How We Review Supplements

"We" is mostly me, Ray. Here is exactly what happens before a product review goes live, so you can judge the review by the process and not just the conclusion.

1. I buy it with my own money

I buy review products myself, through my own affiliate link, at the normal price. No free bottles, no "review copies." If a company ever sends me something free, the review will say so at the top, because that's a material connection you should know about.

2. I take it for at least 30 days

Most supplements that claim to affect stress were studied over weeks, not days. I take the product as directed for at least 30 days (60 for the main review) and keep dated notes: sleep, afternoon energy, anything I noticed, and anything I didn't like. One person's notes aren't a trial, and I say that every time.

3. I photograph the label

I photograph the bottle I received and check it against the label on file with the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. If the doses don't match, you'll hear about it.

4. I check every dose against the studies

For each ingredient I look for human trials and note the dose that was actually tested, how many people took part, how long the trial ran, and what was measured. A 50 mg sprinkle of something studied at 500 mg is not the same thing, and the review will show that side by side.

5. I note who paid for the research

Plenty of ingredient trials are funded by the company that sells the ingredient. That doesn't make them wrong, but it matters, so every "Receipts" box lists the funder or conflict of interest when the paper reports one.

6. I keep company claims in their own box

Anything a manufacturer says about its product is quoted word for word and labeled as their claim. My opinions are labeled as opinions. Ingredient research is labeled as ingredient research, because a study of an ingredient is not a study of a product that contains it.

7. I re-check prices every month

Prices and guarantee terms change. Every price on the site shows the date I last checked it, and a monthly job flags changes on the company's pages so I can update the review.

What you won't find here

• Star ratings or review counts borrowed from other sites.
• Testimonials, before-and-after photos, or "customer stories."
• An invented medical reviewer. There isn't one. It's me, and I'm not a clinician.