In short
Skin Anarchy Podcast Episode Summary: The Pharmacology of Wellness
Episode Overview In this episode of *Skin Anarchy*, hosted by Dr. Ekta Yadav, the guest is Dr. Stephanie Redmond, a PharmD and PhD, who discusses how pharmacology is altering the landscape of supplements and functional medicine. Dr. Redmond emphasizes the importance of clinically validated, therapeutic doses of ingredients, aiming to bridge the gap between medications and supplements for better health outcomes.
Key Themes
- Pharmacology and Supplements: The intersection of medications, nutrients, and hormones in improving metabolic health.
- Underperforming Supplements: Critique of the current supplement market and the need for effective dosing.
- Innovative Products: Discussion of Dr. Redmond’s products including Purify Colostrum and GLP-1 support formulations.
- Ethical Supplementation: Importance of evidence-based practices in the supplement industry.
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Detailed Discussions
Introduction & Guest Background
- Dr. Stephanie Redmond’s Expertise:
- Background in pharmacy and endocrinology.
- Experience in diabetes management and medication therapy management.
- Focus on integrating pharmacology into holistic health approaches.
Bridging Medicine, Supplements, & Pharmacology
- Role of Pharmacists:
- Pharmacists can provide comprehensive management of medications and dietary supplements.
- Importance of understanding drug interactions and safety.
The Gap in Supplement Education & Dosing
- Issues with Current Supplements:
- Many supplements are underdosed, leading to ineffective outcomes.
- Necessity for clinically verified dosages over marketing gimmicks.
Understanding Colostrum
- What is Colostrum?:
- The first milk produced by mammals, rich in nutrients.
- Discussion on the differences between human and bovine colostrum.
- Purify Colostrum:
- Unique formulation using AI-assisted filtration to enhance bioactive glycoproteins.
- Seven times more anti-inflammatory benefits compared to standard bovine colostrum.
Hormonal Health and Colostrum
- Postpartum and Perimenopause:
- Importance of colostrum during hormonal fluctuations.
- Supports immune health, gut health, and addresses hormonal imbalances.
GLP-1 Support Supplements
- Introduction of GLP-1 Medications:
- Rising popularity and their role in weight management.
- Dr. Redmond’s formulations: GLP-1 Buddy and GLP Wonder, designed to support those on GLP-1 medications.
Future of Foundational Wellness & Supplement Testing
- Testing and Transparency:
- Importance of third-party testing for supplements.
- Need for testing against heavy metals and validating ingredient claims.
Consumer Awareness and Ethical Practices
- Encouragement for Transparency:
- Call for brands to provide detailed information on the processing and testing of supplements.
- The shift towards ethical practices in the supplement industry.
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Key Takeaways
- Precision in Formulation: The emphasis on using clinically studied therapeutic doses for effective supplementation.
- Educational Gap: Highlighting the lack of understanding among consumers about the efficacy and safety of supplements.
- Importance of Community Awareness: Consumers should demand transparency from brands and be informed about the supplements they choose.
Closing Remarks Dr. Yadav and Dr. Redmond conclude by discussing the significance of foundational nutrition and the evolving landscape of the supplement industry towards more ethical and science-backed products.
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Resources
- Learn more about Dr. Stephanie Redmond’s products on [Dr. Stephanie’s website](https://drstephanies.com/collections/all) and Instagram [@drstephanies](https://www.instagram.com/drstephanies/).
- Subscribe to *Skin Anarchy* on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more insights from experts in the beauty and health industry.
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This episode of *Skin Anarchy* provides valuable insights into how pharmacology and supplements are evolving, emphasizing the need for scientific and ethical approaches in health and wellness.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01Hey guys, welcome back. Today's episode is all about nutrition and wellness and endocrinology and just hormonal health in general. I'm so excited because we have a true expert with us today. Dr. Stephanie Redmond is a PharmD. She has a PhD in pharmacology. She is nationally recognized as an expert in optimizing health through natural ingredients and lifestyle changes. As the founder of the medication therapy management practice at Ridgeview Clinics in Minnesota, she specializes in endocrinology and hormone disorders. And now she's really leading charge with her own brand and bringing a new twist to this whole area that I think a lot of times is led by people who don't have the right credentials.
