Vitamin and Supplement Program

​The Need

This program was born out of a need to directly address the physiological needs of the veterans that Racing for Heroes serves. To many times we have worked with veterans who have suffered due to their physical health being sub-optimal and the cascading effect on their psyche. In many cases their mental health was severely impacted by their physical health. Lack of sleep day after day and week after week takes its toll and the resultant effect is devastating. We watched as both ourselves and fellow warriors were prescribed medicines from opioids, to sleeping pills, etc… focused primarily on symptoms but not root causes.
In many cases the downward spiral of physical and mental health results in tragic outcomes, the worst of which is suicide. Racing for Heroes’ topmost issue we focus on is Suicide Prevention and many, if not all, of our programs lead to this end. If we can help one veteran avoid this then we are successful.

PROGRAM AND FOUNDATIONS

The Vitamin and Supplement Program was created after consultations with our Board Member Dr. Ricky Camp and Regenesis Performance led by two trusted medical professionals David LeMay M.D., and
Kevin Lacz NP-C having served the Special Operations community for some time. We discovered that by
addressing root issues and trying to get veteran’s biochemistry “right” for them it would have a positive
effect on their long-term outcomes including reducing or removing the use of opioids in particular.
To start all of the veterans that are part of this program are able to participate free of charge for any
vitamins and supplements. For veterans that are particularly in need we can help defray any other costs
(e.g. copays for blood testing). Veterans start the process by undergoing bloodwork to ascertain a
starting point and how to directly address the underlying conditions. An example of a client’s bloodwork
is provided in Appendix A with a pre-supplement bloodwork and a three-month follow-up.
Once the medical professionals have had a chance to review the data, they discuss the plan with the
veteran to come up with a list of vitamins and supplements to assist bringing the veteran’s biochemistry
into where they need to be. Veterans are mailed the vitamins and supplements from Regenesis with
instructions on time and quantity needed.  Through continued analysis the team comes up with an individually tailored list over time to really home in on the right fit. Everyone of course is different and as can be seen in the example provided being in the normal range on a vitamin blood test does not mean that you are getting enough for your individual genetic and health situation. Many things interact to find that right tailored approach is critical to making a proper analysis and recommendations.

Vitamin and Supplements… A Discussion

When Racing for Heroes was looking into helping veterans through the use of vitamins and supplements it was clear early on that not all of them are created equal. After working with our partners at Regenesis we realized that the quality of the materials mattered. This is why we only use medical grade supplements. They use only two providers to source supplements, specifically Klaire Labs and Pure Encapsulations. Both sources manufacturing takes place in temperature, humidity and dust-controlled facilities. Laboratory conditions are maintained with each piece of equipment dismantled and sterilized before each production run to include scales, mills, blenders, powder fillers, encapsulating machines and capsule counters. Materials are maintained in climate-controlled facilities in order to maximize the stability of our raw materials and finished products. Then, certified independent laboratories test raw materials and finished, encapsulated products. Independent microbiological testing is also performed to ensure supplement purity and safety.
There are very particular reasons for using medical grade supplements versus over the counter (OTC) supplements. One reason is that OTC vitamins are not regulated by the government. As an example, a recent report shows that some OTC supplements that were called gluten-free had gluten in them, some that said they contained a certain amount in a capsule had less than the amount listed, and one didn’t even contain the ingredients listed on the label at all. There are thousands of OTC supplement companies, and they all say the same things about their products – pure, high quality, etc., etc. – but usually they are not able to back up those claims. Further, good marketing does not necessarily equate to it being a good product. 

​This is where the care of a medical provider to get the “right” vitamins and supplements really matters. Because, many people don’t know that there are often multiple forms of a single vitamin – from cheap and synthetic, to more pricey but natural and much better for you. For example, folic acid is an inexpensive and synthetic form of the naturally occurring vitamin folate, and many people (due to common genetic mutations such as MTHFR) need the methylated natural forms of their B vitamins, including methyl folate and methyl B12. This is because folic acid can actually block the folate receptor and prevent it from responding to the better, more natural vitamin folate. For example, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is better as the more expensive P5P (pyridoxine-5-phosphate). Vitamin E is better as the pricier mixed tocopherols as opposed to alpha tocopherol only, and so on. Hence, medical grade supplements are preferred to ensure that your body is getting the most natural and effective form of the vitamin or supplement required. 

Another big reason that OTC vitamins are not the same as medical grade vitamins is the concentrations found in the product. For example, as anyone in the military can attest Motrin (Ibuprofen) used to be a prescription drug only and was 800 mg per pill. When it became available OTC, they lowered the dose to 200 mg. Vitamins are often the same, with much lower doses being the norm in OTC products. For example, in fish oil pills, OTC products usually say “1000 mg per pill” but this is not necessarily reality. Because the most important part of that fish oil is the omega-3 fraction of the oil. In OTC fish oil, there is usually only around 200-400 mg of omega-3 (EPA + DHA) per 1000 mg of oil in a capsule. Since our daily goal for EPA+ DHA should be 1500 – 2000 mg per day, you would have to take five to ten of those OTC fish oil pills to get what you need, as opposed to usually 2 of the medical grade versions. In essence OTC isn’t necessarily the cheaper route to get the same result. 

Another issue we see is the bioavailability of products that are not subject to stringent standards. For example, many of the “one-a-day” kinds of multivitamins, have small amounts of lots of different things stuffed into one pill – so that the label looks good, and again, people believe they are getting a lot of impact in one pill. In reality, many of those compacted pills are excreted in the stool undigested and unabsorbed, because they compacted so densely, that they don’t dissolve well and therefore the benefit is lost.
Additionally, many produces focus on percent of Recommended Daily Allowance. However, RDA is really the amount of a vitamin that you would have to get, in order to not have a vitamin deficiency disease. The amount of a vitamin that you need to be optimally healthy, is often many times more. This is where the combination of blood work profiles coupled with oversight from a medical professional truly matters.

Please consider helping us fund this program by earmarking your donation "Vitamin and Supplement" and provide a life saving opportunity to a veteran in need!