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Health Supplements

Health Supplements DONE

Contents
  1. 1 Summary
  2. 2 Myths About Supplements
  3. 3 What To Do Before Starting To Take A Supplement

Summary

Health supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals and other substances which are intended to supplement your normal diet. Supplements are generally used for a specific purpose, such as gaining or losing weight, adding muscle, or improving energy.

As their name suggests, health supplements are intended to supplement, not replace, a healthy, balanced diet. Supplements are also not intended to prevent, treat or cure disease. Manufacturers are not allowed to claim that their product will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent a disease. Supplements should not be taken for any of those purposes.

In fact, it is advisable to use caution in purchasing and using health supplements. Unlike drugs:

  • Supplements can be marketed without any proof that they are safe.
    • Dietary supplements do not need approval from the FDA before they are marketed (except in the case of a new dietary ingredient.)
    • Some ingredients in supplements can cause serious side effects. Consumer Reports suggests skipping the following 12 supplement ingredients: Aconite, Bitter organce, Chaparral, Colloidal Silver, Coltsfoot, Comfrey, Country mallow, Germanium, Greater celandine, Kava, Lobelia and Yohimbe.
  • Supplements can be marketed without any proof that they will do what people think they will ("efficacy").
  • Manufacturers do not have to make consumers aware of potential side effects or drug interactions.
  • Quality of dietary supplements and herbal products is not regulated. Studies suggest that:
    • A sizable percentage of herbal products are not what they are labeled to be
    • Quality and actual content may vary from bottle to bottle
  • The FDA must prove that a product is dangerous before it can require that it be withdrawn from the market. Supplements are generally only pulled from shelves after complaints of serious injury.

    When purchasing a supplement, consumer advocates suggest looking for products which:

    • Have the ingredients you are looking for. (You can find this information on the label.)
    • Do not have an excess of extra ingredients.
    • Are manufactured by a good quality company.
    • Have a "USP" or "ConsumerLab" certification. While such a designation does not mean that the product is safe or effective, it does mean that Supplements with either of these verifications: meet standards of quality, purity and potency; are screened for harmful contaminants; are manufactured using safe, sanitary and well-controlled procedures. USP certification standards are set by the not-for-profit U.S. Pharmacopeia. To learn more about the mark and the organizati0n, see: www.uspverified.org. For information about the consumerlab certification, click here.
    • Preferably are recommended by a trained professional.

    Following are guidelines for taking a supplement based on recommendations are from Dr. Alan R. Gaby, a specialist in nutritional medicine and a past president of the American Holistic Medical Association.

    • It is best to take multivatimins and fish oil with meals.
      • This helps avoid stomach upset while taking multivitamins.
      • The fats included in the average meal enhance the absorption of fish oil.
    • If you take vitamin C, it is not advisable to take more than 500 mg of vitamin C in one dose. It may lead to diarrhea and/or stomach cramps. Instead, divide the dose over the course of a day.
      • Buffered forms of vitamin C are less likely to cause stomach upset than unbuffered forms.
      • Vitamin C is less likely to cause stomach upset or diarrhea if taken with food.
    • Taking B vitamins at night can cause insomnia.
    • Take Vitamin E with food. It requires the presence of fat for optimal absorption.
    • Take calcium in the evening or before bed.

    For information about what to do before starting to take a supplement, as well as information about supplement myths, see the other sections of this article.

    NOTE:

    • If you notice any new symptoms or side effects from taking a supplement, stop taking the product immediately. Contact your doctor (or at least your doctor's office) and report what happened.
    • When you are asked what medications you take, be sure to include supplements, as well as vitamins and herbs. Survivorship A to Z provides a List of Medications form to help you keep track.

    Myths About Supplements

    It is a myth to think that:

    • Supplements can diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent a disease.
    • Because a supplement is natural, it is safe. Cyanide is also natural.
    • Long term use means that a supplement is effective.
    • The effect from taking a supplement will always be the same. The effect is unpredictable.
    • Herbs and other Botanical supplements are unrefined pharmaceuticals. They aren't. There is no mandated consistency in the way any supplement is made. A supplement from a plant grown in one condition may have different properties than a supplement from a plant grown in a different condition or soil.

    What To Do Before Starting To Take A Supplement

    Before starting to take a supplement, it is advisable to take the following steps:

    • Check with your doctor to find out his or her opinion about:
      • The usefulness of the supplement
      • Whether it negatively impacts your physical condition or the drugs you are taking.
    • Check to see if the information that comes with the supplement has been tested in a scientific, double-blind placebo control trial. (A placebo looks like the acutal pill, but has no active ingredients in it). A double-blind placebo control trial means:
      • That part of the test group took a placebo (generally a sugar pill) instead of the actual supplement, while the other group took the supplement.
      • Neither the participating patients nor the doctors know who is receiving the supplement and who is receiving the placebo.
      • The results of the two different groups are tested over time in a controlled situation.
    • Look at evidence based information about supplements you are considering. For instance, see: