John Anderson is the brain child behind Isagenix so I think knowing his story tells a lot about Isagenix...
The history of ISAGENIX and Dr John W. Anderson – The Master Formulator behind Isagenix
Today, John is the one of the most successful, well respected, top formulators of health and wellness supplements in the world.
John has been exposed to farming and agriculture his entire life through many relatives like his Grandfather William Woodard, who was in the farming and ranching business.
Early childhood:
As a child, John’s mother purchased a liquid mineral from a guy who made the formula in a gasoline powered cement mixer in his driveway. It was an awful tasting golden liquid held in a one quart glass bottle. All the kids called it “Bug Juice” and spread stories about the man using bugs to make the tonic. It was actually a mineral deposit powder and water the man mixed for days at a time to each out the minerals into a liquid drink.
The power of minerals was spoken in the Anderson home almost on a daily basis. Uses of the liquid minerals spanned from sore throats to skin burns, this was common and everyone had their own story as to how the minerals helped them. John always ran for the mineral bottle when kids in the neighborhood got injured, it was a first aid kit in a bottle! Surprisingly, John’s Grandfather in the 1960’s talked about how depleted the soils were and how farming techniques were changing for the worse.
In 1980, John transitioned from owning a leather business and doing Estate Trust planning into organic agriculture, animal nutrition and human nutrition. His friend and colleague owned a health food store and introduced John to a lab in Arizona doing plant and soil analysis for organic growers. John’s Grandfather, William, taught him the importance of organic farming and warned of the toxic world we now live in with the advent of new chemicals and pesticides. This was in the 50’s and 60’s, imagine how much more toxic the world is today compared to 50 years ago!
John’s interest was in human supplement nutrition and started looking for answers. The latest in research was not in print yet and the Internet did not exist. John looked into colleges seeking courses but they were 3 to 5 years behind the lab he was associated with and had invested money in.
The only way John could gain the knowledge he was looking for was to travel and visit research laboratories all over the world and work with them in botanical, mineral, and growing technologies. John would hear of research being done of interest and be on the next plane, it was the only way to be on top of the latest and greatest in science.
1980s
John Founded a company called Integrated Health Network in 1980 and started bringing in botanicals and ingredients from all over the world to formulate supplements. The first product he formulated was a liquid mineral using science rather than a gasoline powered cement mixer to make the liquid gold. Its base ingredient was a black silt like powder taken from pockets just under the earths crust. This powder is ancient plant deposit rich in over 70 ionic minerals and trace minerals.
Integrated Health became a private label manufacturer where John formulated over 2300 different formulations for over 600 companies throughout 27 countries from 1980 1999, retiring in 1999. Because of his reputation and the high demand for his work, he turned away more business than he was actually doing during these years. Some companies due to confidentiality shouldn’t be mentioned by name but have ranged from private label, direct sales, retail and network marketing companies. The products have been marketed and distributed out to “mom and pop” health food stores, to major health store chains, to distribution based companies.
John also designed custom formulations for our Military during Desert Storm, Pro teams such as Cowboys, Lions, Packers, Phoenix Suns, Eagles, amongst others.
A year before John retired, in 1998, John was bitten by a brown recluse spider. He had nine surgeries and was in the hospital for more than a month. Due to the toxins spreading systemically from bite, it caused many health challenges, damaging his kidneys and eyesight just to name a few. In 1999, John regained health to a point, allowing him to continue to travel and research new raw ingredients and bring these discoveries back to the US and for his own health. One of these discoveries, Nepali Shilajit, a semi liquid substance that oozes out of the cracks and fissures of the Himalayan Mountains, led him out of retirement where his vision, passion and mission, to impact world health, would continue and was more important than ever.
2001 & start of Isagenix
John reconnected with a colleague he knew from the early 1980’s, Jim Coover. He shared his new findings and excitement in human nutrition and the Coovers decided to come out of retirement themselves and join John. With intense formulating, John created the 9 day Cleansing and Fat Burning System within 72 hours. John and Cher along with the Coovers set out to give the 9 Day systems a trial run. John dropped 22 lbs., Jim dropped 15 lbs., Kathy 8lbs. and Cherm 11 lbs. John then shipped out 200 – 9 Day systems to friends and family where the average weight loss was 15 pounds in 9 days.
This new cleansing technology that helped the body eliminate toxins and supported it nutritionally by supplying all the building blocks missing in our diet, proved to be the most needed and advance product line in the world.
A few months later in early 2002, with this new cleansing technology, John founded a new company “Isagenix International” along with Co-Founders Cher Anderson and Jim and Kathy Coover.
John shares:
“People have searched far and wide for the “silver bullet”, one raw material that would sweep the country and be the savior for health. The silver bullet does not exist in one ingredient. People walk up and down the isles, trying to do their best by buying individual supplements with isolated ingredients to feed their whole body. Isagenix is a system with many ingredients that work together. We first assist the body with cleansing and detoxifying, then replenish and drench the body with micronutrients. The “bullet” for us here at Isagenix is more than 300 ingredients that all work synergistically together. I have been formulating nutritional products for over 30 years and have seen the power of nutrition.”
In February 2005, John stood in need of a kidney transplant due to the damaging affects of the spider bite in 1998. He received the left kidney of his daughter Kjersti Cote. John is in incredible health and has a new zip on life.
2010
John was introduced to a leading scientist in the Nobel Prize winning field of Telomere research. This is the latest in anti-aging technology and human health. John began searching for telomerase inducers, which will activate the gene that produces this enzyme in the body. September 23, 2010, John found his first telomerase activator, a discovery that will change the world. This product is called Product B and as of right now, the formula is on its 3rd generation as science and discoveries continue to reveal themselves.
In march 2015, Isagenix celebrated its 13th anniversary and has changed hundreds of thousands of lives. Jim Coover is now President and CEO and Kathy Coover Executive Vice President of Isagenix.
John continues to formulate for Isagenix, bring forth the worlds most scientifically advanced and unparalleled products. He has become one of the most successful, well respected, top formulators of health and wellness supplements in the world.
