Clinical Support Program

• Ideal if you’re undergoing a comprehensive surgical procedure or have impaired wound healing especially smokers, diabetics or recent corticosteroid users.


• Morning formulation supports energy levels in the day. Evening formulation supports rest and relaxation in the evening. The use of chronotherapy ensures optimal absorption and assimilation of vitamin C and the B-complex.


• Vitamin A plus beta-carotene restores the inflammatory response and supports new cell growth, maintenance and repair of epithelial tissue.


• Vitamin C supports tissue growth and repair with its primary role in the formation of collagen.


• Zinc plays a key role in immunity and facilitates chemical reactions needed for immune function, protein synthesis and collagen formation.


• High levels of selenium, bioflavonoids and other antioxidants deactivate unstable free-radicals that result from surgery.


• Copper cross-links collagen and elastin, the two most abundant structural proteins in the body.


• High levels of the B-Complex - the “anti-stress” vitamins - counteract stress during the surgical period.


• Excludes vitamin E and other herbals.


• Chelation, a process that attaches an amino acid with a mineral, enhances mineral absorption.


• Riboflavin coated AM tablets and zinc coated PM tablets slide down easy and are odorless.


• Lot number and expiration date ensures product freshness and quality. Manufactured in the U.S. using Good Manufacturing Practices.

Directions: For optimal results, begin taking Clinical Support Program 14 days prior to a scheduled surgery and for two weeks post-operatively. If the two-part supplement is started fewer than 14 days prior to surgery; the supplement should be continued after surgery for a longer period of time (until the product is completely used up).

As a dietary supplement, take three tablets of Clinical Support Morning Formulation with breakfast or lunch. Take three tablets of Clinical Support Evening Formulation with dinner or before bedtime.

To decrease the chances of the niacin-flush occurring, we recommend building up slowly to the full dose of Clinical Support. When starting the supplement, simply reduce the dose to one tablet for 1-2 days, then two tablets for 1-2 days, and so forth. This approach will also help to prevent the uneasy sensation that occurs in some people's stomach after taking vitamins.

Notice: Do not take if safety seal on bottles are broken. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. If you are diabetic, pregnant or breast-feeding, seek advice of your physician before using this product. Store in a cool, dry place.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: CLINICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM contains Vitamin A. If you are presently taking Accutane® (isotretinoin) for the treatment of acne, please refrain from taking CLINICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM until the end of the treatment cycle. This product also contains niacin, which may cause temporary redness of the skin and flushing.

CLINICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM FAQS



• Who should use Clinical Support Program? Clinical Support Program provides nutrients to speed wound healing, support the immune system, and prevent infection. As a result, the product is particularly beneficial for patients who are recovering from surgery, injury or trauma. The program is recommended if you’re having a more comprehensive surgical procedure or have impaired wound healing especially smokers, diabetics or recent corticosteroid users.
  
  
• Is Clinical Support Program appropriate for an individual who has had gastric bypass surgery? Yes, but the dosing may need to be lowered to allow for the proper absorption of nutrients and to prevent gastrointestinal upset. Following gastric bypass surgery, many patients have a difficult time obtaining a sufficient quantity of the micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) required for good health. At the same time, a dramatically reduced stomach size makes it difficult to take certain supplements, especially tablets. This becomes important should the gastric bypass patient elect to have surgery down the road (e.g., body contouring), as nutrient deficiencies delay the healing process. For this reason, Clinical Support Program is ideally suited for these patients. Even though the product is available in a tablet formulation, many gastric patients have been able to comfortably take the product.
  
  
• Who should not use Clinical Support Program? Nutritional supplements have an excellent safety track record. However, certain individuals should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning any nutritional supplement program, particularly diabetics and pregnant or lactating women. Clinical Support Program contains vitamin A. If you are presently taking Accutane® (isotretinoin) for the treatment of acne, please refrain from taking Clinical Support Program until the end of the treatment cycle. This product also contains niacin, which may cause temporary redness of the skin and flushing. Please refer to the Directions section for more information on precautions and contraindications.
  
  
• Why can’t I take my regular multi-vitamin & mineral supplement during the peri-operative period? Your regular multi-vitamin & mineral supplement has not been designed to support your body’s needs following surgery. First, a regular multi-vitamin & mineral is formulated with vitamin E. While this fat-soluble nutrient is an excellent antioxidant and confers a number of health benefits, it is not recommended during the peri-operative period because it can promote bleeding. Second, a regular multi-vitamin & mineral will not have sufficient amounts of the micronutrients that help repair and build new tissue, eliminate the free-radicals that are generated by surgery and boost the immune system which is typically comprised following surgery.
  
  
• What is the primary benefit of using Clinical Support Program? Clinical Support Program contains key vitamins and minerals in appreciable amounts that play a well-documented role in the healing process. This two-part formula is very important for wound healing and for rebuilding the immune system, which prevents infection from occurring.
  
  
• What makes VitaMedica’s Clinical Support Program product unique? Clinical Support Program is a specialty nutritional supplement that is designed to provide patients with essential nutrients to support healing after a surgical procedure. The two-part formulation is unique because it excludes nutrients that may have an adverse effect on surgery and healing. For example, the formulation does not contain vitamin E because this fat-soluble vitamin may cause problems with bleeding during surgery and slow wound healing post-operatively. While many of these nutrients may be found in multiple supplement products, until now, no other nutraceutical has provided this unique combination, in a single formulation, to support healing after surgery.
  
