Believe in yourself and your dreams

If asked, many people will remember Sylvester Stallone through his famous movie sequel, Rocky, which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Actor for Stallone himself. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most popular and highly paid stars in the history ofHollywood. Was he just born a natural talented actor? Let's find out...

Born into a poor family in New York, his family was so poor his mother had to give birth to him on the doorsteps of a school. What's worst? An accident during birth severed a facial nerve, leaving parts of his lip, tongue and chin paralyzed. As a result, he has to live with slurred speech and a drooping lower lip.

Despite his limitations, Stallone had the aspirations of being an actor. But unlike most young adults, Stallone's dream to be an actor was not just a mere want, wish or hope. He knew what he wanted - to be a movie star - and he was determined.

Stallone auditioned frequently but because of his droopy appearance, he was turned down most of the time. Occasionally, he would find stage work but it never got him close to his goal. Eventually, he resorted to appearing in a soft core porn film, Party at Kitty's and Studs, which was later repackaged as The Italian Stallion after he became famous. And know what? He was paid only US$200 for his two days work.

For most people, they would have given up long ago. But not for Stallone. He had a strong perseverance and he wouldn't stop until he achieves his dreams.

He refused to get a job because he thought his hunger for success would wither away. To Stallone, his hunger was the only thing he had going for himself. Unfortunately, his wife did not understand and pretty much wanted to end the relationship. Finally, he was so broke that he sold his wife’s jewelry. This was basically the end of their relationship. They had no food and no money. There was only thing he had left, and he loved him more than anything. It was his dog and the unconditional love it offered.

At the worst part in his life, he was so broke he was forced to sell his dog for $50 in order to survive. It was then that he watched the 'Ali-Chuck Wepner' fight involving Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner. At that time, everyone thought that Chuck would have fallen by the third round. What amazed and inspired Stallone was that Chuck miraculously lasted a total of 15 rounds with Ali!

Suddenly, Stallone had an idea. Using the idea of the 'underdog', he wrote a movie script profusely for the next 3 days. That was the birth of his Rocky script.

By then, did Stallone reach his dream of being a movie star? Of course not! He went around selling his script but again, he was rejected from time to time. Did he give up? No, not Stallone.

He kept going, company after company, until one company offered to pay him US$75,000 for his script and the rights to make the movie. Did he pick up the offer?

What made Stallone different from the other people was that he knew what he wanted exactly. He wanted to be a movie star, not a writer and he refused to sell the script no matter how much the company offered him, unless he is cast as the lead actor in the film.

The company did all they could to convince Stallone to sell, but on one condition - that he would not cast in it. After all, how can Stallone be a good actor given his appearance? Or so they thought...

But Stallone stood his ground. Reluctantly, the company gave in to his determination on the condition that the movie be made on a budget of less than a million dollars, that Stallone would only be paid US$35,000 for the script and that he would get a cut in the profits only if the movie made money.

He accepted. Then the first thing he did was go back to the liquor store to buy back his dog.

He waited 3 days for the guy to come by and finally there he was with his dog. He offered the guy $150 to buy back the dog, the man declined. The offer kept rising, but again, Stallone knew his outcome and kept pursuing his goal.

It ended up costing him $15000 and a part in the movie for the guy if Rocky wants to buy back his dog. The guy and the dog are in Rocky movie.

When Rocky was screened in the cinemas, it was a smash hit! It grossed over US$171 million and the film was awarded with the 1976 Academy Award for Best Picture. Unexpectedly, Stallone even won the Award for the Best Actor! Instantly, Stallone's fame skyrocketed.

Finally, he achieved his dream to be a movie star. After all the hard work and effort that he has put in, it is all worth it.

Now, if Stallone can achieve his dreams, so can you. Here's an inspiration quote from Rocky the movie. Hope you like it:

"...it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance...if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood."

How's that for a story of triumph? It shows that you have all the resources you need to overcome any obstacle and achieve any aim you have in life, no matter what your age, background, colour or gender is.

True persistence pays off every time in every circumstance. Persistence will fight off failure faster than skill or luck ever could. Just ask Sylvester Stallone, he persisted and knew his outcome and look where he is today, he is living his dream.

Driven to driving a taxi despite having a PhD

Bio-chemist Dr Cai Minnjie who failed to land another research position after losing his job last year now happily prowls the streets as a cabbie.

SINGAPORE’S fraternity of taxi drivers, with its fair share of retrenched executives, has now an exalted new member – a PhD bio-chemist from Stanford University.

Prowling the streets of Singapore today is 57-year-old unemployed scientist Dr Cai Mingjie who lost his job at Singapore’s premier A-Star biomedical research institute last year.

The China-born naturalised citizen with 16 years of research accomplishments said he began driving a taxi last October after failed efforts to land another job.

The news shocked this nation, which holds an unshakable faith in the power of an advanced university education.

One surprised white-collar worker said he had believed that such a doctorate and experience was as good as life-long employment and success.

“If he has to drive a taxi, what chances do ordinary people like us have?” he asked.

I have met a number of highly qualified taxi drivers in recent years, including former managers and a retrenched engineer.

