LifeVantage / Protandim Business Opportunity
When does network marketing work and how is LifeVantage and Protandim doing?

Its important to debunk any false claims that you might find. There are some common ones, so I’ll try to keep them answered here and current.  These comments on a couple websites I know of are either pure ignorance (lack of knowledge), personal vendetta against LifeVantage or simply creating traffic for advertising.  All these are not reliable sources for information, so lets debunk shall we?

Who invented Protandim, Paul R. Myhill or Dr Joe McCord?

Paul was interested in antioxidants with his association to a company that failed in its attempt to create a synthetic nrf2 activator  Paul continued to study and review research into SOD, and the possibility of herbal Nrf2 activators.  He approached Dr McCord (they were both in Denver) to validate a concept of a composite herbal Nrf2 activator.  At first McCord wasn’t interested because he knew individual herbs were not powerful, but after a bit, McCord met with Paul and listened to Paul’s ideas and proposal. Dr McCord was intrigued.  If a synergistic formula could work, why not take a look?  McCord worked with Paul to validate his concept (with some minor changes) with extensive testing and review.  Dr McCord offered to research in detail and help finalize the formula that proved most effective.  Dr McCord conducted some of the early research himself with his staff at the University of Denver, helping validate and creating the final formula that he was frankly surprised was so effective.

Myhill is given credit as the ‘inventor’ on the patent, it was after all his concept.  McCord didn’t have interest having his name on the patent, his interest was in the research, it was later McCord became a science advisor to the company (and today on the board). Over the years the term inventor, creator and formulator have been used to describe the roles of Myhill and McCord, to some degree if inaccuracy.  In recent years, the proper word choices have been replaced to describe their respective involvements.

Myhill filed a provisional patent before meeting McCord. Today these patents are owned by LifeVantage. McCord is very well known and he didn’t want to tarnish his name taking the idea from Paul for the patent (PhD’s in science don’t want patents they want published studies for research). McCords name is represented on the peer reviewed research, which was always his passion. McCord was extremely involved in this early research since the beginning after having met Myhill. Protandim was what McCord was looking for his whole life, a formula to up-regulate SOD, and all roads led to a Nrf2 activator to up-regulate SOD (the enzyme measured in McCord units), however, McCord never thought it would be from herbs.  It took 40 years of research from McCord (and many others) to understand how SOD and other enzymes worked, and what Nrf2 activation was about to validate the Protandim formula.  I’m thankful for Myhill and McCord to step out of a synthetic chemical medicinal approach.

Myhill left the company many years ago, to pursue interest in his charity work.  I understand however Paul became a LifeVantage distributor early on after the company changed to a network marketing model, because of course he believed in Protandim too.

Paul Myhill Admits Science was for Marketing?

Paul very early on (years before LifeVantage was an MLM by the way, Paul said:

“I believe LifeVantage’s current science program to encourage or promote issue-specific studies is a sound strategy indeed. Since Big Pharma (through its proxy, the FDA) doesn’t allow supplements to make any disease claims, I think it’s important for the scientific literature to make those claims for us. Most people can then make the connection and understand how Protandim can be a positive part of their health regime.”

Of course LifeVantage would encourage 3rd party studies.  Its free, and 3rd party validation is a big win for product acceptance.   The claims that can be made legally from published Protandim research is a big deal.  This foresight was a positive thing for Protandim research. Yes, Big Pharma and the FDA is very much tied to its own interests.  Ask your doctor how the machine works.   I see nothing wrong with this at all… and anybody making this claim should be severely discredited.

Protandim “Revolving CEOs”
The claim has been made that LifeVantage has had many CEO’s, and that this a sign of a bad product and bad company.  Ok, that’s simply stupid.  LifeVantage has had a handful of CEO’s, and the turn over was largely because of the profitability of LifeVantage doing heavy debt years.  Your a BIG CEO, and you want to work for free with risk?  Hardly.  But then David Brown comes out of basic retirement, leaving a personal consulting firm to help LifeVantage.. because he saw a vision.  The current finances speak for itself.  Its a VERY small company, CEO turnover is nothing new, and doesn’t say anything more than what we know.. LifeVantage had debt for years., now its taking off, and cash flow positive.

