“We have to continue to raise the standards of quality in our industry.”

Lately, we have been focusing on the wide range of environmental problems and how to navigate better with the huge amount of information in order to make better lifestyle choices whenever possible.

The current global systems we have in place are clearly flawed, and the world is equally divided. This includes the medical system, the chemical industry, mass farming, and the environment. The politics are clear with their agenda, and equally clear are those in protest for a positive change. If we consider the issues facing humanity, each issue has supporters and protesters who are diametrically opposed. Big business interests are directed towards shareholders’ profits, the scientists and directors of these companies know the damages they are creating but they continue in their efforts anyway.

Symptomatic directed synthetic based medication is covered by the medical system, and as most disease states cause chronic pain, the treatment of choice is addictive opioid medication even though there is an option of naturopathic medicine that treats the core of the problem, without any side effects.

By owning this knowledge, it’s obvious that we cannot ask anymore whether natural medicine and supplements are necessary. We know that we do not get all of the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food that we eat, even if we eat a regular, balanced diet—it is not enough to keep our bodies healthy and fit. On one hand, and unfortunately, today’s grime reality is we do not have pure food anymore. On the other hand we need to remember that positive changes do come—from conscientious businesses and also the consumers. If we stopped supporting companies that pollute and damage the earth and chose sustainable and environmentally conscious businesses instead, political authorities would be much more engaged in creating changes in policy, and finally harmful chemicals like glyphosate would be banned.

Next week we will focus on what it takes to be a conscious company in the natural health industry, and what it means from a Life Choice perspective. Now you can read how it all started: the beginning, the Life behind the Choice.

The Story

Eldon Dahl, DNM always knew what he wanted to do with his life. For as long as he can remember, he wanted to make people feel better and live healthier. “When other kids were reading comics, I was reading medical books,” he says. “I was always fascinated with healthcare and naturopathic medicine.” Dahl’s precocious passion was spurred on by his family—in particular, his mother. She used naturopathic formulations and turned her young son on to the idea that there were effective ways to treat disease that didn’t involve hospitals or expensive pharmaceuticals. Then, at the age of 10, Dahl’s cousin of the same age died of cancer. It was an epiphany for the young boy. “At her funeral, I kept thinking that something was terribly wrong,” he says. “She was 10 years old. She shouldn’t have been lying there.”

Dahl founded the nutraceutical company Life Choice® in 1986. “I realized I could have more impact on the health of patients by going into the supply side of naturopathic medicine,” he says. He graduated as naturopathic doctor in 1988 and began working with patients who were ill with diseases such as cancer, AIDS and ALS. At the same time, Dahl began working to come up with new and more effective naturopathic formulations. As he discovered new and better sources, he also helped other naturopaths with their own sourcing needs. Dahl has never backed down from his insistence on using only top-quality ingredients for his formulations. He has also persisted in challenging the status quo of natural medicines, pioneering the introduction or re-introduction of products once thought long gone. Under his direction, Life Choice® became the first company to legally provide supplements like Thyrodine® Thyroid Gland, Kava Kava, HGH+, DMSO, and Next Generation B-Complex, the first organic plant based B-Complex free of synthetic B vitamins.

To further protect prescribing naturopaths from having their supplement recommendations replaced by ineffective substitutes, Dahl launched the Doctor’s Choice® line in 2014.

Today, Dahl remains a hands-on executive. He oversees all daily operations at the company that involve the formulation of products, from the preliminary design stage to the licensing process. He sources raw materials, supervises third-party testing of the final products, and spearheads health-related research into medical conditions—specifically anti-aging and chronic disease treatments. Through it all, he follows a simple philosophy: to educate the public on the benefits of naturopathic medicines, while developing new formulas that are as effective as pharmaceuticals, without the side effects. “We’re starting to see the impact of the stand we’ve taken and it’s very gratifying,” says Dahl. “But, we still have a lot of work to do. We have to continue to raise the standards of quality in our industry.”