SCAM ALERT: Shelton’s Joint FLX and Other Counterfeit Cures

Arthritis and joint pain are conditions that almost all people over the age of 55 experience.  So, imagine how medical infoscammer Ryan Shelton rushed to offer some questionable supplement that just about every senior citizen might want.   He sells two “products” that claim to alievate joint pain:  Joint FLX and Joint N-11.  We recommend that you avoid BOTH of these scam offerings.  Below, we’ll tell you more about the so-called doctor peddling these fake cures.  We’ll also tell you how to find effective and low-cost alternatives.  But first, a little about the bad “doctor”.

The Seamy Underside Behind Shelton’s Supplement Scams

“Dr” Ryan Shelton has a number of Internet-based cures that he peddles including the Hair Revital X, Join FLX,  Longevity Activator, SoundQuility, SouthBeach Skin Lab, Diabetes 60 and fertility treatments among other things.   Ryan Shelton is not a medical doctor, but a naturopath.  However, he bills himself as a physician, which is a violation of law in California.  On one of his web offerings,  he calls himself a “licensed primary care physician” yet there’s no listing of him in the Hawaiian Licensing Division as a medical doctor. Why does he lie about his qualifications?

On another website, Shelton asserts that:  ” I founded and developed Whole-Body Health, a family practice in Kansas City. On top of all that I’m also the head researcher, formulator and consultant at the University Compounding Pharmacy in San Diego.”   If Whole-Body Health once existed in Kansas City, it does no more.  Whole Body Health did appear to exist in Champaign, Illinois, but according to the state records, its license was issued in 2017 and expired in 2018.    And the San Diego compounding pharmacy denies any current business relationship with Shelton.

Over the past 10 years, Shelton has moved around the U.S. frequently and appears to current have practices in “sun-soaked” Hawaii as well as having a presence in Australia.  The Zenith Laboratories that he is listed as the medical director of this Illinois-based supplement vendor, although Shelton has no medical practice in that state.  The Zenith Labs website states:  “between his best-selling books and his medical practice in Hawaii, Dr. Ryan has helped hundreds of thousands of men & women…”   A search on Amazon Books finds no book authored or sold by Ryan Shelton.  Similarly, a search of the Library of Congress shows no book by Shelton.  Even Google comes up snake eyes.  Not only has Shelton not published any books, but whatever ebooks he has sold on the Internet can hardly be called “best selling”. Why does Zenith Labs lie about its medical director’s publishing record?

Over those 10 years, Shelton has been developing an Internet marketing machine to sell supplements that purport to cure obesity, tinnitus, vision impairment, premature aging, diabetes, joint health, heart disease and digestive diseases.  If you’ve stumbled across Zenith Labs, you’ll find a host of cure-alls for just about anything that ills you.   While some of what Shelton preaches is scientifically-validated common sense, his sites are really all about trying to sell you overpriced pills that will likely not cure you any better than a placebo.   So, let’s take a closer look at “Dr” Shelton and get to the bottom of what he’s actually selling consumers and whether we can recommend your buying ANYTHING from this notorious Internet infoscammer.

Beware the Affiliate Marketers

“Dr.” Shelton has decided to use the Internet to peddle his potions and creams.   While that’s not a crime, what are the sketchy methods he uses to sell those products.  Shelton hires copywriters to compose lengthy (and undocumented) stories about his marvelous concoctions.   These marketing pitches are hallmarks of the infoscammers that we’ve chronicled at this blog.  Infoscammers, in essence, find ways to misrepresent or overprice medical cures that are readily available for free or low-cost to most all Americans.

Worse yet, Shelton has relied upon affiliate marketers to promote his products — and that’s downright misleading.   These affiliates claim to have “reviewed” the products, but actually they are paid commissions for every consumer they’ve lured to Shelton’s company.   Most all of the reviews are identical; they’ve been largely written by professional copywriters to trick consumers that happen upon their “review sites”  into thinking that the product has been throughly tested by the reviewer.  In fact, they aren’t.

Infoscammers Who Sell Supplements Exploit the Placebo Effect

The idea that your brain can convince your body a fake treatment is the real thing.  It’s referred to as the placebo effect and has been around for as long as humans have attempted to heal other humans.  However, scientists have been able to actually document how placebos work and have found that in some cases a placebo can be just as effective as traditional treatments. Infoscammers rely upon this effect to help them sell their questionable supplements.   Whether it be pills or diets or lifestyle changes, almost half of the people who buy into these schemes are likely to experience some degree of relief due to the placebo effect.  Sadly, Shelton’s Zenith Labs have zeroed in their marketing strategy to exploit the placebo effect.  In short, as many as 50% of the people who buy Zenith Lab pills are likely to feel some effect.  And, once hooked, they’ll be faithfully buying Shelton’s shady overpriced pills for a long time.

Joint FLX

Shelton introduces a lady named Nancy (no last name or documentation of her existence) who suffered from an undisclosed source of joint pain.  In a slickly presented story, Shelton tells of how Nancy accidently discovers an inactive nutritional yeast that eliminates the pain.  But Shelton’s touted cure is actually niacinamide (a.k.a. Vitamin B3).   He claims to have designed a niacinamide supplement that also contains other herbs and he makes it available for $47 per bottle for a three-month supply.

At Zenith Labs,  Shelton offers another “joint health formula” called Joint N-11.  No surprise, it is also largely niacinamide.  In fact, there’s very little difference between this supplement and Joint FLX.   He sells it for as low as $44, if you buy them on a monthly basis.

Compare this to an unadulterated bottle of pure niacinamide sold by Vitacost that will last you 90-days for less than $8.   Twice the amount of pills for about 1/20th the price.   Does it have all of Shelton’s added herbs and minerals?   Nope.  But if you think Vitamin B3 will cure your joint pain, you can find out for $8 rather than $141 if you opt for Vitacost.   We’re still underwhelmed by the value proposition offered by Shelton’s labs.

Our Recommended Solutions to Chronic Joint Pain

Please know that joint pain can be caused by a myriad of different conditions.  So, without diagnosis by an expert, you could be trying to alleviate joint pain that might be caused by Lyme Disease, leukemia, cancer or some other complicated medical condition.   Generally speaking, the most effective ways of getting rid of chronic joint pain is an active, healthy lifestyle.   That includes:

1.  Weight reduction
2.  Daily movement and exercise  (including yoga, tai chi or gi gong)
3.  A healthy diet high in vegetables and whole foods   (red meat, processed foods, saturated fat, and added sugar and salt will worsen joint pain)
4.  Hot and cold therapy
5.  Acupuncture
6.  Meditation & self-hypnosis

Some proven over-the-counter remedies include turmeric (atype of ginger that is flavorful and anti-inflammatory) and capsaicin (a cream or ointment derived from chili peppers).   All of these solutions are remarkably affordable — or free.  And they are far more effective than buying over-priced and unproven supplements from medical infoscammers.