The Supplement Creation Process

There’s a reason that I love supplements so much…

Because they work. 

If you looked into the cabinets at my house, you’d find far more supplements than over-the-counter medications and that’s because I believe in them. 

I’m not saying you have to be like me, but it’s my steadfast belief that supplements have the potential to help so many people, especially those with thyroid problems. 

And with this in mind, I wanted to take a few minutes to dive deeper into my supplement formulation process to explain why I really believe that you will not find better thyroid support supplements anywhere else. 

The Dr. Westin Childs Supplement Process & Philosophy

It all starts with the philosophy that underpins the creation of every single supplement that is formulated. 

If you spend some time looking at my supplements you will notice a few things: 

• The first: with few exceptions, supplements contain multiple ingredients. My primary interest is in providing unique blends of ingredients that have synergistic effects with one another. I strongly believe that the synergy that ingredients have and the way they interact with one another impacts the overall effectiveness of any given supplement formulation. For this reason, you will not find any single-ingredient supplements unless it contains a high dose of a trademarked ingredient (example: Leptin Resistance Rx) or an active hormone (example: Essential T2). For example, I have no plans to just make a simple magnesium supplement or a simple vitamin D supplement. I’m far more interested in making synergistic blends that support immune function, thyroid cellular activity, and so on. 
• The second: supplements are targeted and directed at specific tissues, problems, or hormones. This can get confusing for some people because they may feel like my supplements overlap with each other but they really don’t. An example would be Thyroid Glandular+ which provides direct support to the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland. It can be differentiated from Thyroid Adrenal Reset Complex which supports the connection between the thyroid gland and the adrenal gland. While there may be some overlap in ingredients between these two supplements, their purpose couldn’t be more different. This exists for every single supplement that I create. 
• The third: supplements are designed to either help with thyroid support or weight loss. Any supplement that I formulate will be directed at one of these two conditions. This is for several reasons: #1. I have expertise in these areas, #2. I want my supplements to be the best in class, and #3. This is the group of people that I feel need help the most. 

This philosophy is then combined with an aggressive set of supplement standards to create best-in-class researched-backed clean formulas. 

The Purpose: Provide Supplements That Make Thyroid Management Easier

What drives me is actually quite simple…

I want to provide support to a group of patients that I feel needs it more than any other group: 

Those with thyroid problems. 

This condition is glossed over by the medical community at large but I think they fail to realize just how impactful this hormone imbalance can be for those who have it. 

When you combine this with the huge dissatisfaction that thyroid patients experience in regard to their treatment, this is a group of people that needs support. 

And for me, helping thyroid patients is not just practical, it’s personal. 

I have people who are very close to me who struggle with various thyroid conditions and I want them to live a long, vibrant, and healthy life. 

One of the biggest struggles that thyroid patients face is a general lack of support from their doctor. 

I don’t blame the doctor, I blame the system, but that’s a story for another time. 

What’s important is that thyroid patients are severely lacking in support because the majority of treatments available to them require a prescription medication. 

This is the reason that I feel that supplements are so powerful. 

They do not require a prescription, they can be combined with thyroid medications, and they can and do provide benefits to this group of people. 

My purpose for creating the supplements you see on my website is to provide an additional method that thyroid patients can use to better take control of their health. 

It’s as simple as that. 

Well, the theory is simple, the execution is slightly more involved which is what I want to talk about next.

Whenever you purchase a supplement with my name on it, you can be sure that the following standards are in play:

Use Ingredients That Have Been Shown To Be Effective In Research Studies 

My number one goal is to provide thyroid patients with something that works. 

There are plenty of supplements and ingredients out there, but I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that they aren’t all created equally. 

Some ingredients work better for one condition over another. 

So how do I know which ingredients to include in my thyroid support supplements?

Research. 

I will always first start with available scientific and literary research. 

Digging into this research provides vitally important information on physiology, pharmacology, and the science behind how an ingredient is beneficial. 

I’m constantly looking for new ingredients that are beneficial to thyroid patients so I spend a lot of time in the research. 

Having said that, you’d be surprised to know that things are always changing. 

New ingredients are being found and researched, ingredients are being altered to improve their absorption, we are finding information about old ingredients that we didn’t know, and so much more. 

