Mannatech?

[Cheri A]

My mom is in town visiting us and has been looking into the Mannatech products. She's brought some CDs and reading materials for me to look into. I was just wondering if anyone else has looked into these glyco-nutrients? Are they gluten-free?

[Cheri A]

I see that there have been a few people viewing, but no comments yet.

Here is a link, if the board gods will let me, of some more information.

Open Original Shared Link

[Gentleheart]

The glyconutrient powder is gluten free, along with all of their other products. Great nutritional products well worth considering in my opinion. Lots of science.

Just looked closer at your bio, though. The glyconutrient powder is in a base of rice starch. Might be a problem if allergic to rice? Some of their other items do contain soy and/or dairy.

[debmidge]

I am not familiar with Mannatech or glyco nutrients....if you have a moment could you give some info as maybe others don't know and would want to try this or find that they should be using this, etc.

I read some of the link but I always like to hear from the info from the person who really uses the stuff......

Thanks...

[Karwei5]

Mannatech is not my favorite company. Their marketing techniques are questionable.

I would look at other companies that have similar products.

I don't think they have the science to prove anything they claim.

That is only my personal opinion.

Karol

[Gentleheart]

Mannatech is not my favorite company. Their marketing techniques are questionable.

I would look at other companies that have similar products.

I don't think they have the science to prove anything they claim.

That is only my personal opinion.

Karol

I do not wish to debate this on the board beyond this response, but respectfully, they most certainly DO have the science - and lots of it. Mannatech is a network marketing research and development company with one of the best state-of-the-art research laboratories in America. Some of the largest companies in the United States, including many nutraceutical firms, use direct marketing as their sales model of choice. And many of these companies, including Mannatech, are respected members of the Direct Selling Association. It's only the fraudulant pyramid companies and similar scoundrels who have received the most press and caused obvious trouble. Mannatech was named as one of the top growing corporations in America and is highly respected in the science world.

World renowned experts like Dr. John Axford, M.D., of the Royal Society of Medicine, a world recognized expert in the field of rheumatoid disorders was so impressed with Mannatech's scientific efforts with glyconutrition that he joined their board of directors to help direct further investigative efforts. Dr. Ben Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at John's Hopkins University and Professor of Neurosurgery, Oncology, Plastic Surgery and Pediatrics, has stated that Mannatech's glyconutritional products helped save his life by strengthening his own body's ability to regenerate itself. There are many other notable medical professionals with similar opinions.

Anyone who wishes more science is welcomed to PM me. But back to the topic of this thread. Mannatech's glyconutrition involves nutritional elements that we don't get enough of in our sad modern diets, put into stabilized supplement form and made credible by a composition of matter United States patent and patents in 19 other countries. Glyconutrients are not drugs, totally non toxic and not designed to cure anything. But better nutrition will help anyone who is deficient and celiacs certainly qualify since many of us are highly malnourished from years of malabsorption.

I hope this helps to answer the original question.

[debmidge]

Dear Gentleheart: thanks, your answer about the product helped me understand it. That's what I was confused about.

[DingoGirl]

Mannatech is a big scam, and they actually make false claims about all kinds of things, including nobel prize bestowance, and the fact that glyconutrients can cure ANYTHING. DON"T waste your money! Check this out:

Open Original Shared Link

[Gentleheart]

Mannatech is a big scam, and they actually make false claims about all kinds of things, including nobel prize bestowance, and the fact that glyconutrients can cure ANYTHING. DON"T waste your money! Check this out:

Open Original Shared Link

I promised not to debate this further, but it is difficult to let this go without one more reply. Please forgive my briefly going against my former intention.

I looked at the website provided. I am wondering about the medical or research credentials of the person expressing such inflammatory opinions and is he/she someone we can be confident has honest wisdom and personal experience in this new technology? They have a perfect right to express their opinions on their own site, but with all due respect, it does appear that they have a bit of an agenda regarding several subjects.