One cheerful driver – a former stock-broker – surprised me one day in giving me detailed reasons on what stocks to buy or avoid.

“At a time like this, the taxi business is probably the only business in Singapore that still actively recruits people,” said Dr Cai.

To me, his plight is taking Singapore into a new chapter.

“(I am) probably the only taxi driver in the world with a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments ...,” blogged Dr Cai.

“I have been forced out of my research job at the height of my scientific career” and was unable to find another job “for reasons I can only describe as something uniquely Singapore”.

The story quickly spread far and wide over the Internet. Most Singaporeans expressed admiration for his ability to adapt so quickly to his new life. Two young Singaporeans asked for his taxi number, saying they would love to travel in his cab and talk to him.

“There’s so much he can pass on to me,” one said.

Others questioned why, despite his tremendous scientific experience, he is unable to find a teaching job.

His unhappy exit is generally attributed to a personal cause (he has alleged chaotic management by research heads) rather than any decline in Singapore’s bio-tech project, which appears to be surviving the downturn.

The case highlights a general weakening of the R and D (research and development) market in smallish Singapore.

“The bad economy means not many firms are hiring professional scientists,” one surfer said. “Academia isn’t much of a help – there’s a long history of too many PhDs chasing too few jobs.”

While the image of taxi drivers has received a tremendous boost, the same cannot be said of Singapore’s biomedical project – particularly its efforts to nourish home-grown research talent.

“It may turn more Singaporeans away from Life Sciences as a career,” said one blogger.

One writer said: “In my opinion, PhDs are useless, especially in Singapore. It’s just another certificate and doesn’t mean much.”

Another added: “The US is in a worse situation. Many are coming here to look for jobs.”

“I won’t want my child to study for years to end up driving a taxi,” said a housewife with a teenage daughter.

The naturalised Singaporean citizen underwent his PhD training at Stanford University, the majority of his work revolving around the study of yeast proteins.

His case is not unique. US research-scientist Douglas Prasher, who isolated the gene that creates the green fluorescent protein (and just missed the 2008 Chemistry Nobel Prize) faced similar straits.

Prasher moved from one research institution to another when his funding dried up, and he eventually quit science – to drive a courtesy shuttle in Alabama.

“Still, he remains humble and happy and seems content with his minivan driver job,” said a surfer.

With an evolving job market as more employers resort to multi-tasking and short-term contracts, more Singaporeans are chasing after split degrees, like accountancy and law or computer and business.

Others avoid post-graduate studies or specialised courses of a fixed discipline in favour of general or multi-discipline studies. “Experience is king” is the watchword; there has been a rush for no-pay internships.

“The future favours graduates with multiple skills and career flexibility, people who are able to adapt to different types of work,” one business executive said.

During the past few years, as globalisation deepened, there has been a growing disconnect between what Singaporeans studied in university and their subsequent careers.

It follows the trend in the developed world where old businesses disappear – almost overnight – and new ones spring up, which poses problems for graduates with an inflexible job expectation.

I know of a young man who graduated from one of America’s top civil engineering universities abandoning the construction hard hat for a teaching gown.

Another engineer I met is running his father’s lucrative coffee shop. Lawyers have become musicians or journalists, and so on.

Cases of people working in jobs unrelated to their university training have become so common that interviewers have stopped asking candidates questions like “Why should a trained scientist like you want to work as a junior executive with us?”

In the past, parents would crack their heads pondering what their children should study – accountancy or law or engineering, the so-called secure careers – and see them move single-mindedly into these professions.

A doctor was then a doctor, a biologist generally worked in the lab and a lawyer argued cases in courts – square pegs in square holes, so to speak.

Today the world is slowly moving away from this neat pattern.


Source: Saturday August 29, 2009 The Star online

The Wellness Industry

Ironically, of the $2 trillion we spend on health care in this country, which represents one-sixth of the U.S. economy, most has very little to do with health.

“Health” is defined in the dictionary as, “being sound in body, mind or spirit,” but what we call “health care” has a very different focus, and would more appropriately be called the
sickness industry.

Sickness industry: Products and services provided reactively to people after they contract an illness, ranging from a common cold to cancerous
tumors. These products and services seek to either treat the symptoms of a disease or eliminate the disease.

Wellness industry: Products and services provided proactively to healthy people—that is, those without an existing disease—to make them feel even healthier and look better, to slow
the effects of aging, or to prevent diseases from developing in the first place.

I stumbled upon the wellness industry in the 1990s, as so many do,
through an experience with my own health. For 10 years (against medical advice) I had put off getting expensive knee surgery. Finally, I started taking a dietary supplement called glucosamine—and within a year the cartilage was repaired. The surgeon was positively amazed when he examined my X-rays; I no longer needed the operation.

This experience piqued my interest; I wanted to find out what else my surgeon and my other medical providersdidn’t know. I also noticed that people were spending more on new things such as exercise programs and fitness coaches, supplements and organic foods, alternative medicine and anti-aging therapies. I began to research this field and soon arrived at an amazing conclusion: This new and emerging industry, which only a decade ear earlier had hardly existed, was already a $200 billion
business.