I spend a lot of my time in this research so that I can be sure that any ingredient you find in my supplements has scientific backing showing that it is both efficacious and safe. 

Efficacious simply means that the ingredient in question actually does what it says it does. 

Use Ingredients That Are Powerful But Not Dangerous

The next step is to filter through all of the ingredients that I’ve found in my research and hone in on those that actually provide some benefit. 

After all, why take a supplement if it doesn’t actually provide some benefit to you as the user? 

When it comes to choosing ingredients, you have to understand that there is a balance between safety and power. 

Generally speaking, the more powerful an ingredient is, the more likely that ingredient is to cause problems. 

This doesn’t mean that everyone who takes it will experience side effects, but the percentage of people who will experience side effects increases as power increases. 

As you might imagine, this is quite the balance given the variability between individuals, especially among the thyroid community. 

Just so you know, when it comes to this balance, safety is my primary concern. 

I will never formulate or sell a supplement that contains ingredients that are known to have serious or negative side effects. 

But that also doesn’t mean I won’t shy away from powerful ingredients that may cause some side effects for a small number of people. 

When it comes to my formulation process, my supplements definitely tend to be on the stronger and more powerful side. 

This is because I want you as the user to experience benefits!

This does mean that there is a slight increase in side effects, but the trade-off is worth it. 

In my experience, it’s far better to have a more powerful supplement that only 1-2% of people can’t tolerate, than to have a weak supplement that doesn’t really work but that everyone can tolerate.

What’s the point of taking a supplement if you don’t feel better?

I also account for this strength and power in the way that I create the serving size for each supplement. 

Many of my supplements have a serving size which is more than 1 capsule. 

This means that if you are on the more sensitive side, you can take into account the powerful ingredients by cutting the dose in half without the need to unencapsulate the ingredients. 

You can simply take 1 capsule instead of 2. 

This method has worked great for the 80,000 people who have used my supplements over the last 8 years and it’s a strategy that I will continue to employ.

Use Ingredients At Doses High Enough To Provide Benefit

After I’ve identified the ingredients that I want to use, the next thing I need to do is worry about dosing. 

And dosing is probably far more complicated than you might think. 

It can often be a challenge to figure out the right concentration and dose of any individual ingredient when you take into account the other ingredients found in the blend. 

Not all ingredients work well together, not all ingredients blend well together, not all ingredients are the same density, and the list goes on and on. 

What you should know is that great care is taken when figuring out this dose. 

And whenever a dose is used, you can be sure that I will always include the minimum dose necessary for some benefit to be observed. 

If you aren’t paying attention to the dosing, you can easily get confused when comparing higher-quality supplements to lower-quality supplements. 

Supplement manufacturers will try to pull a fast one on you but doing two things: 

Combining all of their ingredients in proprietary blends and jamming lots of ingredients in their supplements at low doses. 

A proprietary blend is a blend of ingredients that are all lumped together which means that you as the user are unable to tell how much of any one ingredient you are getting. 

This is a way to cut corners and reduce the cost for supplement manufacturers. 

With this strategy, they can make it look like they are putting high-quality and expensive ingredients in their formulation, while they are just masking the low dose of these ingredients in a proprietary blend. 

They also may try to just jam as many ingredients as they can in doses that are very low which makes it look like you are getting more than you really are. 

The reality is that the dose of the ingredients found in a supplement is more important than the quantity of ingredients being used. 

Whether this is done intentionally or out of negligence, I’m not sure, but it’s probably best to avoid it because either option is not ideal. 

When it comes to my formulation process, I manage the dosing of ingredients in two ways:

The first is by evaluating research studies to see what dose has been used and proven to be effective. 

And the second is by testing the dosing and ingredients in the real world. 

Doing these two things allows me to create supplements that work right out of the gate. 

Always Be Aware of Ingredients That Are New And Emerging

I’ll be the first to tell you that while research is important, it’s still important to recognize that we don’t know what we don’t know. 

Before any ingredient is researched and tested, someone first has to think of it as a potential treatment. 

And, when it comes to natural supplements, there’s a lot of this going on all of the time. 

Many natural remedies and treatments haven’t been rigorously tested or proven to be effective but just because no research exists doesn’t mean they can’t be used or considered. 

This is an area that can get sketchy very quickly, though, so it’s not a place where I like to spend a lot of time. 

