January 2024

When we take a drug or a dietary supplement, we often ask ourselves whether the active ingredient is actually there.  And is it there in the amount listed on the label?

We hope that the manufacturer tested the product.  If it’s a drug, the answer is almost assuredly yes.  If it’s a dietary supplement, well…

But even if it did get tested, there are lots of things that can go wrong.  We’re not going to get into the technical details of analytical method validation here.  We’re going to zoom out and ask about the purpose of measurement.  What are we trying to accomplish with our measurement?