Direct marketing doesn't honestly need defending. Many great corporations who we do business with everyday are structured the same way. We just don't realize it. Any time you have a representative going out and networking with the public in the hopes of a commission sale of a product, you have direct marketing. Pharmaceutical reps, cell phone company representatives, computer reps and software reps are common examples that come to mind. It's an extremely efficient, money-saving and respected marketing model among the people who know. The reps are paid the money that would otherwise go to expensive advertising campaigns in other business models. It's just another way to structure a business and carries no dishonor with it at all.

I will certainly admit that, as is true in any business, there may be a few loose cannons within a workforce of over a million people, who might say something wrong or behave inappropriately, especially with the unregulated platform provided by the internet. I do know that such individuals are firmly disciplined in Mannatech when it is discovered. But the vast majority of people in this company are honorable and caring about the people they sell to. The company itself is very diligent to conduct itself above board at all times and as I said before, has a fine reputation among its peers, the business world and the science world.

I am always amazed to hear people claim that this technology is 'useless.' Over 350,000 medical papers have been written on the subject of glycomics. MIT's magazine in 2004, listed glycomics as one of the 10 technologies that are expected to change the world and invited Mannatech as the only food supplement company to its symposium. I guess they didn't know Mannatech was a scam. Nobel prizes were indeed awarded in this science, but not to our company. Mannatech has certainly never claimed that. It is true that Mannatech is the only company to have all the biological sugars (glyconutrition) stabilized in supplement form. That is simply because they own all the patents in many countries, including the United States, to that effect. Not a bad position to be in, I might add. The largest pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to invent a competitive synthetic version of glyconutrition. They realized the impact of this technology long ago and have put nearly a billion dollars into its research efforts in this direction.

The reason this is relevant to this site is that celiacs and gluten intolerant people struggle to maintain a sufficiently nourished body. Through malabsorption and hyperactive bowels, we lose the benefit of much of the nutrition we try to eat. If you add our poor dietary choices and the green harvesting and chemicalizing of our food supply, the problem becomes rather large for us, even more than the average public. I personally believe that nutritional supplementation needs to be a major consideration for people in our position. But along with that, we definitely need to seek out honorable companies so we don't 'waste our money' as has been wisely stated.

I greatly respect the opinions expressed here and the people who express them. But opinions mean much more to me when they are backed up with personal experience and solid science. That is why we all gravitate to this board. We want to hear from people who actually have celiac or gluten intolerance because we gain confidence in the fact that they KNOW all about our struggles.

My family, many friends and my extended family all have personal, life-altering experiences with the technology of glyconutrition. I personally know many medical doctors and other professionals who have investigated this technology thoroughly, fully expecting to refute it, by the way. They came away surprised and convinced.

I apologize for the length of my defense in this matter. I am a person only interested in truth. But as my name also implies, I wish to pursue it in a kind, caring and gentle manner. Thank you for listening.

[Cheri A]

I am so glad to see the activity on this thread now

Gentleheart, thank you for continuing to be informative!

I, personally, am very interested in all that I am reading and learning about glyconutrients.

I also value everyone else's experiences and that's why I asked.

[Karwei5]

My problem with this company is that they very aggressively market to parents who have children with Down Syndrome and it very much does not cure or repair or anything else for Down Syndrome.

There may be evidence it helps with other things but I don't agree with their marketing on parents that may be struggling with a Down syndrome diagnosis.

If there were any other company that sold an equivalent product I would look at them.

That is just my personal opinion.

Karol

[Gentleheart]

My problem with this company is that they very aggressively market to parents who have children with Down Syndrome and it very much does not cure or repair or anything else for Down Syndrome.

There may be evidence it helps with other things but I don't agree with their marketing on parents that may be struggling with a Down syndrome diagnosis.

If there were any other company that sold an equivalent product I would look at them.

That is just my personal opinion.