This represents an extraordinary economic opportunity. The millions of people spending billions of dollars to further their wellness represent a new and growing economic sector who
are eating and living healthier than anyone ever before in history. They are primarily wealthy people who, as they start to have money, start looking for ways they can be healthier—outside the medical establishment. Today, for example, this sector spends over $70 billion annually on vitamins and food supplements.

Who are these people? Mostly baby boomers: prosperous people from the ages of 40 to 60. Baby boomers are the first generation in history who refuse to blindly accept the aging process. They are also a powerful economic force; they represent only 28 percent of our population—yet this group and their spending represents 50 percent of our economy.


Until recently, marketing to baby boomers had been all about how to help them remember what it was like to be young—oldies music, retro clothes, and 50s-styled automobiles. Now, it has gone a step further. Today, boomers are starting to buy things that actually make them younger in terms of having a healthier body, more acute senses and a sharper mind!
And this industry has only just gotten started. Most people don’t even know such products exist, and as more learn about wellness, the sector is exploding.

In 2000, when I first began to study this trend, I was stunned to discover that wellness in America was already a $200 billion industry. Today, only a handful of years later, it has
already doubled to become a $400 billion business! By the year 2010, just five years from now, it will have become the next trillion-dollar industry.

In the last decade, many of the people who had achieved new wealth made their fortunes in computers. In this decade, many more will be making their new fortunes in wellness.


source: Success from Home Magazine Dec 2005
THE EMERGING INDUSTRIES OF WELLNESS AND NETWORK MARKETING
ARE COMBINING TO CREATE TODAY’S —AND TOMORROW’S—NEW WEALTH.
BY PAUL ZANE PILZER

Background study of USANA

SOLID COMPANY

USANA Health Sciences was founded in 1992, and has successfully navigated through those critical first five years--a period in which over 90 percent of new companies fail.

USANA has been rated among the fastest growing companies traded on the NASDAQ for the past several years. A consistently solid financial performer, the company has shown a profit in each year of its existence.

The company is publicly traded on NASDAQ (ticker symbol: USNA), and currently offers USANA Products products in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and recently opened business in Singapore and Mexico.

USANA Reviews: Business Opportunity

Note: If you want to visit any of the websites referenced below, open a separate window and simply copy-and-paste the URL (website address) into the address bar of your browser or into any search engine.

Business Week named USANA to its Top 100 Best Small Business List in 2004 (USANA was #9) and 2005 (USANA is #3).

http://www.businessweek.com/pdfs/2005/0523_hotscore.pdf

MLM Review: "This is one of the strongest companies we've seen so far when it comes to online support, product development, management, financial strength, and international opportunity."

http://www.MLMReview.com

MLM Insider: Rated the #1 network marketing company by the MLM Insider's Distributor Choice Awards seven (7) years in a row.

http://mlminsider.com/bestcompanyresults2004.htm

Explode-Your-MLM.com: Rated #1 based on specific criteria.
http://www.explode-your-mlm.com

Forbes Magazine named USANA to its most recent "200 Best Small Companies" list. We are #16 out of 200.

Motley Fool: Hosts of a popular financial radio show, the investment advisors at Motley Fool recommended USANA Health Science in their exclusive subscription newsletter, Hidden Gems, stating, "The company's financial statements are things of beauty."

http://www.fool.com

SmartMoney.com - Describes USANA Health Science as "A model of efficiency." http://www.smartmoney.com/stockscreen/index.cfm?story=20040805intro

Investors Business Daily: USANA Health Sciences was prominently featured in a Investors Business Daily article.

ConsumerDemocracy.com - "I have been surprised various times by something I didn't know about the company - and it has always been a positive! Products AND business setup highly recommended."

http://www.consumerdemocracy.com/phelp/cd4/showPosRev2B.aspx?pageId=202568&catId=9769
&category=Vitamins%20&%20Nutritional%20Supplements


Robert Allen, author of #1 New York Times best-selling books, Nothing Down, Creating Wealth, Multiple Streams of Income and The One Minute Millionaire, has this to say about USANA Products and the business opportunity, "I have discovered the perfect home-based business. It's not real estate, but it's just as powerful. It takes little time or risk. It's so simple, anyone can do it. You could be earning an extra stream of quasi-residual income in as little as 90 days from today. I've never seen a faster, simpler way to create streams of income."

Motivational speaker and author Dr. Denis Waitley explains why he encourages you to consider the USANA opportunity in his article, How to Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century.


Now it's your turn to find true health and financial freedom. Take the time to learn the USANA story, try the products, and start reaping the rewards of a solid, financially rewarding business.

Contact me with your questions and to find out how you can get started today.

Product Review

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV1Sg4d3B6I

Top 17 Scams

Beware of these scams in the market. Don't invest blindly and lost all your hard earned money.

Anything that is too easy to make money is usually a scam.

Read the following interesting collections and be forewarned.

Attached is a good compilation of suspicious business scams.

