsules pose no health risk to consumers. The pharmaceutical grade gelatin capsules used by Pharmanex are the same capsules used by drug manufacturers and meet strict government manufacturing requirements and industry standards for quality and consumer safety.

Q. How can I attain the maximum benefits when taking Pharmanex Products?

A. When an individual makes significant dietary changes, many metabolic and physiological changes also occur. An important concept to understand is that improved nutrition and comprehensive supplementation may cause temporary symptoms related to the supplement transition. For the small group of consumers that experience these temporary symptoms, we have found that the symptoms may begin after a few days of supplementation, and disappear after a few weeks once the body has adapted. Temporary symptoms may include gastrointestinal discomfort (nausea, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, or gas), frequent urination, and/or mild headaches.

Our Product Support team has found that the following recommendations may help our consumers minimize or avoid these temporary symptoms:

• Most importantly, take your supplements with a full meal containing some protein and fat, rather than a small snack. In addition, take your supplements with plenty of water (8 oz or 250 ml); this will often reduce or eliminate these temporary symptoms.
• To easily transition onto Pharmanex products, start with only half the dosage per day, with your largest meal of the day. After one to two weeks, increase to the full dosage.
• If your sleep is affected, take your supplements at least 4-5 hours before retiring.
• If the symptoms persist for more than 3 weeks following these recommendations, we advise to discontinue the product but continue with dietary and lifestyle modifications. Contact Pharmanex Product Support to report the experience and allow us to provide further direction.

Pharmanex Research & Development tracks all usage complaints reported by our consumers; this internal report allows us to monitor how well our products are tolerated by our consumers. We are proud to note that our overall usage complaint rate for all Pharmanex products is consistently below 0.05% of sales, showing that our products are very well tolerated.

Please be aware that pregnant or lactating women, diabetics, hypoglycemics, people with known medical conditions, and people taking prescription medications should consult with a physician prior to taking supplements.

Q. Why should I use supplements?

A. Poor food selections and calorie restriction go hand-in-hand with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Major national nutrition survey have reported that we do not consume the Recommended Daily Amounts of many nutrients, including vitamins A, C, various B vitamins, folic acid, and the minerals calcium, iron and magnesium. Hence, supplementation has become a necessary and important part of a healthy lifestyle. More…

Q. What does the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) mean?

A. RDAs are also referred to as reference nutrient intakes (RNI), recommended dietary intake (RDI), and daily values (DV). The RDAs are set to prevent overt nutrient deficiencies, such as Scurvy and Beri Beri. Many of the health benefits from nutrients are present at levels much higher than the RDAs. On the other hand, levels lower than the RDA may be healthier in some cases. The Pharmanex products are based on current scientific research. The levels of our nutrients are set at the levels that maintain optimal health. The RDAs provide sufficient levels of a nutrient to take care of normal bodily processes, such as metabolism, nerve transmission, fluid balance, etc. Once these essential functions are taken care of, many nutrients may be needed in excess of the RDA. Specific instances where higher than RDA intakes are needed are during exercise, periods of stress or injury, and to provide antioxidant benefits. Specific examples are vitamin E, vitamin C, and iron. The RDA of vitamin C prevents Scurvy, whereas higher intakes provide antioxidant protection. Current research indicates that lower intake of iron may decrease the risk of serious lifestyle diseases. High iron intakes have been indicated to raise blood iron levels, which may increase cardiovascular risk.

Q. Why might Pharmanex products be more expensive than other products on the market?

Q. Can I use Pharmanex product to treat specific medical conditions?

A. It is the one of the Nu Skin's main objectives to make our products suitable for a wide variety of people. Pharmanex formulated the nutritional product line based on extensive research in many varied scientific journals, which have documented the results of studies that show the importance of the ingredients, vitamins, and minerals etc. Some references to these journals are available in the product section.

Pharmanex and Nu Skin, however, has not done specific research on the effects of its products on persons with varied diseases and therefore can not make recommendations of usage of its products in these cases. We will provide information such as ingredient lists, product profiles, ingredient references, etc., for each product to be shown to the physician for his or her recommendation.

We recommend that for any individual who has a specific medical condition (including pregnancy and lactating mothers) and those on medication should seek advice from the medical practitioner.

Q. Why do some people experience reactions to Pharmanex products, and what should I do if this occurs?

A. Click here for information on allergic responses.

Q. What clinical studies and research have been done on Pharmanex products?

A. Pharmanex^TM is a leader in dietary and botanical supplements because our products are backed up by high-quality standards and scientific substantiation. To view a list of the clinical studies and research related to Pharmanex products, click here.

Q. How do I get a copy of the "Athlete's Guide to Safe Supplementation" Brochure?

A. The "Athlete's Guide to Safe Supplementation" Brochure that was given out in the showbags, as part of the Pharmanex Launch. This was a one-off giveaway and we will not be selling the brochure in Australia / New Zealand. If you would like to download a copy of this brochure PDF format, please click here.

Q. What are Transitory Adaptation Symptoms?

A. When an individual makes significant dietary changes, many metabolic and physiologic changes also occur. An important concept to understand is that improved nutrition and supplementation may cause transitory adaptation symptoms and bodily changes that may last for a few days to several weeks. In most cases, these changes should be viewed as a positive sign that your body is responding to better nutrition.

Common are gastrointestinal discomfort such as nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and gas. Headaches and transitory changes in the skin such as itching, rashes, and acne are also possible. Mucous membranes may also be temporarily affected causing bumps on the tongue or in the mouth.

In terms of specific advice that we can give you if you are experiencing adverse responses, you may want to use the following guidelines:

1. Take your supplements with a meal; this will often reduce or eliminate gastrointestinal symptoms;
2. If your symptoms persist for more than a few days or seem to get worse, reduce your supplementation by half and take it with your largest meal of the day; after about one week increase to full supplementation;
3. If you follow the above advice and your symptoms still persist, discontinue supplementation for up to one week and then resume;
4. If your sleep is affected, take your supplements at least 4-5 hours before retiring;
5. If your adaptation appears to be too difficult, discontinue supplementation but continue your dietary changes. Recommendation number 5 should be highly unusual since virtually every healthy individual should be able to adapt to improved nutrition.

You should also be aware that pregnant or lactating women should not take any supplements unless specifically approved by their personal physician. Pregnant and lactating women have special nutritional requirements which may not be met by a product which is not specifically formulated for this condition. In addition, individuals with medical conditions or any condition which may be affected by vitamin and mineral supplementation should consult their physician before beginning this or any similar program.