Shaklee Part II: Not a Scam

So, I survived my aunt's Saturday's Shaklee-Schilling Supplement Shindig. As with any other selling party, guests were given tickets whenever we asked/answered a question. Unfortunately for all the other guests, a lot of the questions they were asked were whether or not they were familiar with certain ingredients found in Shaklee's supplements and if they knew what certain ingredients did. Guess who won all those tickets?

In all seriousness, I really thought that the party helped a lot of people. For instance, both my mother and grandmother, who suffer from crippling arthritis, had never heard of glucosamine, let alone a joint health supplement. Mom also found that there are supplements that can help with the symptoms of pre-menopause, stress and mood swings. I guess it's because I'm engrossed in this industry every day that I just assume everyone else knows about the benefits of supplements, but I was genuinely surprised that almost no one knew products like these existed. One of the biggest sellers at the party was the Vivix™ Cellular Anti-Aging Tonic, which, according to the company, delivers the same amount of resveratrol found in 3,000 glasses of red wine per monthly dosage. The women there were AMAZED at the idea of resveratrol and polyphenols and the profound anti-aging effects, while I just sat there going, "Yeah, I know, I write articles about all this."

My point is, I never realized how unaware people still are about the supplement industry. What's even more amazing is that, according to the “Life...supplemented” Healthcare Professionals (HCP) Impact Study, which surveyed 1177 physicians, the majority of physicians (79 percent) recommend supplements to their patients. I don't know if my relatives are going to the other 21 percent or what, but when I called my mom and grandma, both told me that they had never been advised to start a supplement regimen for anything.

Now that I think about it, in all the times I've been to the doctor (and trust me, it's a lot), I can't remember one time when my doctor spoke to me about supplements, let alone brought up the idea of taking them. Surely it cant' be a lack of knowledge on the healthcare professional's part; they spend 8 years in medical school. So why is the idea of supplements not brought up more often? Is there still a stigma attached to natural/organic/supplement stores? Are supplements still for hippies?

It seems to me that the responsibility of educating the public about all the benefits supplements can offer now rests squarely on the shoulders of retailers. We're not getting information from anywhere else, so it's up to retailers to draw us in, offer us information and literature, and help us make a well-informed decision.

I think this is why I am now such a fan of Shaklee's mission: bringing the idea of supplements to those who might not otherwise know about them is great. Education and understanding are key when it comes to taking supplements, and Shaklee parties are the perfect platform for this. I'm proud of my aunt for helping others reach their full health potential, and I think it's great that my family is now on the path to an improved, healthier life.