Body Balance provides direct-to-consumer test kits that allow its customers access to information about levels of different substances in their body. These test kits aim to save customers a trip to the laboratory as well as money spent on traditional lab tests. Reliv markets a variety of health shakes targeted at different health concerns.
History
In 1999, the Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory launched the Body Balance product line with the assistance of Dr. Michael Murray of Dr. Murray Natural Living and James Kammann. Dr. Murray Natural Living, a company that specializes in direct to consumer health screening products, eventually purchased Body Balance in 2007. Body Balance maintains exclusive rights to testing with Genova Diagnostics testing laboratories. Robert L. and Sandy Montgomery co-founded Reliv after they developed a strong interest in health products as a result of the passing of two of their parents.
Function
While Body Balance and Reliv aim to encourage better health, the function of products marketed by these two brands differs. Body Balance produces test kits that requires samples from the user to determine levels of different substances in the body. For example, the Body Balance product FemaleCheck requires a saliva sample from a womanto assess her estrogen and progesterone levels. Reliv offers diet supplementing shakes that target specific health concerns. Reliv shakes claim to address broad concerns, such as weight loss and essential nutrition, as well as a variety of targeted concerns.
Types
Body Balance sells kits that test for health concerns relating to a variety of people. Body balance claims that its tests can help you find solutions to arthritis, behavior disorders, depression, fatigue and decreased sexual desire, among others. Reliv claims its shake recipes can improve medical concerns, such as digestive health, blood sugar management, decreased energy, joint health and heart health.
Marketing
Reliv markets its products through network marketing, asking potential customers to not only buy the products but also become "distributors." The Reliv website claims that its distributors can make money selling this product by holding meetings, conference calls and using other sales tools to recruit new distributors. Distributors make a portion of the products they sell as well as a piece of the products sold by distributors they have brought into the "system". Body Balance markets and sells its products on the company website.
Warnings
The Reliv system utilizes network marketing which is commonly associated with pyramid schemes. As of December 2010 the Reliv system has not been deemed a pyramid scheme, nor deemed to be illegal by the Federal Trade Commission. If you are weary of multi-level marketing, this is a program you may wish to avoid.
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