RediCare – Born Out of Hurricane Katrina
RediCare began just after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, Louisianna. We had an excellent therapeutic lotion named MetaCare that contains Ayurvedic Neem and Karanja oil. What happened next was the creation of a new product called RediCare.
We were at a pet trade show outside of Washington, DC. We had a booth there, and early on the first day, a uniformed ranger named Rod came by our booth with his dog, Tye. He had Tye lay down, and his belly was nothing but rashes, open sores, and inflamed. I asked what happened and he told me that he and Tye were in New Orleans on a search & rescue mission along with a bunch of other dogs and handlers. He asked if we had anything. I grabbed a MetaCare lotion, and Rod smeared it all over Tye’s belly. You could see the relief instantly, and it made me tear up. Luckily, I noticed that Rod’s hands were equally inflamed, and I encouraged him to spread it on his hands. They left, and I was busy with a lot of people interested in Natural products for their dogs, so I did not think much of the incident.
About an hour later, Rod showed back up with Tye and flipped him over on the booth carpet. Believe it or not, Tye’s belly was almost healed, and Rod’s hands were much improved. He wanted to buy the lotion, and I told him that because it was a tradeshow, we were not allowed to sell. I asked for his card and called back to the factory to have a bottle of MetaCare sent. My good deed.
What happened afterward was terrific. Remember, at this time, we did not have a pet line and not marketing to dogs. We decided to do the tradeshow because we were toying with the idea and thought it would be an excellent place to get consumer and dealer feedback. Throughout the afternoon, handlers and their dogs started to show up. It was one very young and pretty blonde gal that brought her golden by asking if we had some spray that would work for her long-haired dog that would do the same thing as we had done for Tye. You guessed it, RediCare was born as a sprayable version of MetaCare at that very instant.
The geeky part is that numerous coincidences came together almost to make the product development instantaneous.
- The week before, a salesperson showed me a trigger sprayer saying it would spray oil.
- I had an original formula for MetCare that was too liquid. It had the same amount of Neem and Karanja as MetaCare, but came out runny.
- Mike at our label company called to ask if he could double up one of the labels so they could gang a full run of labels. No, I said, I have a new product to add to the run
- I had initially thought of putting MetaCare into a 4-ounce bottle with a lotion pump. So, the label I had in development fit the new RedCare bottle and all I had to do is change the name of the product
- We had a bunch of dealers from the show that wanted to get going with us but wanted a unique “Go-To” everything product. Yep, RediCare
So, RediCare came together almost overnight, and the first dozen bottle got shipped to the blonde ranger for her and the other long-haired dogs.
That story spread quickly, but not as soon as RediCare became a super-multipurpose product. It is a sprayable moisturizer and lotion. It repels 200+ insects. Works for horses. People with diabetes use it because it sprays on for sensitive skin. The list goes on. It was so much of an outpouring that we created this fun advertisement here that showed all the uses.
To this day, RediCare remains in our Top 10 products and has as many pet users as people. Its sister product, OmniCare was what we thought would replace RediCare in the dog market, but dealers stick with the tried and true RediCare.
The last bit of anecdotal thought is that our team referred to RediCare as Windex. Why do you say? There was a famous movie called “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” There was an older man in the film that used Windex on everything from scrapes, cut, polish tables, clean mirrors, etc. You get the analogy.
RediCare is our most versatile product and one of the most beloved. Hang a big star on RediCare
Here we go:
There is no doubt that the natural market industry is in turmoil since Amazon bought Whole Foods. With all this change and dynamics, Merz Apothecary in Chicago has not missed a beat. Why, because they lead with their H.I.P.S. Honesty, Integrity, Persistence, and Sincerity.
At that time, your neighborhood drugstore was not only a place to fill prescriptions but a source of information and remedies for common ailments. Pharmacists were consulted like family doctors, and they would hand mix formulas for each specific customer. However, Merz Apothecary differed from the typical American drugstore because the clientele were mostly European immigrants. Like European apothecaries, Merz focused heavily on herbal medicines and traditional formulas, which were already popular with its international customers.
Recognizing the opportunity to offer an expanded vision of health and personal care, Abdul and his son, Anthony, founded Smallflower.com in 1998. So many customers had trouble spelling “Apothecary” that the Qaiyums chose the name Smallflower (one of their best-selling herbs) for their website. They also began selling through Amazon in 2004, before most people had even heard of the online retailer!
Even as they have increased in size, they have worked hard to continue being a true family-run, neighborhood business. Abdul scouts out fantastic new products to fill the shelves year-round, and assists at the pharmacy counter during the holidays. Anthony stays busy, ensuring all aspects of the business are running smoothly, but can still be spotted helping customers in the store.
Over the years, the general first question we get about Island Rx, MetaClean, and Windsurfer is, “Are Micelle a chemical?” No, it is an ionic structure created by the soap making process that both loves and hate water at the same time. We use this principle of science to allow the micelle to like water on one side of the ionic bond, and it loves oil on the other side of the ion. Micelle is why we can deliver ayurvedic oils or moisturizing oil via the soap. This functionality is a huge deal, while the micelle also offers the ability to remove grime from the skin without stripping oils. All said scientists in school take a long time to understand how and what a micelle does. What is right for you, is that we know it.
0.05%, it is a bad-ass. At 19%, it is toxic. Now combine the same methylparaben with a Phthalate fragrance, and you have a hormone disrupter that could be interacting with your body’s insulin levels. None of this is proven, but it is speculated by the contrarian scientists and medical thinkers. How much in our life is refuted by the establishment only to be (pro)found to be true? If you live in a big city, more than likely, your benzene levels are out of tolerance. If you are a smoker, the benzene levels are borderline caustic. We will not change the establishment, but we can change ourselves.
The etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus involves the induction of insulin resistance along with the disruption of pancreatic β-cell function and the loss of β-cell mass. In addition to a genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors seem to have an important role. Epidemiological studies indicate that the increased presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the environment may also play an important part in the incidence of metabolic diseases. Widespread EDCs, such as dioxins, pesticides, and bisphenol A, cause insulin resistance and alter β-cell function in animal models. These EDCs are present in human blood and can accumulate in and be released from adipocytes. After binding to cellular receptors and other targets, EDCs either imitate or block hormonal responses. Many of them act as estrogens in insulin-sensitive tissues and in β cells, generating a pregnancy-like metabolic state characterized by insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Adult exposure in mice produces insulin resistance and other metabolic alterations; in addition, during pregnancy, EDCs alter glucose metabolism in female mice, as well as glucose homeostasis and endocrine pancreatic function in offspring. Although more experimental work is necessary, evidence already exists to consider exposure to EDCs as a risk factor in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus and other diseases related to insulin resistance.
I don’t know for sure, but I am sure this is going to be the basis of my research as I drill into the subject. If I hit some box canyons, I will let you know. I do encourage you to research the topic for yourself. Not whether hormone disrupters cause insulin resistance, but could other disrupters cause other hormones, you may be deficient in, from being functional.
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