If Protandim works, why did it not do well in GNC?
Go into a GNC store and ask the clerk for a good Nrf2 activator. He won’t have a clue what your saying. Sadly, the product story behind Protandim is complex. Even the most popular myths that Vitamin C or E are effective anti-oxidants still exists very strong in retail stores, where most buyers will be very satisfied by spending half as much on a Vitamin they will never feel any difference, nor is there any peer reviewed science to suggest it reduces oxidative stress, if that’s a term that buyers even know.  Many did find Protandim however, and while you don’t know of many of them, you have heard of Montel Williams, who found it early on, and uses it to help treat his condition.  He’s even a distributor today.

Why go network marketing?
Easy, no money and the afore mentioned complex story. Think how much money large companies spend to market their products. In traditional retail it takes MILLIONS of dollars to create a brand, and bring customers. Direct marketing and Network marketing avoid much of that by sharing the revenue with others who will ‘work for the future’.

Isn’t the claimed synergistic formula just a marketing scam?
One might think that, but Dr McCord released a study that was peer reviewed and published on that very topic. McCord says in subsequent presentations that the same ingredients mixed in different ratios didn’t activate Nrf2, and in some cases actually increased Oxidative Stress.  See this article for details.

The first clinical study on human’s was only a few dozen people?
Yes, so what?  McCord says the purpose of the study wasn’t the same as the large scale pharmaceutical studies, who as required by the FDA to produce large footprint studies.  These studies often, when the manufacture doesn’t get the numbers they want, they add people to the study until the side-effects or the errors are statistically reduced.  In the Protandim clinicals Protandim worked in 100% in the people, 100% of the time.  Does that mean if the study included 500 people or 10,000 we would find cases where it didn’t, or maybe some cases where people couldn’t take it?  Perhaps.  The point of the study however, was to show that it works in people, not  just in vitro (the lab).  Subsequent studies in animals (mice and rats), confirm that SOD, CAT and GSH product is all increased, and oxidative stress is reduced dramatically, in every case.

The studies from universities were on rats or mice.
True.  But remember these universities used their own budgets to do it.  In some cases money from tax funds through institutions like the american lung association or the heart association or the pending study from the department of national defense, but in all cases, these budgets are limited.  In addition the lifespan of a mouse or rat is shorter, letting them study its effects over longer biological timelines than what would be required in people.  This is also fairly standard in medical research.  Also, SOD, CAT and GSH are produced in animals just like people, infact any living organism does the same thing.  We’re not talking about a chemical formula for only human tissues in synthetic pharmaceutics, but in natural herbal response via the Nrf2 protein, common in nearly every living species.  Haven’t you heard, biologically at the cellular level we’re all very similar.

Dr McCords name is on the other university studies.
True. Any PhD who makes a contribution to a study is required by the standards in the community to disclose their participation.  So Dr McCord provided Protandim and he also provided some experience and feedback with either the content as it related to Protandim.  It doesn’t mean LifeVantage corporation that McCord is a stock holder and director, did the study himself, or that he manipulated the data.  That would have been vetted in the peer review process.  And why would LCU or Harvard or VCU not want the most published PhD in free radical biology to contribute to your study, even if in a small way.  You see this all the time in science and studies, there are often, several authors, most play a minor role.

Is this a pyrimid scheme?
No, those are illegal. Pyramid schemes are systems where money is exchanged between others, where no goods are being exchanged.  With Protandim, half the cost of the product goes to pay at least 9 people.  When it was in GNC the same thing happened, where half the cost of the product, paid the clerks wage, the store owner’s salary, the franchise owner, and others.  Network marketing is not illegal, however there have been before regulation schemes, which sadly is all people remember.  Many successful and legal network marketing companies have been around with for decades.  LifeVantage will be another one of these.