0:42I know that's a mouthful, but I really wanted to give you guys a little background on her. So welcome, Dr. Redmond. I'm so excited to talk to you and to keep bunk some stuff and dive more into your work. Yes. Thank you so much, Dr. Acta, for having me on. I'm really excited. There's a lot to talk about in the supplement arena, and I'm excited to jump into colostrum and hopefully some of the topics around GLP-1. Yeah, no, I'm really excited. And I love your supplements. I just want to say that from the get-go. I've been trying them myself, so I can't wait to dive in. But I want to learn more about you because you have this really heavy pharmacy background.
1:16And I know that that's often never spoken about in the chain of just knowledge when it comes to medicine. We never really dive into the pharmacology side of things. And so I'd love to learn more about you and what got you into that field of science. And just tell us more about that and walk us down memory lane. Yeah, I sometimes think people hear pharmacist and then supplements and it's almost like an oxymoron. It's definitely been an interesting journey. Like you said, I have my doctorate in pharmacy. I actually first fell in love with diabetes management. So I'm board certified in advanced diabetes management.
1:50I'm a certified diabetes educator. And that kind of stemmed from way back when I, I'm from Minnesota. I went to the University of Minnesota. I did my residency there. I'm really not very interesting in that regard. But I remember in my residency, I had a patient hand me an insulin pump and I was like, what do I do with this? Nobody taught me about this in pharmacy school. And that led to a whole cascade of actually jumping into endocrinology, which you opened with like endocrinology is anything hormone related. A big piece of that ended up being insulin hormone management and diabetic really outside of residency.
2:25I saw a very important role for pharmacists, not just in community pharmacy, not just in retail pharmacy, but in a clinic, working alongside medical doctors like yourself, physicians, to really comprehensively manage patients' medications and over-the-counter therapies. Because frankly, a lot of physicians, a lot of healthcare providers aren't trained to do this. And no one is really diving into dietary supplements. So I would holistically look at what are all the medications you're taking? What are all the over-the-counter therapies you're taking? How do they fit together? Do they interact? Are they safe?
3:05Are you dosing them appropriately? What's the best way to take them? And it just from there led into this whole practice because I think there was a need and people were hungry for that. I love that though and I think that it's interesting because pharmacists are often the last stop in healthcare and I've always hated that because I feel like I've learned more from my colleagues in pharmacy science than anything else like when I remember like even back in pre-med let's go all the way back yeah I remember like we took all the same classes you know what I mean and pre-med took all the same classes you went to school you get this entire education and then when you come to pharmacology and medical school it's one class it's one course and that's it and that's the extent of what we learned and then we're told to go out there like figure it out but it's like you don't figure it out you know what I mean so then you end up asking questions about bioavailability and pharmacokinetics and you start learning from pharmacology people so it's really interesting to me how the system is set up because I feel like you guys need to be pushed up you know sooner so that we can get more knowledge I'm definitely an advocate for that and it really came full circle because like my background I grew up working at Walgreens pharmacy so I was in the community setting staring at a computer doing insurance talking to people over the counter too about their vitamins which really comes full circle also but I got to see that end of it after a patient is prescribed a medication by their physician coming to fill at the pharmacy with an abundance of questions but then also with my medication therapy management practice it was unique in that you as the physician you do what you're trained to do the diagnostic the workup the review of systems, the labs, and then you involve the pharmacist at that point of care to go, what is the best prescription medication for this patient?
4:49Are there any natural supplements we should be considering in conjunction with their medications to optimize how they're experienced? Or are there things that we should consider before we reach for medications, especially replenishing nutritional and vitamin deficiencies? It's like, otherwise, we're just band-aiding with more and more medications before we get to the source of the problem. Absolutely. I 100 % agree. And I think oftentimes this happens a lot more than it doesn't. If you've ever been in a critical care setting, you realize that a lot of the people that come through, a lot of the things are caused by medication side effects.
5:24They're not, many times critical care patients are not truly, you know, what you're thinking like an amortivir glaxan or something. No, they're coming in for like drug interactions, drug side effects. And so it's very important to understand how just these normal, the chemistry of it all, like how it works in the human body. And then when you move into the world of supplements, it gets even more complex because people are taking a 10 stack of supplements. And then they're mixing that with drugs that they're taking for their actual co-orbidity. So it becomes this world that we're living in is so complicated when it comes to the supplement world because of that.