But do know that I am always keeping an eye on new and emerging therapies and treatments even if they have limited research supporting their use. 

An example of this is the use of SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators). 

I’m currently paying very close attention to certain plant-based SARMs that may have efficacious use in the treatment of Hashimoto’s. 

I’m not comfortable enough at this point to put it into a supplement, but if these ingredients continue to show promise, it may ultimately make its way into one. 

Be Considerate Of The Price But Never Sacrifice Quality

I’ve received a lot of feedback on my supplements over the years and something that can get people really worked up is pricing. 

I understand that my supplements tend to be on the more expensive side, but this isn’t because I’m greedy or because I am trying to rip people off, it’s because of how my supplements are formulated. 

I will never sacrifice quality for a lower price. 

Great care is taken at every single step of the way and the pricing of my supplements reflects that. 

Here are a few examples:

• Dosing: I use much higher doses of individual ingredients because I want to ensure that my supplements work. The dose of ingredients is usually the single greatest factor when it comes to pricing. 
• Sourcing: Sourcing refers to where my manufacturer gets our ingredients from. There are some locations and countries which provide very cheap pricing but which also do not have the standards that meet my requirements. As a result, we often need to source from more expensive countries. 
• Ingredient form: Ingredient form also plays a huge role in the cost of the supplement and is a place where manufacturers often cut corners. There’s a big difference in price between an ingredient like cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin. I always use the more expensive pre-methylated B vitamins so that my supplements can be used in anyone with an MTHFR genetic mutation. More expensive ingredient forms are better absorbed but they also cost more. Every single ingredient form you see in my supplements represents the highest quality form available. I absolutely do not compromise when it comes to supplement form because that has a huge impact on absorption and benefit. 
• Manufacturing: Lots of corners and costs can be cut in the manufacturing process when it comes to cleanliness, quality assurance, and the testing and sourcing of ingredients. I’ve spent considerable time finding a manufacturer that is just as obsessed with quality as I am and I’m happy to report that we do not skip in this area one iota. 
• Third-party testing: Every single supplement batch and lot that you see undergoes third-party testing for heavy metals, impurities, mold, toxins, and bacteria. This testing is not required by the FDA but it’s something that I add to ensure a higher quality and more trustworthy product. 
• Trademarked ingredients: You may have noticed that some of my supplements contain what are called trademarked ingredients. Trademarked ingredients are special forms of supplements that have undergone additional testing and research to show that they are more efficacious than standard forms. These ingredients are more expensive but they are also more effective. 
• Serving size: Many of my supplements contain a serving size that is anywhere from 2 up to 4 capsules per serving. This is because when you dose ingredients at the proper level, they take up a lot of space in a capsule and you often need more than 1 capsule to get everything in. 
• Capsule count: Finally, you may also notice that many of my supplements provide a 60-day supply worth of ingredients. I do this because, on average, it takes a solid 6 to 8 weeks of daily use of any therapy or treatment o have an impact on your thyroid function. I could make my supplements cheaper by cutting down their capsule count to a 30-day supply but what benefit would that provide you? You would need to purchase two bottles instead of one to see if it was actually beneficial.

So, yes, my supplements may be slightly more expensive than average, but the quality and benefits that you get when using them are evident with each dose. 

Minimize The Use Of Unneeded Fillers And Binders

Another often overlooked but important part of the manufacturing process is the use of binders and fillers. 

I know what you’re thinking:

Why even use binders or fillers? Just cut them out!

I wish it were that simple. 

What you may not know (I didn’t either when I was first starting out) is that the raw ingredients used in some supplement formulations can be very sticky. 

So sticky, in fact, that they can completely jam up machines and break equipment that’s worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Unfortunately, the higher quality ingredients tend to be much sticker and harder to work with than the lower quality ones. 

And because I only use higher quality ingredients, this is a problem that I am constantly dealing with. 

Despite this, I am always on the lookout and will always do my best to limit the need for unwanted or unneeded fillers or binders. 

Just recently I made the switch away from magnesium stearate to a non-GMO rice hull extract called Nu-Flow. 

This change was more expensive, but I really believe it provides a cleaner end product to thyroid patients which is why I did it. 

Sometimes fillers are needed because the active ingredient is dosed at such a level that you need a filler to ensure even dosing. 