On the VCU study, Protandim was in an alcohol solution, not in the way ‘we’ take it.
True. McCord has mentioned that Protandim is not water soluble. Its not uncommon to use oil or alcohol to dilute an ingredient in such studies. The alcohol however, plays no part in the study and is verified by the other studies that didn’t use such a solution. I suppose you can wash Protandim down with a shot of liquor, however, with food we eat, McCord says that the nature oils and alcohols in our bodies, the breakdown is sufficient. The alcohol solution used in the VCU study allowed for breakdown in a consistent manner, so the individual diet of each rat, based on its ability to absorb would be eliminated.  Its difficult to inject dry Protandim into a rat.  Also note, the LSU study did use Protandim in a food diet.

Protandim is a Horrible Value.
It has been claimed you can buy all the individual ingredients of Protandim and save lots of money.  There is some truth to that, but lets map it out.  If you look for the cheapest sources, yes, you might get the product at a fourth of the cost.  But if you look for higher quality ingredients, you’ll maybe save about half the cost.  Assuming LifeVantage claims are true, they test their sources and get very high quality ingredients, so that’s a better comparison.   But lets be honest, do you really think those making this claims are mixing their own Protandim from individually purchased ingredients, not likely.  But you can if you want, just don’t sell it (see the patent).  If you trust McCord that the formula has to be ratio’d correctly to work, then make sure you follow that formula closely.  And if it takes you time to do that, and you want to do that, then do that.  But most people won’t, because time is money.  Its still very affordable for most people at $40 (unless your used to having all your  medication and vitamin’s paid for by insurance companies or the government).

Look, do you make your own Halloween costumes, potpouri, christmas cards, peanutbutter, candles, cookies, bread, clothing?  Do you plant all your plants from seed, or buy pre-grown plants in the spring?  We live in an economy where time is money.  As a side note, keep in mind your stomach will not absorb larger portions of the ingredients taking individually, so having ‘extra’ cheaper doesn’t mean more of an effect, your body simply won’t absorb it.  Personally I trust the company to manufacture a high quality product and I’m willing to shell out the $20 or so extra dollars a month in their profit to bring me that product the same way, every month, and know the Protandim I read about in previous and forthcoming studies is what it is.

Protandim Distributors Make Illegal Claims
I sure hope not, but  lets keep this real.  The FDA won’t allow certain claims to be made, that much is true.  But could some of these claims be true?  Yes.  Could some of these claims be false?  Yes.  Is it important that any distributor obey the law?  Yes.  One VERY important factoid.  2/3rds of all Protandim consumption is by regular customers, who are NOT distributors.  Ever think why they continue to take Protandim?  Placebo effect, some will say, maybe for some.  But even in pharmacological studies there is a small and measured placebo effect, even for effective drugs.  Could it be that Protandim really does work?  Lets have the customers answer that.. go find some and find out first hand, what you find is really amazing.

Top LifeVantage distributors came from Zrii
This is true actually, as did most of the corporate staff that LifeVantage needed to man a network marketing company (something the previous retail company did not have experience with).  This exodus of both corporate and distributors was based on a principle, where the distributors and corporate staff who left due to a conflict with their personal standards and ethics and behavior by top Zrii leaders behavior. In short they couldn’t ethically stay with a company (Zrii) that behaved in a manner that they felt was unethical., so many walked away from massive incomes to then join LifeVantage as a family of united distributors and corporate staff bound by a standard of ethics.  Seems pretty good to me.

Does the LifeVantage Patent Break the Law
No. Patents are not subject the same legal requirements from the FTC or FDA, they are comprehensive in nature and can be.  The openness of the statements in the patents are rather interesting, if a part of that is true, it really is rather remarkable.  FDA approval is required for those statements to be made outside the patents.