Make sure to learn about The Health Radar and our vision and mission first, and then continue to understand how we rank supplements effectively and rate programs efficiently in 2020.
We all have to start somewhere when realizing health is our true wealth. No matter where you are at in your wellness journey and transformation, rest assured we uphold strict editorial policies with our writers and editors as our reputation with our readers is paramount. We understand respect is earned, not given. Delivering timely, transparent, trustworthy knowledge is the only way The Health Radar initiative will grow in 2020 and beyond.
The health industry is in a constant state of evolution, and society is consistently learning new things revelations about the body. Scientists only learned 500 years ago that the heart is the pump of the circulatory system, and the world only first learned of the structure of the DNA model less than 70 years ago, with most of its knowledge surfacing just in the past few decades. As the industry advanced, so did sectors like the pharmaceutical industry, producing the first synthesized vitamin in the 1930s.
It's no secret by now, we've come a long way since then, and the desire to use reliable health products has only increased with the awareness of the way the body works. Considering that the supplement industry alone is a multi-billion-dollar market with no real signs of slowing down or plateauing, deciding to use one product or another can seem overwhelming, even for the most experienced consumers. That’s where Health Radar comes in. Aside from our core focus of generating daily news reports, it is vitally important to be able to sift through the blossoming supplement industry with a voice you can trust and rely on.
When it comes to health products, we want to provide our readers with factual, informative, honest overviews that go the extra mile when and where possible. Within our talented team, every product review carries with it objectivity and trustworthiness, as we examine every ingredient and every use case for these products. We aim to serve through knowledge, but we want to be clear about how we evaluate these products to provide the transparency, authenticity and safety we seek to share.
Evaluating Supplements and Other Health Products
Here is a summary breaking down the details on what contributing factors we analyze when rating and ranking health products. When we evaluate each formula and item, we’ll be considering:
- Quality
- Brand integrity
- Feedback from users
- Ingredients / label accuracy
- Claims clarity
- Industry standards
- Pricing and availability
- Unique company/product attributes
The brand, product and you are the primary driving forces and focal points recognized in everything our team publishes to help educate and inform all interested users.
Quality
When we discuss quality, we take into consideration all of the other factors listed above with the product. We want to break down the details into each of these categories, and then match it against what consumers deserve to have delivered to their doorstep. A list of beneficial ingredients may be helpful, but only if they all meet the needs of the user. The price may be right, but does the rest of the information support these claims? We will research all of the necessary elements that make up a quality product like bioavailability, raw materials sourced and manufacturing practices.
We straightforwardly discuss all of these matters, so consumers can walk away with certainty, rather than doubt.
Brand Integrity
When we discuss the integrity of a brand, we aren’t just looking at some of the popular names in Big Pharma. We want to show if the brand has a history of delivering what they claim to offer consistently. If the company is new, our readers will know. If it has decades of happy customers, our readers will hear about that too. To have any standing in the health industry, a company needs to take the trust of their customers seriously, which speaks volumes of the brand’s ethical obligation to the people who invest in their remedies. When it comes to brand and company reviews, transparency is the real currency to examine.
User Feedback
Every customer deserves a voice in the industry, and we’re here to listen, curate and pass along their experience. Apart from the valuable views of the consumers that contact us, we also seek out the public opinion on these products from verified reviews, sourced from websites like Amazon, Vitamin World, and other reputable platforms.
Along with seeking out feedback from users, we also look at the whole health industry, examining news sources that may indicate that something is amiss. When available, we seek to match our recommendations and reviews with reports from websites like the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Food and Drug Administration, among others.
Ingredients and Label Clarity
When it comes to products that customers will put in or on their bodies, we want to make sure they are educated on exactly what that is. As we look at the ingredients, we evaluate exactly what each of these substances does to ensure that the products can do what they say. The chemical composition of supplements is necessary to discuss with our readers, as well as any potential negative effects that these ingredients may cause. In these ingredients, consumers will learn about different vitamins, minerals, botanicals, carbohydrates, and more.
To make sure we bring readers as much information as possible, we may often reference reliable publications like the U.S. National Institute of Health, the National Library of Medicine, ClinicalTrials.gov, and others. We may also reference Google, WebMD, and FDA.gov in our analysis of the ingredients used.
Along with the ingredients, we will evaluate the label of any supplement we review, which is required to have a Supplement Facts panel as a reference for consumers. Presently, the FDA requires that the label have five specific types of information:
- A descriptive name of the type of product
- The amounts of the net contents
- The name and place of business of the manufacturer
- A complete list of ingredients
- The statement of identity
Industry Standards
When it comes to supplements, the industry standards are a little complicated. While supplements are regulated by the FDA, it doesn’t review and approve these formulas, which means that a supplement company cannot state otherwise. Still, there are unannounced inspections at many manufacturing facilities to make sure that operations are up to par.