1. The Cafe Scams - Island Red Cafe & Stevens Corner

(strange, both in Pandan Indah) - Island Red Cafe collects members RM6,000 each and promised 5% return every month and even give you a name in the ROC as a shareholder but what's the point when they run away? Stevens Corner, the famous indian coffee shop follows due to drop of business since their renovation. They collect RM3,000 per member and promise return of RM150 monthly and plans to open nice fanchisee cafe called StevensTeaGarden. Someone mentioned they will make you sign an agreement that give them the rights NOT to pay you anything in future. If you really wish to join, ask for a copy of their agreement and consult your lawyer BEFORE paying them. Bet you will NOT get a copy. Both collect monies from new members with MLM recruitment schemes and pay the old members like Sunshine Empire. You never know when they will run away.

2. Sunshine Empire

This licensed and legal Company has an impressive office at the ground level of KUB building along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, near Menara Public Bank and AmBank Building . They also have a showroom office at the ground level in the next building.?3 or?4 months ago, Singapore’s Straits Times and The Paper published big news reminding their people to be careful and NOT to believe in them. Hope someone can put up the link or
> google for it.(As expected, they STOPPED paying back members now and all investors LOST their money).

Someone below has put a link to the Singapore news. In fact there are more to it. Although Singapore is investigating them, they did not stop their business as the business is legal and so far, no Singaporean have failed to receive their commissions as promised. Thus, the government cannot stop them yet. The news published that the founder, director and group president is someone named James Phang but he is NOT the owner. Isn’t this quite strange ? At the end of the game, James Phang can just disappear from the Company easily and claimed that he was just “employed”. Such trick always happened in scam businesses. Now, the Company has STOPPED paying commissions and interests to members with the excuse that the Singapore government has freezed their bank account while under investigation. Do you think their boss will be so stupid to keep much monies in the bank to be freezed? They are all transfered away. It’s just an excuses not to
> pay back to members and members are only paid “e-bonus-points” which is cashless. If they wish to
> convert to cash, they have to recruit new members to pay them cash and the recruiter less out trom the amount. So victims act like Vampires and “forced” to victimise other victims if they wish to get their monies back. And their victims will later transform to vampires and the scam carries on…..

3. MobilWallet

This Company owned by 2 young men, Stanley & Rey Gan, office in Queens Avenue Park has collect multi-millions the last 2 years. Claimed that they tied up with Telekoms, Utility Board payment like Water & Electricity bills, even Maybank got fooled by them. Advertisement Billboards everywhere. They STOPPED paying back their members few months ago and the members cannot do anything because they are made to sign an agreement unaware that they have to claims if the company stopped paying them by CHANGING terms and policies.

4. Water Business - Oxygenated and Alkaline Water Products

Some of these are bottled water and some are filters or equipment that claimed the trick..
One of the better known Company that sold “oxygen” water is SITO (supposed to stand for Selangor International Trading Organiszation and claimed Selangor State Government owned some share in it). The key person and founder is a Dato Robert Ong from Rawang but his name is no longer in the business now. Their products are sold for RM2 to RM3 for a 350ml bottle and now concentrating mostly in the Indian market. Their Chinese and Malays market are long gone since a year or 2 ago. Their customers are made to believe that their water has more oxygen and able to give miraculous effects for the body. Water is H2O, how to put more O into it ? Anyone knows how much oxygen do we breathe into our body everyday at FOC ? Latest news is that this SITO Company is going to create new label to market under a new Company since the SITO name has already gone bad. Someone informed that this Company is owing alot of money(due to refunds) to ex-stockists but just refuse to pay them. (Latest news, SITO shifted to another place and their MLM business has closed but planning to start again with a different name, beware!!)

Alkaline Products - Can anyone explain how it can work for the body ? The stomach’s gastric liquid is so acidic that water of any pH that goes through it will not make any difference.

5. Car Fuel Booster - K-Link

K-Link, the famous scam MLM Company that sold the footpatch TAKARA, later the “cock-ring” and energy-card launched the patrol-saving pills last year. Got so hot that even grocery shops are selling for them. Recently many of these cars that used the pills are rushing to the workshops to clean the residual. Few months ago, another MLM Company launched a fuel booster gadget, claimed that saves up to 20% fuel, that is attached to the cigarette lighter. Started off well using binary plan but businese begin to fade now and most users find it NOT effective.

6. Perfumery Products

(eg. Lampe Berger & Bel Air)(more details later). Lampe Berger is not so hot now in the neighbouring countries but there are still new victims every month in Malaysia . Must thanks to those who have contributed and kept the thread alive here in Kopitiam. Bel-Air have closed in Malaysia . LB is almost zero in Singapore . This perfumery product from France with over 100 years history is just bottles and fragrance (check the factory’s website) but the Company marketing them in Asia claimed “aromatheraphy” products. Hong Kong TVB aired a program that exposed their scam but their members claimed that HK’s TVB already apologised to them. Note that the biggest strenght in a MLM Scam is their members will go all way out to lie in order to defend for their Company. The reason is simple; these members fear that they will not be able to make their money back if the Company collapsed. Knowing that the Lampe Berger products are moving slow, they add a line of skincare products named Estebel, also claime to have over 100 years history in France. (Hardly anymore Chinese newcomers, they are now tapping the Malays in Malaysia .)

