Usana vitamins - Good product or good scam? A personal account and review of the product and company.

I had previously blogged (posts have been removed) about my road to recovery from having multiple bulging discs and sciatica (and spinal bone degeneration was thrown in after my x-rays).  My mode of transportation around my house was crawling on my hands and knees and the thought of going on simple outings would bring on such anxiety that I often opted to just stay home. The pain was chronic and severe and the frustration of not being able to stand up straight or stand long enough to fry an egg was mounting. For the first time in my life, I used a wheelchair. 

I was given multiple prescriptions for chronic pain and inflammation and other symptoms but they didn’t work for me. So the next step was MORE pills and stronger prescriptions with even more side effects. Honestly, while taking more powerful pills was tempting, I just refused to accept the status of my health given to me by the doctors. (Actually, I got mad – see The Trouble w/Doctors post) The drugs designed to “take the edge off” had harmful side effects and quite possibly I would have take medication to counter act the effects of my other medication. Hmmm...this was not how I envisioned my life, so on to less invasive treatment which included healthier behavior.

I had been approached out of the blue by a Usana rep. She told me the story of a woman with fibromyalgia who was on multiple medications but was only relieved of pain after using Usana vitamins. Now ordinarily I would have thought, “Yeah, ok. Anything to sell me on this.”  However, I did want to begin a healthy diet regimen, so I thought “why not?”

I became an associate so that I would get sales credit for anything I bought but first I had to research the company. I didn’t really like what I found out about their business practices. For instance, some would label this company’s practices as a “pyramid scheme” while others refer to it as a multilevel networking. What’s the difference? Just your perspective. You build yourself up on the backs of the people that you bring into the business and place under you. Those people then bring others into the business beneath them for you to profit on as well (think of building a human pyramid like cheerleaders). The more people brought into the business under your business line, the more money you make. The money flows up so someone is standing on your back and making money off of you and your associate line, too.

Now, I don’t necessarily have a problem with this since every profitable business is built practically the same way. Every time I buy a product, the money flows up and the guy at the top reaps the biggest benefits. My problem with many pyramid schemes is that most of the products are mediocre with a high price tag. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter what the product is, (you could be selling ocean water to a drowning man), because the object is to sell a piece of the business not the pricey products.  That’s how you make the big money quickly.

My problem with Usana specifically, was their convoluted point system and continued product buying requirements for associates, just to name a couple. However, even with my doubts about working for the company, I didn’t find anything to deter me from using the products. It was a little pricey but I didn’t mind paying the price (it wasn’t outrageously expensive) as long as I would get my money’s worth. In this instance, the bottom line ended up being that I could afford the vitamins but not the chronic, severe pain, so it was worth it to me to give it a try.

I began using the Healthpak 100 which was a packet of pills to be taken in the a.m. and p.m. The packet contained:

Mega antioxidants, chelated minerals, calcium and an “AO Booster” which mostly contain grape-seed extract. (Grape-seed extract alone has a lot of positive health and anti-disease effects). 

The antioxidants and minerals had more than the recommended daily allowances of just about every vitamin and mineral designed to improve health. In addition, I also took their very potent Omega 3 which has its own benefits such as being an anti-inflammatory. I didn't know it when I first started taking it. I just felt the improvement, so I researched Omega 3 benefits. It worked better than the prescription I was given and it came without the side effects. The Healthpake 100 packed a pretty good healthy vitamin punch.

How did it all this work out for me? Well, in the end, I used Usana and I’m now pain free. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.  Would I recommend it to others? Actually, yeah I would recommend it to any health conscious person, even at its current prices. Is there anything about the product (not business practices) that I don’t like? Yep. I don’t like taking 14 pills a day, which is why I’m about to try another product called Juice Plus+. With this product, you only take four pills, (6 with the Omega 3). 

I’m usually of the frame of mind that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix” it but someone I trust is using/selling Juice Plus+ so I’m willing to take a look at it (and blog about it). Of course, even though I trust my sales rep, I still have to research it and try it for myself.  

After using Usana for myself, my final grade of Usana:

Vitamin Product :A –          (more economical pricing would improve the minus)

Business Practices – D+