6:01And so I'm very curious about just understanding that more because there is no formal education on this stuff. It's like you have to really lean on the experts like yourself to understand. Unless you're proactively really trying to get more information in that arena, that's not part of a standard curriculum. It's not part of the standard credentialing and recertification and continuing ed. I've met with patients that take 60 medications and insulin and supplements. And you're like, how do you manage this? The most common drug therapy problem we see in prescriptions, I think, is actually what led me launching my own dietary supplement lines.
6:35And that is dose too low. Patients are put on a lot of medications, managing side effects of medications and more medications, but they're really not titrated to an optimal dose. So they're on like suboptimal doses of many different medications. And so really, as I'm guessing we're going to talk about some of the supplements, everything I make is at a clinically studied therapeutic dose. And I think when we look at the supplement industry, it's like a lot of stuff is just pixie dusted doses or marketing doses. Like we include this, but it's really not at a meaningful dose to give you benefits, right?
7:13That's really the big question. When is this going to work? Let's talk about the real foundational stuff. Let's take, for example, colostrum. I know you have a phenomenal product in your range. And colostrum, I think, came on my radar as an over-the-counter product, I think, about, what, five years ago? Maybe five years ago. And at first, I was incredibly confused. I'm not going to lie to you. I was just like, I don't know what's going on. But then I started reading more and more into it. And it was very fascinating how people are now discovering, like, an everyday routine, like, all the benefits of these things.
7:44Let's talk about colostrum. What is colostrum? Just to educate us, what should we know as general consumers about? supplement like this. Yeah. And colostrum is definitely newer. It's trending. This is interesting. I actually was just speaking last week at mom con, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was a conference of 2 ,500 moms coming to get together and learn about health and just celebrate. But colostrum is, if you're not a mom or not familiar with what colostrum is, let's back up, right? Colostrum is the first milk that all mammals produce. So if you're a mom and you're breastfeeding during the first 24 to 72 hours, you'll produce what they call this liquid gold.
8:27And it is the most nutrient dense food for our babies. That's rich in all of these like bioactive nutrients. We think about growth factors, we think about peptides, but specifically there's regenerative peptides in there. It's rich in minerals, but it's, it's like a super food, right and so I think colostrum has taken the dietary supplement industry by storm over the last few years how do we get colostrum because we're not sourcing human colostrum that would be a huge supply chain issue so everything you're really seeing over the counter and our product too my Dr. Stephanie's colostrum is sourced from cows it's bovine colostrum and so they basically source it from the cows over the first few days that they're collecting excess colostrum after the calves are fully fed and then we package that into a dietary supplement oh wow okay that's interesting so you had mentioned like there's a lot of benefits and that is according to what i've read as well there's a lot of immunologically there's a lot of benefits as well to colostrum the immune response that the body has it helps a lot that's very interesting so bovine like how does that work?
9:42Have you dug into this in terms of the compatibility of bovine colostrum with humans? What are the compatibility studies on that? I love that because that's where I really saw a white space in the colostrum arena. Yeah. Bovine colostrum is for cows, right? It's for calves. So it's not really optimized for human consumption. I would say the studies show that like the peptides, the glycoproteins in bovine colostrum are about a 45, 40 to 45 % match to what human colostrum is. So that's a big discrepancy. What that means is you're not getting the full benefits of the colostrum, but also more importantly, the proteins in the bovine colostrum that your body doesn't recognize causes actually like pro-inflammation instead of lowering inflammation.
10:34So women like myself, if I take a lot of different colostrum, not saying anything necessarily wrong with those colostrum options, but if I just take a straight bovine colostrum, I get really bad gas, stomach upset, the things that are like opposite of what colostrum is supposed to do for you. So I have actually never been able to take colostrum or tolerate colostrum until I launched our new Purify Colostrum Capsule. So what we have done is we have partnered with a company that has cracked the code to basically use AI technology to purify and filter the spobine colostrum so that it uses only the glycoproteins that are found in human colostrum.
11:18And this means like a myriad of things, right? Like you can imagine it's more effective, it's better recognized by your body, so no side effects. oh that's very fascinating yeah i was gonna say because oftentimes you do see that in the supplement world right where you're getting it from a source that is not human compatible so that's very interesting what you did that's that makes a lot of sense because i think a lot of brands don't really talk about it there's not a lot of transparency there and that's what i saw with colostrum in general and specifically was that's why i could never get on that bandwagon in the beginning because i was i just don't know how this is going to work with human physiology so I agree.