Karol

I sincerely apologize if anyone has made inflated claims to you concerning Downs Syndrome. The company FIRMLY makes no claims for any specific disease situation. These are nutritional supplements and soley meant to reinforce the body's natural repair responses. However, because at least 37 parents of Downs children have officially reported vast improvements in the general health of their children after consuming glyconutrition, this is probably what is being reported. Downs is a DNA problem. We are talking better nutrition and stronger bodies here. Downs children in particular, frequently also suffer with asthma, heart issues and other diseases which considerably take away from their ability to enjoy life. If better nutrition can address some of that, then it is a very good thing. Again, these are misunderstandings that need to be addressed. Please do not judge this fine company based upon what other people think they heard. The truth of the matter is that our mission is nutritional support of the body. No more no less. What happens after that is up to God and each person's personal genetics. A strong, well nourished body can withstand many things. Well nourished people with DNA issues like Downs or even celiac, can obtain a better quality of life within their genetic limitations, than those who remain malnourished or poorly nourished.

You are very wise to question things. Just always search for the facts and the real truth. It's getting harder and harder to find in this day and age.

[grey]

Gentleheart,

As one of many on this board struggling with malabsorption/malnourishment issues, I've been following this thread.

You wrote in your post that Nobel prizes "were inded awarded ..., but not to our company" (emphasis mine). Do you work for Mannatech?

If so, I think that it is something you should be straightforward about. It may give you the ability to speak knowledgebly about the product, but I think it is important you indicate that you are not disinterested in whether people on this board decide to purchase Mannatech products. If you don't work for Mannatech, how do you know so much about them? You have not indicated that clearly, and I think that would be interesting and helpful.

thanks,

grey

I promised not to debate this further, but it is difficult to let this go without one more reply. Please forgive my briefly going against my former intention.

I looked at the website provided. I am wondering about the medical or research credentials of the person expressing such inflammatory opinions and is he/she someone we can be confident has honest wisdom and personal experience in this new technology? They have a perfect right to express their opinions on their own site, but with all due respect, it does appear that they have a bit of an agenda regarding several subjects.

Direct marketing doesn't honestly need defending. Many great corporations who we do business with everyday are structured the same way. We just don't realize it. Any time you have a representative going out and networking with the public in the hopes of a commission sale of a product, you have direct marketing. Pharmaceutical reps, cell phone company representatives, computer reps and software reps are common examples that come to mind. It's an extremely efficient, money-saving and respected marketing model among the people who know. The reps are paid the money that would otherwise go to expensive advertising campaigns in other business models. It's just another way to structure a business and carries no dishonor with it at all.

I will certainly admit that, as is true in any business, there may be a few loose cannons within a workforce of over a million people, who might say something wrong or behave inappropriately, especially with the unregulated platform provided by the internet. I do know that such individuals are firmly disciplined in Mannatech when it is discovered. But the vast majority of people in this company are honorable and caring about the people they sell to. The company itself is very diligent to conduct itself above board at all times and as I said before, has a fine reputation among its peers, the business world and the science world.

I am always amazed to hear people claim that this technology is 'useless.' Over 350,000 medical papers have been written on the subject of glycomics. MIT's magazine in 2004, listed glycomics as one of the 10 technologies that are expected to change the world and invited Mannatech as the only food supplement company to its symposium. I guess they didn't know Mannatech was a scam. Nobel prizes were indeed awarded in this science, but not to our company. Mannatech has certainly never claimed that. It is true that Mannatech is the only company to have all the biological sugars (glyconutrition) stabilized in supplement form. That is simply because they own all the patents in many countries, including the United States, to that effect. Not a bad position to be in, I might add. The largest pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to invent a competitive synthetic version of glyconutrition. They realized the impact of this technology long ago and have put nearly a billion dollars into its research efforts in this direction.

The reason this is relevant to this site is that celiacs and gluten intolerant people struggle to maintain a sufficiently nourished body. Through malabsorption and hyperactive bowels, we lose the benefit of much of the nutrition we try to eat. If you add our poor dietary choices and the green harvesting and chemicalizing of our food supply, the problem becomes rather large for us, even more than the average public. I personally believe that nutritional supplementation needs to be a major consideration for people in our position. But along with that, we definitely need to seek out honorable companies so we don't 'waste our money' as has been wisely stated.

I greatly respect the opinions expressed here and the people who express them. But opinions mean much more to me when they are backed up with personal experience and solid science. That is why we all gravitate to this board. We want to hear from people who actually have celiac or gluten intolerance because we gain confidence in the fact that they KNOW all about our struggles.