7. Energy Products

(eg. stone pendants, bracelets, mattress and pillows). They use all sorts of gimmicks and demonstration to make you into believing them. They will do some tricks and demo to prove that these products really produce energy BUT is there any tricks in their demo? So what if there really produce energy; is it good or strong enough to help the body? The effect is actually PLACEBO which I will elaborate in a new thread soon. (More details later.)

8. Hi-Tech Products

Names like bio-tech, nano-tech that claimed millions of dollars of research involved, eg Bio-Young and XKL few years ago. Most of these will claimed a professor behind them (even with name and picture of a person) or used words like “U.S.A. formula”, “German Technology” or “Nanotechnology” and no further details (more details later). If you ask for more details like the professor or factory’s address, the answer will be “trade secrets”.

9. Investment Schemes

SWISSCASH is the King of all. Swisscash is nearly over now but there are many similar and smaller ones that are still on. (Now, it’s closed or stopped paying back members.)

10. GoldQuest

This Company that claimed to be HK-based started with some non-value gold-plated coins that are sold for over RM2,000 have several names and changed products several times. QuestVacation, QuestNet, etc. They have several offices in Amcorp Mall, PJ and their key person (in fact, the owner), a Malaysian Indian was arrested last year in Indonesia for having involved in a very big Phillipines scam. Most of their overseas offices are closed or inactive but their Malaysia business is still hot, with some “energy” products. (Can someone please provide a link which showed the news that their boss was involved in a big scam in Philippines and was arrested in last year?)

11. Numerogy & Fortune Telling

A Company named Visible is using MLM to sell fortune telling classes using your birthday based on numerology fortune telling. Prpspects will be told that they need to buy a certain“number” between 1 to 9 in the form of pendants or bracelets made of stainless steel and sold from RM600 to RM20,000. Customers, or rather victims are mostly females from rural areas. Very hot in Penang now and a number of spin-off Companies have started.

12. MJ - Life

MJ-Life - This Company boost of a very big background with many many years of history which is NOT true. Their people or associates may be long in business but nothing to do with their MLM launched recently. Why do I consider it a scam or bad? New members are told to pay a sum of money (up to RM1000) and you get NOTHING for it. You only get a membership can entitle you to enjoy all sorts of special price and discounts when you have medical check-ups in their centres.. They will claim all those check-ups cost more if done elsewhere. It’s not true. Only the naive and those new to medical check-ups will fall victims to them. Most members who paid the money ended up with nothing.

13. Seaweed Venture Scams

1 such Company is located in Taman Maluri, Cheras. They will ask you to invest a few thousands ringgits for their venture of growing seaweeds in East Malaysia and you are guaranteed returns. To gain your confidence further, they will tell you your investment money is secured by “insurance” or “unit trusts” & “trustees”. When you ask for further documents to prove, they will give all sorts of excuses or just ignore you because they know they cannot get you. These Seaweed scam is one of the hottest now, warn all your friends about it before they are victimised.

14. MXM (Previously MGM)

This is a master scam among the younger group, very successful 2 or 3 years ago but since there moved to their big 10-storey office at Phileo Damansara and changed name to MXM, their business dropped. They collect members RM3,000 to RM4,000 with credit card monthly easy payment and in return you get a hospital benefits insurance from Pacific Insurance worth only a few hundred RMs together with some you-don’t-need medical check-ups from their associate Company Pathlab. Also talk about fitness, lifestyles bullshit that is all worthless.

15. Gano Excel?

This company from the north, a copycat of DXN selling Lingzhi capsules created a new Company called Gano iTouch to cash-in on the internet like e-Cosway after their Company went down the drain since the last 2 years, selling Linzhi and some no-value energy pendants and alkaline water gadgets. They provide free transport every weekend from KL to visit their Alor Star office.

16. NuLife (HK)

This Company started by some HK people has been in Malaysia for more than 10 years but they have flopped in HK and Malaysia due to bad management and a product scam making use of a prosecuted American named Dr Jeffrey Bland, found guilty of false products claim. Since this case in the US leaked out and many Malaysians found out that the real boss in HK is a Steven Tang (he cheated many Malaysians in another scheme about 20 years ago) their business went down all the way. Now they claim Malaysian partners cheated them and start a new Company in Malaysia . Watch out, this new Company will come out with some investment scheme idea that will get many to lose their money.

17. Arowana Fish Breeding

Oora from Germany , Biofuel (Kompleks Maluri) etc - These are some newer scams. Arowana fish venture ask you to invest some money and give you fixed return. Biofuel will tell you their Indonesia connections (just like Sunshine Empire before using Taiwan) & Oora from Germany(I never trust those cruel Germans) that market some bio-chips and a gadget that claims to give energy and therapeutic effects of accupunture, tai-chi, yoga, etc depending how you set the toy-like gadget, wear it on your body and you get the effect later.

They could not explain or provide any demonstration to prove their effectiveness. Only doctors and papers claim that I will never trust. The health effect is actually PLACEBO, which I will elaborate in a different thread.

The Difference Of USANA

* Click on image to enlarge

Superior Savings – Unparalleled Value

As an example of how difficult it is to obtain optimal amounts of

nutrients from a typical diet, consider what you must eat to receive

450 IU, the amount of vitamin E contained in a daily dosage of

ESSENTIALS:

Aside from the health benefits of ESSENTIALS, you’ll also receive

considerable cost savings.