11:55And so this is a branded colostrum. It's literally called super colostrum, which God bless, we like that. So super colostrum in clinical studies, like head to head against traditional bovine colostrum or even lactoferrin, or they studied against turmeric or curcumin. It shows that the super colostrum is seven times more powerful, has seven times the anti-inflammatory benefits than traditional bovine colostrum so you're really getting much more robust benefits on your gut health hair health skin complexion immunity support which we can talk about how it does that but again no side effects and i think what is so cool about this is i think dosage form can be very limiting for some people i love drink mixes like i told you as i'm opening this like i'm mixing up my hydration i love getting my supplements and drink mixes i I think it's great for absorption.
12:49I think it's just like something enjoyable to do. But I do struggle with, I'm just like I said, I've tried these colostrum drink mixes and there's something about it. You're like, I don't really love this. With super colostrum, you only need 100 milligrams because it's so much more potent than the bovine colostrum powder. So instead of like the heaping scoops of powders, you're getting that full effective dose in just one little capsule every day. That makes sense. And it's interesting. And you designed yours for a very specific moment, right? Which is postpartum. What is the stuff that we need to know here?
13:23Because I've seen everybody take it, right? We're like 20 year olds are taking it. They're not pregnant. They're not pregnant. Everybody at this point is taking colostrum. So what is the real science here? Should we be taking it? Even though we haven't gone through a pregnancy and we're not trying to support lactation, does it matter for us to take it? Yeah, great question. I have so many things to say to that. But number one, short answer, no, it doesn't matter. This is beneficial for everyone. And I would say stay tuned. I am launching a colostrum product that is really marketed and geared towards all people, right?
13:59Men, women. This specific product, my Dr. Stephanie's Primal Mom Blends Colostrum, I am targeting towards postpartum beauty and gut health. And that's because, number one, I think when we look at the postpartum space for pregnancy and lactation, there is hypersensitivity to making sure products are safe. And so this is third party tested at multiple stages very rigorously to make sure that it's safe from a sourcing perspective and finished good perspective for moms. But I also think that, yes, while this is beneficial for everyone, when I look at a woman's journey, there are three huge instances in that journey where we see tremendous fluctuations in hormone shifts.
14:49One is puberty, obviously. The other is postpartum. And the other is through perimenopause and the menopause transition. And postpartum and perimenopause can very closely mirror each other. And that's why colostrum can be so extra powerful in these stages. So when we look at postpartum, your estrogen, your progesterone coming until immediately after giving birth and then it drops very low. And it does that so suddenly. So you have this vulnerable period after postpartum where your immune system is more prone to attack. You're more prone to developing autoimmune conditions. your hair follicles have just gone into shock because of this drastic hormone fluctuation your skin is experiencing imbalances your gut microbiome has totally shifted and so we're seeing more instances of leaky gut syndrome and that intestinal permeability more changes in bloating and stomach distension and so colostrum can be such a powerful tool during that time with all of these superfood nutrients to help with all of those things right here it helps accelerate the conversion of your telogen to the antigen hair growth cycle it can help with skin appearance it helps support that immune system really through anywhere where we have mucosal barriers it can help stimulate growth of repairing those barriers right so that's why it can be so effective for gut health.
16:26That's why it can be so effective for immune support. I want to also say, yes, that postpartum shift, but also perimenopause. Think about perimenopause. Your estrogen fluctuating up, down, up, down, up, down until it plummets. Your progesterone is declining. And so I also think the colostrum can be so wonderful for women from that 35 years old through 55 years old, really starting to experience hormone shifts from aging as well. That's so interesting. Yeah, that's really interesting because I think that when we think about something that is meant by nature to be so nutrient rich, that's why I asked you that.
17:04I was like, why did you pick postpartum? But it makes sense to me because you need a lot of support during that period. But no, this is very fascinating. I want to shift gears a little bit, though, because you have some really great GLP-1 support supplements. And I love this because everybody is on a GLP one. I know that we don't like to admit it, but how many of you out there are taking it or know somebody that's taking it? And I feel like at this point, it's just better to talk about it rather than keep hiding. And so I want to talk about what does our body need when you're on this journey, your GLP journey, weight loss, what does the body really need?