My family, many friends and my extended family all have personal, life-altering experiences with the technology of glyconutrition. I personally know many medical doctors and other professionals who have investigated this technology thoroughly, fully expecting to refute it, by the way. They came away surprised and convinced.

I apologize for the length of my defense in this matter. I am a person only interested in truth. But as my name also implies, I wish to pursue it in a kind, caring and gentle manner. Thank you for listening.

[DingoGirl]

The truth of the matter is that our mission is nutritional support of the body.

Yes, Grey, I thought the same thing after reading the above sentence....

I have heard outrageous claims by Mannetech, and this complete kook of a man that I know was promoting them also. Claiming they could cure Downs, Celiac, you name it...there was a cure. Sorry if I seem abrasive or strident - - just hearing the word Mannatech makes me bristle. If it worked, we'd ALL be taking it....and my wacky Celiac friend would be entirely cured and eating gluten again. He is, of course, not.

That is all separate from the multi-level marketing scheme inherent to the company....that [part I don't care so much about....it's the claims of the "science" of the company that really bother me.

[Gentleheart]

Gentleheart,

As one of many on this board struggling with malabsorption/malnourishment issues, I've been following this thread.

You wrote in your post that Nobel prizes "were inded awarded ..., but not to our company" (emphasis mine). Do you work for Mannatech?

If so, I think that it is something you should be straightforward about. It may give you the ability to speak knowledgebly about the product, but I think it is important you indicate that you are not disinterested in whether people on this board decide to purchase Mannatech products. If you don't work for Mannatech, how do you know so much about them? You have not indicated that clearly, and I think that would be interesting and helpful.

thanks,

grey

I'm sorry. I wasn't meaning to be vague about my connection with Mannatech. I am an independent associate with Mannatech. I am not a corporate employee of Mannatech. I don't personally know anyone on this board and have no personal financial interest or gain in anyone here purchasing Mannatech products. I'm just trying to be helpful and correct misinformation about this valuable technology wherever possible. I have been an avid student of nutrition for several decades and have studied glyconutrition for 6 years. I am also currently in a doctorate program in naturopathy. I do not plan to practice, but to write and educate. I have only known of my celiac status for about a year, so this is an entirely new topic for me to study. Glyconutrition has been enormously helpful to me in my own ongoing struggle back to health. So it is only natural that I would want to encourage the sharing of accurate information about it with all of you. Please rest assured that I am only interested in the friendly exchange of ideas here and not money.

[Gentleheart]

Yes, Grey, I thought the same thing after reading the above sentence....

I have heard outrageous claims by Mannetech, and this complete kook of a man that I know was promoting them also. Claiming they could cure Downs, Celiac, you name it...there was a cure. Sorry if I seem abrasive or strident - - just hearing the word Mannatech makes me bristle. If it worked, we'd ALL be taking it....and my wacky Celiac friend would be entirely cured and eating gluten again. He is, of course, not.

That is all separate from the multi-level marketing scheme inherent to the company....that [part I don't care so much about....it's the claims of the "science" of the company that really bother me.

Isn't it a shame when some people just aren't sensible? I'm so sorry that the man you know was so wrong in his sharing about glyconutrition. Do you see how he has misinformed you? It makes me bristle too. If he is actually making bogus claims and the company knew of his behaviour, he would be warned/disciplined and even let go if he refused to comply. Mannatech as a company does not make cure claims. The patent itself claims that Ambrotose can nutritionally impact a long list of diseases. But that is there, and only there, as a requirement to the patent process. Glyconutritients CURE nothing. That's just not the way it all works. Superior nutrition feeds and energizes the body which then merely does what it's preprogrammed to do and repairs itself within its genetic ability to do so. Why can't they get it right? It's so simple.

This technology is only a little over a decade old. That is very young as groundbreaking new scientific ideas go. It has been steadily growing in the scientific world and is just now making its way into mainstream medicine and the general public. Many medical schools are now teaching glyconutrition as part of their curriculum. But if your doctor graduated before the year 2000, and unless he is an avid reader of published medical papers on PubMed, he will not know anything about glycomics yet.