“After the USANA® Nutritionals helped me with my health, I was

curious to see if I could find the equivalent of USANA’s ESSENTIALS

in supermarkets and health food stores. Two and one-half hours later,

with a total of 35 bottles costing $279.43, I finally came close to what

is found in the USANA® ESSENTIALS. However, there was no

guarantee of potency or purity, and now with the patented Olivol™

extract, there is no equal. USANA uses the best and most bioavailable

ingredients that you just can’t find in the supermarket. My findings

convinced me of the great value and superior quality I’ve discovered in

USANA.”

Elizabeth Strand

South Dakota

“To get the same amount of antioxidants from extra virgin olive oil as in

a daily dose of ESSENTIALS, it would take about 3 oz. of oil and would

equate to about $3.02 per day. In addition to the antioxidants, you

would also get approximately 750 calories. Therefore a month’s supply of

olive oil would cost $84.56 and add up to 21,000 calories. Or, you

could just take the new ESSENTIALS—an investment in your health.”

John Cuomo, Ph.D.

Director of Product Development

Why USANA?

USANA is attracting people from all walks of life.
People across the globe have been able to build USANA businesses that have the potential to generate residual income. USANA is the platform that will help your dreams become a reality.

Whether you want to earn extra income or potentially save money on taxes, USANA will allow you to:
- Be your own boss
- Potentially tax benefits through legal tax deductions
- Spend more time with your family by working from home
- Grow a global online business by marketing top quality products
- Proven training methods that will help you succeed
- No overhead costs
- Risk Free trial - 30 day money back guarantee

The vision of our team is to empower others to achieve what their dreams are. We use the internet to grow an online business that complements the vision of USANA"s Founder and Chairman, Dr. Myron Wentz.

What type of company would you want to be in business with? Is stability and reputation important?

Founded in 1992, USANA has successfully navigated through those critical first five years-a period in which over 90 percent of new companies fail. Manufacturer of one of the top health and wellness products in the the world, USANA has been rated among the fastest growing companies traded on the NASDAQ since July 1996. Between 1995 and 2000, USANA's 39% growth rate placed the company among the top 100 profitable companies on the NASDAQ stock market.
Whether you're looking for financial independence, supplemental income, or enhancing your health, USANA will allow you to succeed.


Awards & Accolades
200 BEST SMALL COMPANIES ranked #5 by Forbes Magazine, Nov. 2005
HOT GROWTH 100 - ranked #3 by BuinessWeek magazine, Jun. 2005 issue
USANA ESSENTIALS received 5 out of 5 stars in North America by the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplement, 4th Edition by Dr. Lyle Macwilliam
BEST OF STATE - Winner 2003, 2004 and 2006 for Best Dietary Supplement Manufacturer, Utah
VOTED #1 DISTRIBUTOR'S CHOICE 10th year running (Network Marketing Today / MLM Insider Magazine, 1997 - 2006)


Source: http://www.nextbigtrend.com/

USANA Products Review

jgm90125's Full Review: Usana Essentials Nutritional Supplement

Pros: Top quality, science backed, potency guaranteed, convenience of having shipped automatically (if you chose)
Cons: I honestly can't think of any.
The Bottom Line: I would recommend these products to any one searching for high quality nutritional supplements to promote overall good health and assist with the prevention of degenerative diseases.

Several months ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life. That decision was to start taking Usana's Essentials. Since I started taking these products,I have had absolutely no side effects other than feeling better and my finger nails are growing much faster and are a lot stronger. And I mean a lot stronger. I play guitar and my weak nails was always a problem so that is why I noticed that side effect. I have also come to learn that your finger nails are a key indicator of how well nourished your body is and the strengthening of the nails indicates the products are doing what they are supposed to. You learn something new every day! What do I mean by feeling better? The main differences I have noticed (besides the nails) is that my energy stays more even throughout the day (especially in the afternoon) and that I sleep better and wake up more refreshed.

Usana has done extensive research to make sure that these vitamins contain optimal amounts of vitamins and nutrients for total cellular nutrition. The upper limits of the levels of vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients are well documented and for many of them, there is no determined level of toxicity. For the ones that do have determined levels of toxicity, Usana's products do not come anywhere near those levels. The two which are of main concern are pre-formed Vitamin A and Iron. Usana avoids these two all together. With regards to Vitamin E, the upper limit is 1467 IU and The Essentials contains 400 IU. This is nowhere near the dangerous levels. The B vitamins as well are nowhere near dangerous levels.

