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Inside the Santa Ynez Valley Magazine Spring 2003 Edition
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Platinum Performance Grows
by Leslee Goodman
Dr. Doug Herthel was in a unique position to develop a nutritional supplement for horses in the mid 90's. Herthel's Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic in Los Olivos was earning a reputation as a top orthopedic surgery facility, and the veterinarian,who is known for thinking outside the box, wasn't content with simply repairing his patients fractures. He wanted to restore them to maximum health. That's why he researched and developed the therapeutic nutritional supplement Platinum Performance his wife, Sue, came up with the name.
Herthel found that horses given his supplement rich in high-quality protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, trace minerals, and anti-oxidants (nutrients that are often deficient in the equine diet) healed more quickly after surgery, required less rehabilitation, and experienced less complications and inflammation than horses on regular diets. When they remained on the supplement after recovery, these horses also experienced a boost in general health and performance levels.
Herthel and his older son Mark, co-founder and Vice President of Platinum Performance, established Platinum Performance as a separate business, and began producing the nutritional supplement for sale to the public.
Horse owners were excited with the immediate results they witnessed with their horses, and they asked about using Platinum Performance for their small animals. When Herthel's clients told him that their ranch dogs were craving and eating the equine supplement and they were acting and looking younger and healthier and their arthritic symptoms were diminishing, Herthel then developed a canine formula which was made available for dogs, as well as an exotic animals formula for cats, tigers, elephants and giraffes.
Both the equine and canine formulas are used in vet clinics around the country today, in Europe and South America, and the exotic formula in zoo's throughout the United States.
Animals aren't the only recipients of Herthel's nutritional supplement. One client told the veterinarian that she'd used the equine formula when she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, and that she believed it had increased her energy level and had significantly decreased some chemo side effects. She was one of many people who asked Herthel to develop a human formula, and in response to this request, Platinum Performance granular and the original omega-3 bars were released in 1997. Currently, they are only available in Santa Barbara County, or online, from www.platinumperformance.com. A new product from Platinum Performance, the Blueberry Crisp bar, was introduced in March of 2003,and can be found in pharmacies and natural food stores in California.
How is the Blueberry Crisp bar different from the original Omega-3 Platinum Performance bar? It's similar nutritionally to the original Platinum Performance bar, but it contains Blueberries for antioxidant value and flavor, it's higher in protein, and it's twice the size, says Mark Herthel.
Current clinical studies at the University of Southern California and the University of Georgia, among others, are demonstrating what testimonial experience has shown all along: that Platinum Performance has real and measurable effects on a number of health conditions. Platinum Performance contains nutrients that are addressing common critical micro-nutrient deficiencies in the modern diet.
The USC studies are concentrating on the effects of Platinum Performance on blood sugar and blood lipid profiles in diabetics, while the University of Georgia studies are testing the effects of Platinum Performance on cardiovascular health.
More studies are testing the effectiveness of Bio-Sponge, another product developed at Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic. Bio-Sponge has been proven to absorb up to 99 percent of clostridium difficile toxin, the offending substance in colitis and endotoxemia in horses.
Despite the company's growth and the demands of his busy practice, Herthel remains active as President and Head of Research for Platinum Products. Several thousand pounds of product are produced each day in the 9,000 square foot production facility in Buellton, which includes a formulating and production area, packaging and shipping area, and sales and corporate offices
Mark Herthel, who graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in agricultural business and food science, is uniquely suited to the business of nutrition. Platinum's Success has been due to a strong team effort and the general need for critical health promoting nutritional products, he says.
The company has also grown from an original staff of Joe Scales, Raul Ortega, and Dr. Herthel to a staff of 14. Platinum Performance now has a staff dietician, Erika Wolf, a quality assurance manager, a business controller, production staff, and new product developers. The product line has increased to include sport, joint, and cardiac supplements. And it's still growing. But it's still a family business.
Most of us are horse people, Mark Herthel explains. and for us, the greatest thrill of all is being able to see firsthand how Platinum Performance Nutrients have benefited the lives of so many animals, and so many of our friends, family, and neighbors. |