New ideas go through severe tribulation on their way to public acceptance. A mere century ago, a successful doctor/researcher, was ridiculed, discredited and eventually ruined for suggesting that his fellow doctors wash their hands between autopsies and the delivering of babies. Now we would laugh at the utter foolishness of such a thing. But it was common practice back then. Vitamin C is on every shelf of every food store in America and we all accept it like it's always been there. But Linus Pauling and others were called every name in the book as they tediously made their way through the bias and prejudice of the existing medical paradigm to achieve today's status for vitamin C.

I'm sorry to disagree, but the fact of whether something works or not, is not necessarily a good indication of how readily it is being embraced by the general public. I have the highest regard for most medical doctors. Yes, a few of them may be narrowminded, greedy scoundrels. But you have to give most of them credit. They complete a horribly rigorous decade of schooling and internships in which they suffer from verbal abuse, sleep deprivation and a crash course in the tragedy of disease. They have to be highly intelligent, emotionally stable and laser focused in the first place, just to get through it all. And in spite of the promised money and prestige, they must be willing to give up much of their personal freedom and have a certain level of compassion for mankind. Otherwise why not go into something else which makes good money with much less trouble.

When doctors are finally done with their training, they are given a 'standard of care' code that they must perform within. They have surgery, they have specific tests and and they have drugs. If they have the audacity to veer off in any alternative direction, including nutrition, they can be given official reprimands and risk losing their license. Very few doctors have the guts to risk that. That's why so few people are using this technology. The doctor's hands are tied and the general public has been in the dark until now.

Give it time. Things are changing very fast. I predict that glyconutrition and other nutritional elements could soon become household words and maybe even 'standard of care'.

As far as assuming it doesn't work because everyone isn't using it, I then don't know what to do with 8 members of my extended family and scores of personal friends and business associates, who have had improved quality of life using glyconutrition. We all must be able to extend the placebo effect far beyond the established scientific limit of 2 weeks. We must be special.

Glyconutrients do not cure celiac. Glyconutrients do not cure Downs Syndrome. Those dear people who are saying such things are misguided. I apologize for them. Can glyconutrients improve quality of life by improving nutrition levels in the human body? In my opinion, yes.

Glyconutrients are nutrients that we must have and are struggling to get enough of in our modern diets. The same could be said for phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. When the human body has enough of the proper fuel (nutrition), it can do the most amazing things. You wouldn't try to run a Porsche on kerosene and you can't efficiently run the human body on junk, even if it's gluten free.

[Cheri A]

Mannatech as a company does not make cure claims. The patent itself claims that Ambrotose can nutritionally impact a long list of diseases. But that is there, and only there, as a requirement to the patent process. Glyconutritients CURE nothing. That's just not the way it all works. Superior nutrition feeds and energizes the body which then merely does what it's preprogrammed to do and repairs itself within its genetic ability to do so. Why can't they get it right? It's so simple....

Glyconutrients are nutrients that we must have and are struggling to get enough of in our modern diets. The same could be said for phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. When the human body has enough of the proper fuel (nutrition), it can do the most amazing things. You wouldn't try to run a Porsche on kerosene and you can't efficiently run the human body on junk, even if it's gluten free.

I had to laugh at the last statement!! That's so true!!

It's hard to tell the tone of posts when you read them. I hope that those of questioning Gentleheart's position with Mannatech are being nice. She is simply providing us information that I ASKED for.

For those of you that are questioning the SCIENCE of Mannatech... do you have any proven discredits? Have you actually taken the product and had an ill effect? I'm simply curious. I totally agree with the point of the reps not claiming that it CURES anything. But, honestly, I have been reading scores of things, listening to and watching DVDs on glyconutrients and how they work. I have not seen anything in the company material that claims that. It claims exactly what Gentleheart is saying. It's "nutrition" to help our bodies run more efficiently.