Are the levels of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants much higher than the US RDA amounts most nutritional companies use as the standard? Yes. MUCH HIGHER!! And there is good reason for that. The US RDA's were compiled over a half of a century ago. They were designed to combat vitamin deficiency conditions such as scurvy. As far as those types of diseases are concerned, the RDA's have done their job. We rarely, if ever, see those types of diseases around in today's day and age. Our enemies have changed!! Today they are much more dangerous. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many other degenerative diseases are now our enemies. Science has shown that these standards, which were set 50 years ago, are simply inadequate to combat these new enemies. Imagine The U.S. Army having to go to war today armed only with weapons from WWI or WWII. How well do you think that would turn out? (It probably is not correct to compare anything to war, but it was the first analogy that came to mind. I hope I did not offend anyone.) I think you get my point. It is also unrealistic to think that we can get these adequate amounts of vitamins and nutrients from our diet. We simply can not. Just as an example, in order for some one to receive 500 IU of Vitamin E (considered to be the optimal amount in The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, an independent study comparing over 500 nutritional supplements available in North America), that person would have to eat approximately 38 lbs. of spinach, 3 lbs. of almonds or 4.5 lbs of wheat germ to obtain that daily dosage. As you can see, that's just not going to happen. In order to obtain the optimal amounts, we need to supplement our diets. How these optimal amounts were determined is explained in great detail in The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. These are not the opinions of just one man. There was a panel of seven published nutritional experts, and the amounts stem from their research and analysis. This book really is a must read for anyone seriously investigating nutritional supplements.

Usana is also the first nutritional supplement company to voluntarily comply to pharmaceutical grade Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP's). Currently Dietary Supplements fall under Food GMP's. Under the food GMP's, the only requirements the manufacturer must fulfill is that the product is safe for human consumption and that they maintain good hygienic practices. Food GMP's as you can see are focused only on safety. By contrast, pharmaceutical GMPs are focused on safety, potency, purity, and efficacy. Drug GMPs mandate ingredient (raw material) testing to show safety, potency, purity and efficacy. It also mandates safety, potency, purity and efficacy testing on each batch of finished product. Hygienic practice is also more restrictive. Other items such as uniformity, validation, process controls, and stability are required. These are terms never discussed under food GMPs and are only applicable under drug GMPs. All of Usana's products carry a potency guarantee. What is on the label is in the bottle. If the supplement is manufactured to food grade GMP's, the manufacturer has no obligation to verify the contents. Due to the added cost, many do not.

Now are Usana's vitamins expensive at $39.95 for a one month supply? With that type of quality and potency guarantee, I sure don't feel they are. The few other companies who manufacture supplements of this quality cost up to $100.00 for a one month supply.

These products can be ordered by anybody if they wish to pay the retail price for them. They can go to any associate's web site, view the prices and place an order. If you do a search for Usana on the web you will find many associates have their websites listed with a search engine. If you want to pay wholesale, you sign up as a preferred customer with an associate, get an id #, log into a Usana website and place your order. It gets shipped directly to your house and your credit card is billed. And for further convenience you can go on auto-ship. If you are on auto-ship, you save 10% off of the wholesale price, your order is shipped automatically so you won't run out and your credit card is billed automatically. You can change or cancel your auto-ship at anytime and are under no obligation. It is merely a convenience. There is also a 30 day, no questions asked money-back guarantee on all orders for customers and initial orders for Associates. As you can see, I have had a positive experience with Usana and would highly recommend their products to anyone.

They are potent, so people with sensitive stomachs may want to start with a low dosage and work their way up to a full dosage. These products should always be taken with a meal as this coats the stomach and allows the contents to be absorbed easily. Your urine may change to a brighter yellow color. Proper hydration usually takes care of that. Their food products taste great and are low-glycemic, which is a plus. I hope this review was useful and good luck with whatever path you choose to good health. As you can tell, I chose Usana.

Recommended:Yes

Source: http://www.epinions.com/review/USANA_Essentials_Nutritional_Supplement/content_326199512708



waldren's Full Review: Usana Essentials Nutritional Supplement

Pros: being quite aware of my body I feel the vits going through the system.
Cons: none, no none.
The Bottom Line: The Bottom line is that this product is internationaly important and last year did not take one day off ill. Good is good.

I have been at and around Vitamins for more than 30 years, taking them at first just because I was told they would be good for me, Standards have risen but the usana essentials are the first product that wakes me up, puts hair on my head, (unexpected bye product) and gives me an energy that I thought I had left on the sports field 15 years ago. I also like the way they are distributed, I am a total cynic when it comes to commercial "advice". perhaps because I work for a retailer and really the PR is just that, but to get a friend of mine to tell me that the essentials were a really good product, he was good enough to let me try a weeks worth of his own, ( I know he was trying for the sale) was great, he told me the benefits he got, and espcially the more energy bit, and my first reaction was after 5 seconds. They are a potent product. I have also found him a few customers myself and one for one, more energy. Not every one noticed the effects as fast as I did, but everyone is different.

Recommended:Yes

Source: http://www.epinions.com/review/USANA_Essentials_Nutritional_Supplement/content_446434348676

The Difference of USANA products

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJikKU2xiwg

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcTLCqzAwZY

USANA Health records 33pc revenue growth

UHS Essential Health Sdn Bhd (USANA Health Sciences Malaysia), a subsidiary of US-based USANA Health Sciences, Inc achieved a 33 per cent growth in revenue when compared with 2007 for its financial year ended December 31, 2008.

The increased revenue is primarily due to the acceptance of USANA nutritional supplements by consumers in Malaysia, said its managing director for Singapore and Malaysia, Dr Andy Woo.

"We are proud to have won the BrandLaureate Best Brands Award for Advanced Nutritional Supplements for three consecutive years.