An example of this can be seen in my Essential T2 supplement. 

T2 thyroid hormone is dosed in mcg (not mg) because it’s so powerful. 

But because each capsule can fill up around 500 mg worth of space, you need something in there to make up the difference. 

If we didn’t have a filler, then each dose would be about the size of a few grains of salt which would consistent dosing almost impossible. 

Just know that I am constantly looking for ways to minimize the use and need for binders and fillers and if you see any that are found in my supplements, they are there for a good reason. 

Listen to Feedback And Relentlessly Refine

The final component of creating the best possible supplement is a refining process that never stops. 

And by refining, what I’m referring to is the formulation process. 

Many supplement companies and manufacturers will create a formulation and then call it a day. 

They will never revisit the formula, they will never make any changes, and they will never adjust to patient feedback. 

While it’s definitely possible to create an incredible formula right off the bad, my experience suggests that the best formulas are forged over time. 

They are adjusted and tweaked as new information develops, as research advances, and in response to customer feedback. 

Don’t get me wrong, a lot of time and energy is involved in the initial creation process, but, sometimes, you can’t predict how people will react to any given ingredient. 

Sometimes the doses and ingredients need to be adjusted. 

Sometimes new fillers are available which enhance the effectiveness of existing ingredients. 

Sometimes new and cleaner flavor profiles are released. 

The list goes on and on. 

If a formulator isn’t open to making changes to its formulas, they will eventually degrade and become inferior to other products over time. 

This is a problem for many supplement brands but not for mine…

Because I have complete control over my formulas, I can make changes far quicker than most. 

I do my best to strike a balance between making changes and trying new ingredients and forms of ingredients and maintaining the potency of the existing formula. 

This means that the formulas continue to work while iterate on them so you don’t need to worry about the rug being pulled out from under you if what you were taking was working well for you. 

To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here are a few changes that I’ve made to my supplements in the recent past:

• The transition from magnesium stearate to non-GMO rice hull concentrate (Nu-Flow) as a binder in all supplements. This was done in an effort to clean up the inactive ingredients in all of my supplements. 
• The addition of extra virgin olive oil and lutein and zeaxanthin to Hashimoto’s Ab Rx. This was done to reduce the flavor of Hashimoto’s Ab Rx (at the request of customers) and to enhance the effectiveness of the thymoquinone.
• The transition from choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid to MMST (monomethylsilanetriol) in Thyroid Hair Regrowth Complex. With the help of my manufacturer, we were able to find a source of silicon that is roughly 4x more effective than the old version. This increased the effectiveness of the supplement without increasing its price to our customers. 
• The transition from guggulsterone to guggul extract in T3 Conversion Booster. This change increased the effectiveness of one of the main ingredients in this formula thereby enhancing its effectiveness on T4 to T3 conversion. 

As I mentioned, the process is never-ending! 

Here are a few more updates that I am currently working on and that should roll out in the coming months: 

• The increase in probiotics in Thyro Biotic by over 20 billion CFU. This was done to simply make the probiotic more powerful and more effective. This wasn’t requested by anyone but I had an opportunity to increase its potency without adjusting the price that customers pay on their end so I jumped on it. 
• The addition of ingredients to Thyro Fuel and a reduction in its sweetness. I am reducing the sweetness of Thyro Fuel by around 25% (at the request of customers) and adding multiple additional ingredients which will make this formula more powerful than before. 
• The addition of MK7 to Thyro ADK. The new iteration of Thyro ADK will feature both forms of vitamin K2 instead of just one. 

This iterative process means that my supplements will only get better and more powerful over time. 

When all I said and done, I want to provide you with the best supplements on the market. 

By combining a strong and consistent philosophy with unwavering standards, you will get high-value supplements that provide superior benefits at a reasonable price. 

To achieve this goal, I spend countless hours on the formulation process, the research of ingredients, and the testing of these ingredients. 

You can be sure that by the time my supplements enter the market all of these things have already been accounted for.

I want to be as transparent as possible in an industry that is otherwise opaque.

By seeing my standards and philosophy out in the open, I hope that you can trust the process and join me on this journey. 

Even if you aren’t ready to purchase my supplements right now, I can promise you that we will be here when you change your mind. 

I’m not going anywhere and my products are only getting better and better.