My dd is 8 years old and I have had a journey with her for that long with food and nutrition. She has multiple food allergies and suffered miserably for 6 years. I got tired of the conventional doctors not wanting to get to the root and try to "heal" her body. They just wanted to throw steroids and drugs for extended amounts of time. There were side effects to those drugs. They tested and tested her and could give me the information of what NOT to feed her and what she was allergic to, but not what to replace or feed or to give her the correct nutrition. As soon as the drugs were gone, the bloody, oozing eczema would return. I finally have found a new allergist that we have to travel 3 hours to that finally has helped her. He uses a combination of drugs, when needed, and sublingual therapy that has been used in Europe for 80 years and is the primary way of treating allergies in some countries. However, the FDA and the conventional drs will say that he and his associates are "quacks" even though numerous people have been helped and the quality of their life is better. My dd no longer has the bleeding, oozing eczema. We still struggle with it, but it's better without steroids. We avoid all kinds of foods, including gluten. I have been and still worry about the nutrition she misses that can't be simply replaced with a multi-vitamin bought at the drugstore.

[Cheri A]

Hello?!? Bump!

[EmmaQ]

I did some research about the product Ambrotose, what I share is my own research for the benefit of my FIL who was interested in the product. I do not work for Mannatech or any other health sort of company. I am a stay at home mom with quite a bit of bio-chemistry knowlege, even though my final college degree was in Economics and Accounting. I self study herbal medicine for family and self care. My research may be flawed to some, but I thought it was pretty good for a lay person or I would not share it.

I think the science of gylco nutrients is solid. I was reading it with keen interest and it was very though provoking to self heal the body. But after breaking down the product Ambrotose, I felt the product was all hype. For example, I take amino acids, they are what the say they are. So when I was reading about these sugars, I expected a bottle to be labeled "fucose, mannose, etc".

I do not think that this is the magic bullet to curing an ailing gut, but that is just my humble opinion.

The following is an e-mail I sent to my FIL.

Ambrotose certainly isn

[Gentleheart]

Ambrotose doesn't have 8 of the necessary 'sugars'. It has 10. Mannatech's patent took 10 years of investigation and intense scrutiny by our government before it was granted. They would never have been given a patent of this magnitude if these sugars were available as a supplement from anyone else. And they certainly would not have been given a patent if Ambrotose just contained common fluff that was easily duplicated. With all due respect, priceless world-patented proprietary formulas are not customarily stated on packages for obvious reasons. But that does not mean it doesn't have efficacy and value.

It is currently against the patent law of the United States for anyone else to sell any concentrated food supplement product of any of the 8 known necessary sugars. Other companies are only allowed to sell raw materials (foods) that may contain 1 or more glyconutrients naturally. Naturally occurring amounts in foods like this are very, very low and individual food substances usually only contain one or maybe two of the sugars each. Granted, it is the way we were originally intended to get these sugars, by consuming a wide variety and large amounts of these types of foods every day. And it is still wise to eat as many of these foods as you can find. We still have a handful of cultures in the world who do this very thing and have the extraordinary health to prove it.

But today we only consume 2 of the 8 sugars in North America. The rest are now virtually unavailable (overfarmed, preserved, chemicalized and green harvested out) in the foods we buy. So our bodies are tediously manufacturing bare minimums of the missing glyconutrients to keep us functioning. And some people's bodies genetically have a harder time doing this than others. Since our bodies were only designed to be able to do this on a temporary basis, we really needed to figure out a way to supplement these nutrients fast.

That is precisely the very dilemma that scientists all over the world have been stuggling to solve for many years. Mannatech's scientists just happened to be the ones who finally did it. So Mannatech is the only one allowed to sell glyconutrient supplements because they invented and patented the process by which these sugars could be stabilized, concentrated and marketed in a viable supplement form first. Mannatech's original intention was to present this to the world as a new breakthrough drug. They realized the importance of what they had done. But they were informed by the FDA that they could not market Ambrotose as a drug because it has absolutely no toxicity. Toxicity is a requirement for any drug on the market. So it was marketed as a nutraceutical food supplement and the rest is history. Just so that you will have a sense for the value of concentrated supplemental forms of these sugars, before going half way around the world to find a less costly raw source of the sugar 'fucose' (not to be confused with fructose), for instance, Mannatech was obtaining it from Germany at $3000 per pound.