"This stands as a testament to consumer confidence in USANA's high quality products," he added.

Confidence in USANA products has also helped the company increase its number of active distributors in Malaysia within the last 12 months.

"The number of active distributors is about 30,000 and it has grown by 36.4 per cent in 2008 over 2007. We hope to maintain the growth figure from 2008 for 2009," Dr Woo said.

Despite difficult global economic conditions, USANA Health Sciences, Inc continues to achieve profitability and growth in sales. Global sales in 2008 was US$429 million, an increase of 1.4 per cent when compared with the US$423.1 million for 2007. -- BERNAMA

Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20090526160552/Article/index_html

USANA story: Quality Manufacturing

USANA's Commitment to Quality Assurance & Good Manufacturing Practices

Founded in 1992 by microbiologist and immunologist Dr. Myron Wentz, USANA Health Sciences is a science-based company that develops scientifically advanced nutritional, personal-care, and weight management products. The name "USANA" derives from Greek and Latin and means "true health."

USANA was founded with a mission to manufacture the highest quality products without compromise, products that people can trust. Because poor manufacturing can destroy great science, USANA is one of the few companies to manufacture most of its products in its own state-of-the-art facility. To ensure that the formulas developed in USANA's laboratories are produced consistently, the same process is followed each time manufacturing begins. When raw ingredients first arrive at USANA, they are immediately quarantined until they are tested for purity, potency, and quality. If an ingredient fails to meet set standards, it is rejected and returned to the supplier.

As the tablets are being manufactured, they are tested for hardness, thickness, disintegration, fragility, and weight uniformity. An inappropriate thickness can indicate an imbalance in ingredients, just as a slight variance in compression can result in tablets being too hard to disintegrate in the stomach, or too soft, causing them to break apart in the bottle.

Before packaging, the final product is tested once more for potency and purity. After the products are packaged, the foil seals, labels, and cotton are double-and triple-checked by both machines and people. Each step in the quality assurance process is accompanied by a written, detailed procedure.

Every dietary supplement produced by USANA carries a potency guarantee, which ensures that what is stated on the label is actually contained in the product. The foundation of USANA's nutritional system is the ESSENTIALS™, a comprehensive vitamin, antioxidant, and mineral dietary supplement that contains more than 40 active ingredients and extracts, far more than the 24 vitamins and minerals commonly considered to be adequate. The ESSENTIALS (Mega Antioxidant and Chelated Mineral), Proflavanol® 90, and the HEALTHPAK 100™ AM/PM packs have been exhaustively tested by NSF International and have been found to contain all ingredients at the labeled amounts. NSF is an independent, not-for-profit organization that helps protect consumers by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, air and consumer goods.

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has not finalized Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for dietary supplements, as they are required to do under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Rather, Congress has initially stated that dietary supplement GMP should be modeled after foods. Because of this statement, many supplement manufacturers have chosen to follow GMP for foods. USANA, however, voluntarily follows GMP for pharmaceuticals as the basis for its quality assurance program in the manufacturing of all of its products, meaning USANA treats nutritional supplements with the same care that goes into the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.

Similar to guidelines in many other countries, pharmaceutical GMP are federally mandated guidelines for the production of over-the-counter drugs; they are considerably stricter than the food GMP followed by many United States supplement manufacturers. Pharmaceutical GMP cover virtually every aspect of drug manufacturing, including facility design and maintenance, raw material specification and control, supplier validation, product design and testing, employee training, process control, finished product release, and complaint handling.

In several countries around the world, supplements are more highly regulated than in the United States. In Australia, for example, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates dietary supplements, mandates that manufacturers follow a set of GMP identical to pharmaceutical GMP in the United States. As an Australian supplier, USANA is regularly inspected and audited by the TGA to ensure that we meet their GMP standards. Most recently, USANA was audited in June 2006 by the TGA and passed with ease.

Aside from meeting the criteria of regular TGA audits, USANA has voluntarily obtained additional third-party verification of GMP status. Most recently, USANA's Salt Lake City, Utah, manufacturing facility has been certified to be in compliance with GMP requirements set forth in NSF/ANSI Standard 173-2006, Dietary Supplements by NSF International. According to NSF, "GMP registration reflects [a] continued commitment to ensuring quality and satisfaction and gives companies confidence that their organization operates in conformance to established GMP."

It is USANA's mission to develop and provide the highest quality, science-based products. By rigorously testing each product for potency and purity and by voluntarily following pharmaceutical GMP, USANA sets the standard for excellence in dietary supplement manufacturing. Once again this is proof that USANA products are truly Nutritionals You Can Trust.

POTENCY GUARANTEE

USANA is committed to the highest standards of product design and manufacturing, and we guarantee the potency of every nutritional product we sell.

Our company follows internationally accepted Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) set out for the pharmaceutical industry. As such, we track every detail of product manufacture from start to finish—from the verification of raw materials to final testing of finished products. Standard tests include those for potency, purity, disintegration, weight, hardness, thickness, and stability.

For these reasons and more, you can be confident in the potency and overall quality of USANA Products. We truly provide Nutritionals You Can Trust.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases.

Source: http://www.usana.com/dotCom/company/manufacturing/index