As of 2010, the FDA issued a set of guidelines called the Current Good Manufacturing Practices, covering every creator of supplements. The guidelines describe the processes, procedures, and documentation necessary to ensure that a product delivers exactly what the label claims. However, even with the rules in place, some manufacturers may not follow them.
If a company doesn’t follow these guidelines, there are still ways for us to research their protocols. Still, a company that hides these types of processes should already be a red flag, and we’ll let readers know exactly what they get into with these brands.
Pricing and Availability
We offer a variety of different product review guides, but all of this information means nothing for interested customers if we don’t break down the price and whether the product is worth the price tag. The perceived value may vary from person to person, but we have a few ways that we determine value, starting with comparing the product’s price to similar remedies in the industry.
As an example, if the company is charging much higher than what the industry average price is, that doesn’t immediately mean that the product isn’t legitimate or overpriced. Instead, we’d examine the factors that may contribute to this higher price to justify it, including the quantity or trademarked ingredients.
Availability also takes on a major role. No matter how well a product can be described, we want to make sure that readers know what’s in stock, what their risk is of selling out, and even the return policy. While the information may be limited sometimes, we aim to show consumers exactly what needs to happen to purchase that product, and what kind of limitations they may have in their purchase.
Other Factors
All supplements and other health products are not created equally, and there are sometimes unique features that we will evaluate to bring more information about the formulas. Sample offers are fairly common for new companies, and we’ll explain how the trials work and the time that consumers will ultimately wait between their shipment and the charges.
Potential side effects and reactions from ingredients may apply to the products advertised, especially if the ingredients are not recommended for use with certain conditions. With these effects in mind, some supplements may come with a recommendation to speak with a medical professional before making any decisions. Health Radar is not responsible for the effects of the products reviewed, regardless of whether we recommend them or not.
Purchasing the Products We Review
When it comes to what we can report back to consumers, one of the few things we do not offer is the third-party sale of the products that we discuss. Our website is meant to be informative, and we do not operate as a merchant of any of the formulas we discuss at this time. Instead, our goal is to offer as much information as possible for consumers to make the right decision online and in stores.
Informational News Articles
Though we are committed to bringing readers information about health supplements and products, staying on the cutting edge of new health advancements and innovations is critical to follow along with. Rather than focusing on only new products that may be coming out, the health-related news articles will often tackle topics like new policies, ingredients that have been legalized by the FDA and other authorities, and other updated changes that will benefit our readers to know.
Some of these announcements are time-sensitive, so readers should seek out the most recent articles to find out the most recent changes. We seek to bring the same level of quality and investigative efforts to our news articles as to our product reviews, which is why we include quotes and sources, when available and applicable.
Why Is The Health Radar Necessary?
The Health Radar wants to build a digital family through the Internet by providing powerful, impactful and applicable news and product guides. We know we have smart readers, and we strive to bring important news and reviews to their attention. As a trusted resource for these trending topics, the need for our platform and others like ours goes back to the passing of the Nutritional Labeling and Education Act in 1990.
Before the act was signed into law, the FDA was aggressive in its regulation of the supplements industry. The act’s passage meant that these formulas would still need to be pre-approved by the FDA, but the laws surrounding supplements broadly expanded at a rapid pace. Four years later, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act passed, and the public was met with both positive and negative outcomes.
On its best days, these acts made it possible for supplement research and development to accelerate quickly. However, the downside is that it created a massive opportunity for anyone that wanted to market a supplement, and it has become evident that quality has been sacrificed for the sake of making a couple of dollars.
With the latter changes in the industry, it became obvious to us that we needed to speak up for our readers, showing them the truth through honest product reviews and detailed news stories. The market was taken over by flashy advertising, but we strive to take it back, urging consumers to consider the quality of the products they consume regularly.
With us, readers can learn about:
- Current and upcoming products on the market.
- The ingredients used in these products, and the potential side effects they may induce.
- Supplements that are made to cater to specific bodily needs
- Current and new science that supports these ingredients and their desired effect on the body
- Scams, recalls, lawsuits, fraud, and regulatory actions that may influence the reader’s decision.
- The public reception of the products and services we write about.
- And more!
It all comes down to one mission – to shed light on the truth for our readers. Make sure to check out our Health Radar team to learn more today.
The Bottom Line
We are here to serve the readers with knowledge, recent news, and other details that can help them make the best choices for their own lives. There are many products out there, and we want to be a part of informing the public what they are truly getting involved with. With all of the possible information on a product or even a news story, readers can make educated decisions with full confidence in their choice.
Thank you for your trust and loyalty. As always, stay healthy THR family!