17:42And what did you design your supplements for this category to really incorporate? I love that. And some of my history in this space, too, just to give some context as to my experience and how I developed. I have two products for GLP-1 support that I'll get into. But especially coming from my background in diabetic care and obesity management, 10 years ago, I was a national speaker for all these GLP-1 pharmaceuticals. I was a speaker for Ozempic. I sat on the U.S. Strategic Advisory Board for Eli Lilly. I was very passionate about this space. And I remember when I would travel around teaching physicians about prescribing GLP-1, they're like, what?
18:21This is so crazy. And now it is really quite an out-of-body experience to see that everyone is taking it. And this is just in the water. And I think GLP-1s are amazing medications. I think they are life-changing for people. I think there has to be education and nutritional support paired with GLP-1. Part of that is one of my products that I am so excited to share is launching Greenwide and Target next Sunday. My two GLP-1 items, GLP-1 Buddy, which if you're on a GLP-1 medication, helps replenish nutritional deficiencies. It's really that GLP-1 user support if you're on a medication to help you enjoy your GLP-1 journey and get the most out of your medication, maximize your results, mitigate some of those side effects and imbalances that we can see with GLP-1 medications.
19:19So you can just stay on therapy and get more out of it. So what GLP-1 Buddy is, and we can get more into it, is a vitamin, creatine, and digestive relief drink mix. Now, on the other hand, I also would love to talk about my GLP Wonder. GLP Wonder is a natural GLP-1 booster. So this could be taken to augment your GLP-1 medication. This could be taken if you're not someone who is considering a GLP-1 medication, but you're really wanting some gentle GLP-1 benefits. It can help reduce cravings and hunger in a gentle way. that's awesome yeah no i like that you created both of these but especially the buddy jill people and buddy because it has that digestive support which i think this is the biggest side effect most of us experience right when we're on this is that your digestive system is literally your gut motility has slowed down you need to digest your food i know a lot of people who literally cannot eat any solid foods when they start it's like they go on this like smoothie diet because they can't tolerate even a little bit of anything solid.
20:26So I think when you're going through this, it can be quite a shock. I think that it can be really frustrating because you're not hungry, but at the same time, you got to eat something. So like people find themselves in this weird limbo. What were some of the digestive enzymes that you found to be helpful for this? What did you actually put in it that you found to be really good? Yes, great point. And to reiterate, at least with the digestive component, right, I'd say there are studies showing that most or like about 70-ish percent of people who started GLP-1 will experience some sort of digestive side effect.
21:04And that does lessen with time on therapy, right, as long as you're titrating your dose slowly. But we use a specific digestive enzyme blend called Digest-Zab that has protease, amylase, cellulase, lipase, lactase. So it has all of the digestive enzymes that you can need to help break down your food because what you're saying, it slows digestive motility, right? GLP1, when we eat, our bodies naturally make GLP1. And the role of that GLP1 is to slow how food moves through your stomach. So your body isn't absorbing glucose or sugar as quickly. So you get a blunted spike in your blood sugar. It also helps your body make more insulin.
21:45But because it's slowing digestive or delaying gastric counting, you're left with herping, nausea, indigestion, constipation. And so with the digestive enzymes can help. Ginger can help alleviate some of that nausea, upset stomach. Just a great all-around option to promote digestive health and regularity. Absolutely. Yeah, that's really fascinating. I think that it's just an interesting world we live in now because we went from diet supplements to now where we are now. I think the supplement industry has regained its ethics. You know what I mean? I'd like to think of it like that. When I see brands like yours, I'm like, we needed this about 10 years ago when everybody was on like a diet pill.
22:27When everybody was pushing supplements that were just unethical. It was such a different world back then. So when I see a brand like yours, I'm like very excited to see the shift. And to see that we're finally getting to this point where I know one of the side effects of GLP-1 being on the rise is people have really paid attention to their health. Like they've started listening to their health. Okay, yeah, my body needs help. And so one of the components of that is you start thinking about vitamins. You start thinking about supporting your body. What are the electrolytes? What are the micronutrients that I need?