MIT thinks this technology has serious merit, the NIH is currently funding numerous official university studies on Ambrotose as we speak and the Ambassador from Uganda spoke at Mannatech's recent convention to thank their not-for-profit organization called MannaRelief, for providing MannaBears and GlycoBears free to their orphanages, incredibly impacting the lives of their critically ill and disadvantaged children. Again, if it wasn't valuable it wouldn't work and they wouldn't be thanking MannaRelief for anything.

I must say, that I am curious as to why it is so important to try to discredit Mannatech or Ambrotose specifically. Why is it so difficult to just accept the fact that they have formulated a fine product that has great value, solved a huge problem and is efficiently nourishing lots of people? Other companies are commended and patronized for doing similar things all the time. I've tried to share that Mannatech has honor as a company, certainly more than many of the famous corporations we all know and do business with on a regular basis. So why is there so much passion to make sure to not buy a great product from this particular company? Has Mannatech personally hurt you in some way?

[aquamarine-queen]

So why is there so much passion to make sure to not buy a great product from this particular company? Has Mannatech personally hurt you in some way?

Because you asked, and even though I have previously refrained from responding to this thread, I will tell you that, to many thoughtful people who have a modicum of common sense, Mannatech fairly screams MLM scam. You can debate the validity of this assertion all you want, here or elsewhere, it won't change my mind or the minds of other diligent consumers. In fact, the more you try to sell Mannatech's "virtue", the stronger my will to warn the naive away from this company, no matter what they are peddling.

I'm sorry for your affiliation with Mannatech; I can only hope my opinion may eventually enlighten you as to why you find yourself continually defending this company's research and reputation. There's a whole host of negative information available about Mannatech on the internet. Why do you think this is? Enough said.

AQ

[Gentleheart]

Because you asked, and even though I have previously refrained from responding to this thread, I will tell you that, to many thoughtful people who have a modicum of common sense, Mannatech fairly screams MLM scam. You can debate the validity of this assertion all you want, here or elsewhere, it won't change my mind or the minds of other diligent consumers. In fact, the more you try to sell Mannatech's "virtue", the stronger my will to warn the naive away from this company, no matter what they are peddling.

I'm sorry for your affiliation with Mannatech; I can only hope my opinion may eventually enlighten you as to why you find yourself continually defending this company's research and reputation. There's a whole host of negative information available about Mannatech on the internet. Why do you think this is? Enough said.

AQ

I agree that more than enough has been said.

But to answer the last question asked of me...

The wonderful thing about the Internet is that you can say anything you want.

The terrible thing about the Internet is that you can say anything you want.

Truth and lies are on equal footing on the Internet and no one is held accountable. It is one glorious worldwide free-for-all.

If someone simply doesn't like a person or an idea or has something to gain by its demise or just wants to have a little 'fun' at the expense of others, they can type up anything they want, it can remain on the net for years poisoning the minds of multitudes of people and there is little you can do about it. Ask any celebrity or political figure. We live in interesting times when ornery people with agendas and way too much time on their hands can insert viruses into unsuspecting computer systems just to see what havoc they can produce and to waste millions of innocent people's dollars as they scramble to fix the damage. No reason. Just to be mean, feel the power and have some fun.

In addition, pharmaceutical drug companies are the big losers in Mannatech's and other notable nutraceutical company's rises to success during this current baby boomer wellness revolution. As I stated earlier, they are spending big, big bucks trying to invent a synthetic version of Ambrotose to patent and reclaim the market. Drug companies are our biggest competitors and they have A LOT of money to spend in the competition arena. They have a lot invested and must stay on top at all costs. The internet is cheap and all's fair. Use your imagination.

I have stated the case to the best of my ability and will let wise people investigate honestly and without bias themselves from here on out. Mannatech has never once disappointed me as a company in the past 6 years. On the contrary, I have personally experienced numerous times where they went the extra mile to make sure I had been treated fairly and generously as a customer. And even more importantly, the products have performed very well for me. But I still haven't heard, even from the most recent poster, what terrible things Mannatech has personally done to them to merit such venom. It was instead stated that they would be made stronger in their resolve to warn people about Mannatech 'no matter what they are peddling', just by my very words. Wow.

