Nutritional supplements are experiencing tremendous growth, due in part to the public’s changing perception of alternative medicine. As the largest provider in alternative health, chiropractors are in the position to offer supplements as adjunct products and services. To learn more about this, Chiropractic Products asked Charles C. DuBois, president of Standard Process Inc, Palmyra, Wis, about how nutritional supplements can benefit chiropractic practices.

What are some of the biggest changes that have occurred in the nutritional supplement field within the past 10 years affecting the chiropractic profession?
The most significant change was the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994. DSHEA allowed for dietary supplements to be regulated separately from the food industry and enabled the FDA to regulate product information supplied by dietary supplement manufacturers. Another major change is that the industry has grown phenomenally in the past 10 years, which has produced a great influx of companies entering the market.

Should chiropractors be aware of any new FDA regulations or legislation?
There have been preliminary discussions about refining the DHSEA regulations, focusing primarily on herbal products and standards for these products. Codex, the international regulation of dietary supplements driven by European countries, is another potential issue. There has been some debate about whether these foreign supporters will be able to impose Codex on the United States and about whether the FDA would allow this to take place.

How are nutritional supplements and chiropractic synergistic?
Nutritional supplements provide the ingredients for the body to help heal itself, which is a holistic approach to healing. Since chiropractic aims at treating the whole person, supplements are a great adjunctive tool for chiropractors to use.

How profitable is offering nutritional supplements for chiropractors?
Nutritional supplements can provide an additional income source and can be a profitable addition to the practice by enhancing the health of their patients.

Tell us about Standard Process’s commitment to the chiropractic profession.
Standard Process is committed to selling only to health care professionals, with the majority of our customers being from the chiropractic discipline. We have been involved with the profession since 1929 and are thankful for the support that chiropractic has given us over the years. We make every effort to support chiropractic colleges and professional associations, both locally and nationally.

What do you see for the future of the chiropractic profession?
I believe that the future for chiropractic is a positive one, because its contribution to health care is significant. Chiropractors give their patients answers to questions that are otherwise not received from traditional Western medicine.

—Elizabeth Davis