Are Compounding Pharmacies Safe?

Compounding pharmacies work to create pharmaceutical products which are specifically designed to fit the unique needs of each patient. They specialise in preparing and dispensing bespoke pharmaceutical products to patients who cannot or do not want to (for whatever reason) take standard, mass produced medication. Many consumers are turning to these pharmacies because they have previously had problems with standard prescription drugs.Because the compounded prescription medications that they sell are different from those that are already available on the rest of the market, some consumers may be worried about whether or not using a compounding pharmacy is safe. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have stated that compounding is perfectly legal and ethical so long as the pharmacy is fully licensed and the pharmacist who carried out the compounding is also fully trained and licensed.Because of the potential health implications associated with all medicinal drugs, compounding pharmaceuticals is a heavily regulated business, and the FDA and individual state boards of pharmacy have introduced strict guidelines to help ensure that customers and patients using these compounding pharmacies should remain safe. All bulk drug substances that are used in these types of pharmacies should be on an approved-list of substances that it is legal and safe to compound with. Any previously marketed substances which have been proven to be ineffective or unsafe do not make the approved-list of substances suitable for compounding. Pharmacists are not supposed to compound with any substance that is not on the approved-list. Although many states do not require practices to report any newly discovered side-effects associated with compounded drugs, ethical pharmacies will voluntarily report them.The compounding pharmacy itself is also subject to strict guidelines, as well as the substances that they compound with. The pharmacy must meet high quality control standards and each individual laboratory must meet strict facility guidelines, to ensure safety and consistency in each batch of drugs produced. Pharmacies in America are regulated by individual “state boards of pharmacy”, and therefore each state has slightly different sets of regulations. It is possible to check with the board of pharmacy in your state if you are still unsure. Inspectors from the state board will carry out regular checks on licensed pharmacies and random sampling checks may be carried out on batches of drugs that are being dispensed to check the safety and potency.Pharmacists who practice in compounding pharmacies are heavily regulated as well. They must be fully trained and licensed in order to dispense medicine that they have compounded, so that they are able to fully understand the drugs that they are making.If you still have doubts, you can contact your chosen pharmacy and they will be able to explain the standards, testing and quality control exercises that are used by their practice in order to ensure the safety of their customers. If you are in any doubt, you do not have to use that pharmacy. Remember that it is the interest of pharmacies to ensure that their products are safe, legal, ethical and effective.

How to Earn 6-Figures in Holistic Nutrition

Does this story sound familiar to you?You graduated from nutrition school totally jazzed about building your holistic nutrition practice.  You thought you had all the pieces in place for a successful nutrition business – the counseling program, the website, the business cards, the brochure, and the fire inside to spread your message about holistic health and nutrition.  You’re doing workshops, meeting referral partners, launching events, and coaching clients…you’re working your butt off!  And yet you’re almost dead broke.I know your story, because I had the same experience!Until one day I realized….why waste your valuable time and money building your practice using unproven strategies and trial and error, when it’s possible to discover the biggest mistakes – and the most effective strategies – of Holistic Nutrition Professionals who have careers that are already thriving?I mean, how much money and time could you save if you could analyze, understand and MODEL real-world, profitable holistic nutrition practices?With this in mind, I interviewed ten top holistic nutrition pros to discover EXACTLY how they built their booming careers.  And I learned that there are three keys to success in holistic nutrition.1.    PassionMost holistic nutritionists got into this career because they had a personal experience with nutrition that utterly transformed their own lives. They have a deep, burning conviction in the transformative power of nutrition, and a driving desire to help other people experience that transformation.2.    PersistenceWould you believe that even Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of the best-selling “Flexitarian Diet” and featured nutritionist in magazines and TV shows all over the country, was turned down over and over again for almost every job she got? Even this brilliant and gifted nutritionist, who has made an indelible mark on the industry, had to push past “NO” a hundred times. Kathie Swift, Dr. Mark Hyman’s featured nutritionist in “UltraMetabolism” had to spend years convince top doctors about the benefits of nutrition and functional medicine before she could help create the now world-renowned nutrition and medical programs at Canyon Ranch Spa and Resorts.These trailblazing holistic nutritionists had a driving passion for their work, and they simply didn’t take “no” for an answer!3.    Passive IncomeThere is no doubt about it – the most successful holistic nutritionists are able to go beyond the traditional model of seeing individual clients and being paid by the hour.  These savvy nutrition pros know exactly how to package, price and market their services, so that they have products and services practically selling themselves when they’re asleep, at the gym, or on vacation at the beach!By leveraging this kind of passive income stream, the top holistic nutrition pros have been able to easily explode their practices into the six-figure mark and beyond.So what does studying and modeling the careers of successful Holistic Nutrition Pros mean for you?If you’re someone with a passion for nutrition, who wants to turn that passion into a career…It means that it IS possible to make a great living while doing you love to do, instead of going to a job everyday that drains you.If you’re a practicing holistic nutrition pro, but you’re not getting enough clients or making enough money…This means the difference between getting two clients this month, and getting TEN clients this month.For both practicing nutrition pros and nutrition-pros-to-be….This means the potential to add a ZERO onto your currently yearly income…by helping people transform their lives through the power of food.

SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls

Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
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By Rob Isbitts

Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.

The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.

SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.

Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.

Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense

Segment: Inverse Equity

Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500

Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)

Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)

Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.

Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.

Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.

Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.

Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.

Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy

Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy

Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.

ETF Investment Opinion

SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.