22:58Like those kind of things come up. And so I think we're in the golden era right now of supplements. Like I feel like this is going to really shift. the way that the future is for how we're getting everything that we need, whether it's through our diet or through trusted sources. Very exciting. Amen. I think it's setting us up for much better foundational health and healing. And it's interesting because even look at Target, like I talked about our launches with Target and I'm hot on that because I'm just, I'm grateful that they've invested and partnered with us as a smaller brand and like a doctor formulated brand and a brand backed by science, not just a brand that's thought because of influencers or celebrity.
23:36We're building our reputation in the space by having dietary supplements that work and make a difference. But anyhow, when I look at Target and a lot of other retailers too, their weight loss categories actually dwindled with the launch of GLP-1 supplements. And we've seen a real shift in here's not just like a hydroxy cut that's loaded with stimulants or other supplements that maybe aren't necessarily safe foundational health but like these glp1 support items they're putting in digestive care at target okay so it's like they're really identifying that this is a hormone produced in your gut your experience stems from digestive health right and that stems into metabolic health and i think when they got rid of some of the weight loss sets in these supplement arenas.
24:28We want to love our bodies and it's okay. Like we don't need to lose all this weight. And I agree with that. But I also think there's this comeback and resurgence of metabolic health is so important. Oh yeah. And yes, we want to love our bodies, but we have to also make sure we're metabolically healthy. So I think that's wonderful. Absolutely. No, I can't tell you how frustrating it's been to watch what obesity has done to on a mass level and what has happened with metabolic help over the years. I know from the clinical perspective, this whole term metabolic syndrome didn't even exist like what, 20 years ago or something.
25:05And if it did exist, nobody was talking about it. And now here we are in a world where, yeah, 19 year olds are having like ridiculous insulin resistance problems. And so it's a very different world. And I think this is what I meant when I was saying like the future, I really think is going to have to be a place where we are embracing supplements in a whole different way because we're not getting the same stuff in our food anymore that's another thing right we're not buying how many times are you buying organic vegetables versus the crap that kind of thing so this is a big problem i think that is going to be resolved by companies who have this ethical compass when they're creating supplements because a lot of the supplementation that we need not just i want this it's not just about i want this and i want to be that one percent of people that take supplements to optimize health it's gonna become a need i think on a mass level right where we're like yeah you're gonna need something look at the vitamin d thing that happened right where everybody had low vitamin d i've got to tell you i can't tell you the last time i saw any patient that didn't have a low vitamin d it's crazy yeah so i think the same thing goes for when you think about a very nutrient rich source like colostrum that we just discussed are supporting your gut health supporting your metabolic health these are all very serious conversations that need to be had i think on every level regardless of your age because now the food and everything that we're interacting with is affecting that so it's very interesting i want to dive into like the testing that you did because i think this is something we never get to speak about is understanding the testing the filters that supplements should go through right when it comes to testing them for whatever it might be obviously heavy metals and stuff.
26:45But just can you walk us through that a little bit in terms of what you found to be very important to test for and to validate? Yeah, I'd love to talk about that. And honestly, as you said, testing, I first was going to give you kudos for testing vitamin D levels in your patients. I know we're talking about third party testing in our supplements. But I think too, before I jump into that, I think if anyone listening to this podcast, just being proactive and checking your levels, And there's so many online companies now that will give you baseline tests of your metabolic health. And you really should know.
27:18And that's a great way to monitor if these supplements are working for you. Yes, are you noticing a difference? But are you seeing that reflected in your lab results too? But no, let's talk about third-party testing because this is a huge issue in the dietary supplement arena. A great example. So I have my colostrum. I have my GLP Wonder. you know these and glp1 buddy too so what we check for and you should expect this from all supplements you take what we check for is before when we source all these ingredients we make sure there's no heavy metals pesticides other contaminants before blending but after blending too during blending and after blending in glp1 buddy in each packet i say you're going to get 900 micrograms of vitamin A.
28:07You need to make sure the company you're buying from has checked that packet to make sure you're getting 900 micrograms of vitamin A. So it's not just the contamination and the heavy metals and pesticides in there, which I think heavy metals are probably what we hear about most in the media, but checking for a label claim to ensure that you're actually getting what is on the label instead of subtherapeutic doses. And a couple of things I find shocking. One, a lot of retailers don't necessarily require this testing. Now, I think they do their due diligence to work with good companies, obviously.
