Posted by ChristinaCCN on March 16, 2004, at 18:27:22
Regarding Altovis...I am a clinical nutritionist in Dallas, TX and recently have been asked by several people to comment on this product. I hope you benefit from what I have to say as well.
Altovis is a vitamin/herb combination marketed as a consumer-driven pharmaceutical. I can tell you, from my experience, that the ingredients contained in Altovis are nothing new: (from the website)
"Altovis consists of a proprietary combination of...caffeine...panax ginseng, cordyceps [a type of mushroom], vinpocetine [derivative of the periwinkle plant], B-complex vitamins, and other essential vitamins and minerals"
Buyer beware!
The website does not give specific AMOUNTS for each of the ingredients listed (it states it is a "proprietary mixture") , nor does it give any information about what TYPES of ingredients are used (i.e. WHICH cordyceps? cordyceps sinensis or cordyceps chamomilia, two completely different fungi with two completely different responses) Also, consider this: the studies on many of the ingredients they list on their website start at amounts around 40mg (of, say, vinpocetine) per day. A normal "00" capsule can hold about 500mg of ingredients, not including fillers. The tablets shown on the website look to be about the size of a soft-gel, which can only hold about 100mg of ingredients, at most.
To make matters worse, once you order the 30-day trial supply, they trick you into using your credit card for the $4.50 "postage and handling charge", with the SOLE intent of enrolling you in their "Managed Care Direct" program -- which means you are automatically replenishing your order every 60 days, they charge your credit card $70, regardless of how fast you use it!
According to the Cincinnati Inquirer, complaints to the Better Business Bureau have been pouring in: "As of Friday, the Greater Cincinnati Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General's Office had received 1,630 complaints about the company's billing practices - but not about the products' effectiveness. Berkeley was formed in January through the consolidation of Warshak's other companies, LifeKey, Warner Health Care, Wagner Pharmaceuticals and Boland Naturals. The BBB said all had unsatisfactory ratings. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro is investigating them.
"This company is clearly the number one generator of complaints for us," said Leslie Kish, director of operations for the local BBB.
Most of the complaints were filed by customers who had signed up for an introductory 30-day free supply of Enzyte or Avlimil. In their complaints, they say their credit cards were billed for a second month's supply - before the initial 30 days were up. Protests to the company, many say, go nowhere.
Additionally, the tiny little tablets cost $1.16 per DAY, or $140 for a 120 day supply...They assume you only need ONE per day, as well.
One last thing. If you are tired and it's NOT because of a medication you're taking, it could be a sign of a more severe health problem which could warrant your primary care physician looking further into it. Supplements like Altovis are band-aids, EXPENSIVE ones at that! They do nothing more than get rid of symptoms and don't even BEGIN to address the fundamental cause of the fatigue (i.e. hormonal imbalance, thyroid condition, viral infection), leaving the user many times in even worse shape than they were in the beginning!
Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion in this forum.
Christina
poster:ChristinaCCN
thread:325037
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040225/msgs/325037.html