  
• Why is Clinical Support Program provided in a two-part formula? To promote nutrient delivery and to support activity levels. The body most effectively uses certain nutrients when they are provided throughout the day. This is especially true for water-soluble nutrients such as vitamin C and the B-complex. Unlike their fat-soluble counterparts, water-soluble nutrients can’t be stored in the body. As a result, any extra that is not needed at the time, is excreted through the urine. The only way to obtain a sufficient amount of these types of nutrients is to take them in divided doses. Clinical Support Program’s two-part formula uses a Chronotherapy Delivery System (CDS). This approach takes into consideration that our bodies’ requirements for certain nutrients differ based on the time of day. For this reason, the morning formulation contains the bulk of vitamins (especially the B-complex) to support daytime activity levels. Conversely, the evening formulation contains the bulk of minerals to promote rest and relaxation.
  
  
• Clinical Support Program is formulated with vitamin A. What role does vitamin A have in the healing process? Vitamin A, or retinol, is a fat-soluble essential nutrient that must be obtained through diet or supplementation. Vitamin A is well-known for its role in eye health, growth and development, reproduction, and immune system function. Vitamin A is very important for wound healing. In addition, vitamin A partially reverses immune system depression, which can help to reduce the chance of infection. This nutrient is also needed for maintenance and repair of epithelial tissue. The body can obtain vitamin A by converting carotenes into retinol. Carotenes are a group of fat-soluble compounds that are responsible for giving many fruits and vegetables their color. A number of carotenes can be converted into retinol and include beta-, alpha-, and gamma-carotene. Compared to retinol, the carotenes have significant antioxidant protective benefits.
  
  
• The amount of vitamin A in Clinical Support Program seems high. I’m concerned about taking too much of this vitamin. Is this level within a safe range? Yes. Although the amount of vitamin A in Clinical Support Program is above the Daily Value of 5,000 IUs, the amount is very safe. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A (palmitate), vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K, are stored in the liver and fatty tissue of the body. As a result, if an excessive amount is taken, toxicity can become a problem. In the case of vitamin A, toxicity may occur in adults when more than 50,000 IUs is taken on a daily basis for several years. With vitamin A, it is important to distinguish the source – either from the carotenes or from palmitate. Some of the carotenes, which include alpha-, beta-, and gamma- carotene, are precursors to vitamin A. This means that when needed, the body converts the carotene into vitamin A. This is an important distinction because toxicity issues are not associated with carotenoids.
  
  
• Clinical Support Program is formulated with vitamin C. What role does vitamin C play in the healing process? Clinical Support Program contains a much larger dose of vitamin C than the Daily Value of 60 mg. The formulation also contains a considerably larger amount of vitamin C than the average multi-vitamin and mineral supplement of 100 mg. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an important water-soluble nutrient that provides antioxidant protection. Vitamin C plays a primary role in the formation of collagen and is needed for tissue growth and repair. This nutrient promotes the healing of wounds, protects against blood clotting and bruising and enhances immunity.
  
  
• Clinical Support Program is formulated with bioflavonoids. What are bioflavonoids and what role do they play in the healing process? Bioflavonoids refer to a group of substances responsible for giving fruits and vegetables their color. These water-soluble nutrients include citrin, rutin, and hesperidin as well as other flavones and flavonals. Bioflavonoids have several properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, antiviral and anticarcinogenic. The bioflavonoids strengthen the walls of capillaries thereby preventing bruising. They also help build resistance to infection. In addition, bioflavonoids are potent antioxidants that enhance the absorption of vitamin C and prevent this nutrient from being oxidized.
  
  
• Clinical Support Program is formulated with the B-complex of vitamins. What role does the B-complex play in the healing process? The B-complex refers to the water-soluble family of B-vitamins including B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin, niacinamide), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cobalamin), folic acid, PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid), biotin, choline and inositol. The B-complex is so-named because they are commonly found together in foods. Because the functions of the B-vitamins are so interrelated, it is best to take them as a complex and not as single supplements. As a group, the B-complex is important for circulatory, digestive and nervous system function; energy and adrenal hormone production; and red blood cell formation. The B-complex, known as the “anti-stress” vitamins, is also well suited during periods of stress including after an operation or surgical procedure.
  
  
• Clinical Support Program is formulated with zinc. What role does zinc play in the healing process? Zinc is an antioxidant that is essential for protein synthesis and collagen formation. This mineral helps to promote healing of wounds and increases the absorption of vitamin A.
  
  
• Clinical Support Program is formulated with copper. What role does copper play in the healing process? Copper is a trace mineral that aids in the formation of bone, hemoglobin and red blood cells. Copper works in balance with vitamin C and zinc to form elastin, and is essential for the formation of collagen. Copper is necessary for the function of an enzyme which is required to cross-link collagen and elastin.
  
  
• I noticed that the morning tablets are yellow and evening tablets are white. What is the reason for this and are these artificial colorants? The morning formulation is coated by the B-vitamin riboflavin; the evening formulation is coated with the mineral zinc. Both are natural colorants and do not contain any artificial dyes or colorants. The color-coding is helpful to distinguish between the daytime and evening supplements.
  
  
• When should I start taking Clinical Support Program? How long should I take Clinical Support Program? Patients should begin taking Clinical Support Program 14 days prior to surgery and continue taking the product 14 days following surgery. If a surgery is scheduled in fewer than 14 days, Clinical Support Program can still be beneficial. However, it is optimal to start taking the product 2 weeks before surgery so that the fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin K can be stored in the body..
  
  
• What is the recommended dosing for Clinical Support Program? The recommended dosing is 3 tablets, taken with breakfast or lunch and 3 tablets taken with dinner or before bedtime.
  
  
• What other VitaMedica products may be beneficial to support healing and recovery? Given that demands on the body are much higher during the healing process, it is important to eat healthy during this period of high metabolic activity. Augmenting the diet with supplements can also support the healing process. VitaMedica’s Bromelain with Quercetin and Arnica Montana products help to reduce bruising, swelling and inflammation. For more information, refer to the Recovery Products section of our website.