28:45But CVS is the only retailer that before they put a product on their shelf, they have their own third-party testing program to ensure you meet all those requirements. And then every year they pull the product off the shelf and they test it to make sure that you're still meeting the label claim one, two, three years later. So that's really cool. Yeah, that's amazing. I didn't know that. I didn't know CBS was like, that's great. It's a tested to be trusted program. But like, I will quickly say over the next couple of minutes here too, berberine is one that's so adulterated, so low and so many supplements we have but my dr stephanie's carbon sugar blocker has berberine in it i launched this seven eight years ago so we actually launched a berberine product before i feel like berberine was really on trend but anyhow berberine is a very difficult product to put in anything other than a capsule it tastes really bad you can't visit you can't get it into a gummy you can't get it into a drink mix i'm shopping in the stores with my husband and i saw berberine gummy and i'm like that's bs you can't get berberine into a gummy we bought off the store shelf send it in for testing said there was 1500 milligrams of berberine in there and there was less than two oh my gosh on a store shelf this isn't just amazon that's crazy you gotta really just look for that third-party testing certification we have launched a new initiative too where we're including our coa so you can really see transparency in the testing results and just know what you're getting but wait so I have a question though I have a question because this is something I've heard and I don't know how true it is so gummies I've heard when you put a supplement in a gummy form in general it's like you're not really getting the same amount that you would like in a there's just no way to do it and I don't know how real that is is that true to some extent especially with certain ingredients it is and that's because a few things one gummies are made through a very intensive like heat process different than chews like those starburst chews on the market i feel oh my gosh force factor they do a lot of chews like that chews are made with a cold process gummies are made with a heat process so a lot of ingredients can be very sensitive and denature during that heat process two there's a lot of moisture in gummies so recently i guess it wasn't that reason it was a couple years ago now even probably but like now nutrition did a big test on all the creatine gummies out there and just show that the moisture in that gummy actually denatures some of the creatine too so you're not getting the full dose of creatine in my experience we do have a couple of gummies on the market but you can't do it with everything right there's just certain ingredients that are very difficult to get at a therapeutic dose into a gummy.
31:41The best ingredients that go into a gummy are actually generally botanical ingredients, herbal ingredients that you can make highly standardized extracts. So I actually have, for breastfeeding moms, I have lactation support gummies. These gummies use ingredients like moringa, milk thistle, shatavari root, but we use standardized extracts in a ratio of 20 to one or 10 to one potency. So you can use a small amount of it, but still get the therapeutic dose. But I would say as a general rule, yes, your vitamins, minerals, creatine, you won't get the same absorption that you get from a capsule or a powdered drink mix.
32:23However, it's probably better than zero right so if i'm not gonna take a capsule they're adverse to that i like offering some other options for them too so it just depends but you're right that's interesting that's very interesting yeah because i don't know i had heard that a long time ago and i was just like curious but it makes sense now because you explained that they go through a melting process yeah honestly this is what gets me and i see this across the board skincare makeup like when you process things with heat and then you have these ridiculous claims about how much of something is in there just I think as consumers we just have to start questioning that kind of thing like across the board if you know what it takes to create a product just start asking questions like did it survive that step what did you go through what were the conditions you put this through to get it to the final point I think we need to start asking brands to put like some sort of like transparency like on their boxes yeah like you should be able to publish that right okay we put it through this amount of heat you know what i mean or like whatever it is and then this is what we saw afterwards like before and after like the i don't know that would be really cool to see that if brands were able to do that otherwise it's scary what anyone can just say isn't it yeah it's especially now because you have longevity and everybody's got a supplement stack and everybody's you know what i'm saying like everyone's biohacking to oblivion and i know you're not biohacking shit you're just no you know or whatever oh speak the truth yeah no i just think it's a crazy world but i think that supplements i don't know it's really good to see that you have brands like yours that are out there and you're doing it right and there is a moral compass and what's guiding you i know for me supplements were a very scary world for a long time especially growing up it was always like in my family it was like don't take anything don't do it like you don't know what's going to be in there so it's really cool to see the shift happen from that perspective where no like i can actually take supplements now and not feel like i'm gonna kill myself i agree i agree it's been a shift and i'm excited to be a part of it yeah no i'm very excited and i love your brand i've been using two of the products and i really enjoy them for anyone out there that's looking for anything especially with glp side like the glp products are phenomenal I've been using them myself and I think they're really great.