So I guess that's that. It has apparently been a counterproductive interchange. I was just attempting to correct false information with all my time-consuming, lengthy, heartfelt sharing.

Be wise, think for yourself, always do your own fair and thorough investigations and don't believe everything you see or read on the internet.

I believe I am a thoughtful person who at least has a 'modicum of common sense' and I am not unenlightened and in need of rescuing from my delusions. I have merely been purchasing a great product that has blessed my health personally and wanted to share that fact with you all when the subject was introduced on this thread. There wasn't any need to personally question my intelligence or imply that I am a fool in this friendly discussion. I have always treated everyone here with the utmost kindness, respect and regard while discussing this subject. The unwarranted hostility disappoints me.

[Cheri A]

Yes, why the hostility?! That is not what I was asking for. Gentleheart has been very kind in her exchanges and, to me, has been giving thoughtful information that has been helpful to me. I do not feel that she is forcing any product on us, at all.

I bumped this thread because I wanted credible information refuting what Mannatech claims. Not a witch-hunt. I have read opinions of drs. from Johns Hopkins and other hospitals, athletes, someone from the patent office. Most were "looking" to refute their product, and ended up realizing that it's a good product.

Emma ~ thanks for the thoughtful response. I will look at those websites that you listed.

[Calle]

I took Mannatech's Ambrotose for months and so did my father. We did not notice any difference in our health. I could not afford to keep buying this product especially with no results.

[VickiInVegas]

Well, I am registered with Mannatech but only did so to get the discount. I have never sold the product to anyone.

I buy 3 products on a regular basis, one of them is called Plus for hormone support. I am almost 52 and regularly am told how young I look. I have not gone through menopause, not even a single hot flash. I started taking it 8 years ago, 3 pills every day. At one point, I stopped taking them to try and save money. Within two months, my husband offered to mortgage the house if it meant I would go back on what my family calls "Mom's crazy pills."

I was never diagnosed with celiac by an MD. I started baking as a hobby, and got sicker with every loaf. My husband figured it out, doing research on the web. Facial swelling, headaches that lasted nearly a week, constipation, sinusitis, the list goes on. I figured I'd do an experiment and just stop eating gluten. From being crippled with headaches, 3 days later I literally did a somersault into bed because I felt so good and full of energy. I never looked back.

My children have been diagnosed with epilepsy by a neurologist. All 3 of them. The neurologists (2 different ones) said they have never heard of 3 children in the same family having the same problem like this. Since this is a hereditary condition, I decided to take them off gluten. Bingo, no more seizures. No meds. Just food they could digest an no more poison.

My son had 4 root canals on his first molars by age 6. He had learning problems. The first year or two of his life he was in the 97th percentile for height. By second grade, he had silver teeth and had almost stopped growing. It has taken almost 18 months for him to turn this around. He is growing like a weed, bringing home A's and B's, his severely dry skin is improving even here in Las Vegas, and the improvements list goes on. I give him Mannatech vitamins and the fruit/vegetable bears every day as the best way I could think of to turn his nutritional absorbtion around.

I wrote to Mannatech and they assure me that they do not have any gluten containing ingredients anywhere in their manufacturing process.

Now I really hate pyramid scheme marketing as much as anyone, but I do believe in their products. I buy the products in spite of their business model. In any business, there are going to be people who overstate the qualities of their products in hopes of increasing their personal income, and that it unfortunate. But to be decieved in a way that at least means you most likely improve your nutrition, well, I can think of worse things to happen to a person.

I can say that over the 8 years I've used these products, the quality of the products is consistently high. Even their pricing has remained very stable as compared to other foods and supplements.

The important thing to remember is that human cells have to be replaced in order to improve based only on a change in nutrition. It takes time to turn around years of inferior nutrition when some of the cells take a year before they are replaced by the body.

If there is anything I would change about Mannatech, it would be their distribution model. As for their products, I wouldn't change a thing.

Vicki