Read the full transcript
34:49But in general, you're expanding your range, right? So you have a lot of different options for people. Yeah, stay tuned with Dr. Stephanie's. But I was excited to share with you and your listeners our Target partnership. So definitely check out the Purified Primal Mom Bugs Colostrum and then our GLP Wonder and GLP One Buddy. You can find it at Target. Is it going to be on Target's website too? Because we can link the website for people. Okay, great. Yeah, it'll be on Target's website too. So that would be miraculous. that's amazing congratulations and that's wonderful for everyone listening make sure you guys go show some love at the next time you go to target but everything you guys need to know by the way is going to be the show notes so scroll down right now if you're on spotify apple wherever and you can find all the links and you'll see all the links to the brand and even to target wherever you want to shop but thank you so much for coming on the show and for educating us dr edmund this was so great i appreciate your support and i've been following your podcast and And yeah, it just it means a lot to have your support.
35:45And I do think your listeners will really enjoy these products. Thank you so much. Thank you. Hey, guys. So I hope you love that episode. Please make sure to hit subscribe if you're tuning in to us on any podcast platform. We are available on so many different platforms. So wherever it is that you're tuning in, just go hit subscribe. You will be immediately notified when we publish new episodes. This way you're able to tune in to amazing insights from experts, brand founders, industry leaders, authors, all the wonderful people that we host. And that's very important for me because I love to hear from you guys and really understand what you love and what you want to hear more of.
36:25Also, make sure to give us a follow on all of our social media outlets. We're available on Instagram, TikTok, X, you name it, we're there. We also have a blog on Medium. So if you're a reader and you love Medium blogs, check us out on Medium. We publish some really great articles on there that do deeper dives than just what's available on the podcast. And it's really a great place for all of you science geeks out there that want to learn a little bit more. We go above and beyond with our research and making sure we're bringing you information that you usually probably won't hear about in other outlets.
36:55So check us out. Leave us a comment. Leave us a review. And we'll be back next time with another episode. Thank you.
From the publisher
In this episode of Skin Anarchy, Dr. Ekta Yadav sits down with Dr. Stephanie Redmond, PharmD, PhD, and founder of Dr. Stephanie’s, to explore how pharmacology is transforming the world of supplements and functional medicine. With dual expertise in endocrinology and pharmacotherapy, Dr. Redmond offers a rare perspective on how medications, nutrients, and hormones intersect — and how precision-based formulation is reshaping metabolic health.
After years in clinical practice, Dr. Redmond noticed a glaring gap: most supplements on the market are underdosed, underperforming, and poorly understood. Her approach flips the script — using clinically validated, therapeutic dosesof ingredients designed for real efficacy and safety. “It’s not about marketing,” she explains. “It’s about measurable results.”
The conversation dives deep into her breakthrough innovations, including Purify Colostrum, developed using AI-assisted filtration to isolate bioactive glycoproteins compatible with the human body — delivering seven times more anti-inflammatory power than standard colostrum. She also shares insights on her GLP-1 support formulations, designed to complement popular medications like Ozempic by addressing nutrient depletion, digestion, and hormonal balance.
Together, Dr. Ekta and Dr. Redmond unpack what ethical, evidence-based supplementation truly looks like — where pharmacology meets function, and science replaces hype.
Tune in to hear how Dr. Stephanie Redmond is redefining modern supplementation and why, in today’s world, foundational nutrition is no longer optional — it’s essential.
Learn more about Dr. Stephanie's on their website and social media!
CHAPTERS:
0:02 – Introduction & Guest Welcome
1:01 – Dr. Redmond’s Path from Pharmacy to Endocrinology
2:18 – Bridging Medicine, Supplements & Pharmacology
4:43 – The Role of Pharmacists in Holistic Care
7:09 – The Gap in Supplement Education & Dosing
8:58 – Colostrum: Nature’s “First Milk” Explained
11:05 – Human vs. Bovine Colostrum & Compatibility
14:44 – Postpartum, Perimenopause & Hormonal Health
19:01 – GLP-1 Support Supplements & Metabolic Health
27:27 – The Future of Foundational Wellness & Supplement Testing
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