Elders Are Using More Prescription Meds and Supplements

The practice of polypharmacy among older U.S. adults is rising significantly. The concurrent use of 5 or more prescription medications rose by 5% between 1999 and 2012. During this same period, the use of dietary supplements increased from 52% to 64%. Using standardized criteria, the risk for major drug-drug interactions has nearly doubled in this…

Green Coffee Bean Diet a Scam?

A 2012 paper claiming a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study demonstrated that green coffee bean extract helped people lose weight has been retracted. After the Dr. Oz Show touted this extract causes substantial weight and fat loss it became an international best seller. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states "the study was so hopelessly flawed that…

Liver Damage from Herbals and Dietary Supplements

During the past 10 years liver injury from herbal and dietary supplements has doubled. Researchers analyzed data from over 800 patients who sustained liver damage from medications (acetaminophen excluded) or herbal and dietary supplements. Injuries jumped from 7% of cases in the first two years to 20% 10 years later. Liver damage from dietary supplements required…

For Your Liver’s Sake Avoid Supplements

A 28-year-old female bodybuilder with no risk factors for liver disease was hospitalized with acute liver failure after taking herbal supplements as recommended on the label for increased energy and burning fat. These uncontrolled supplements contained usnic acid, green tea, and guggul tree extracts. An immediate liver transplant saved her life. Dietary supplements are responsible…

Meth Analog Found in “Craze” and “Detonate”

The dietary supplement "Craze," marketed primarily as a workout booster has been found to contain a methamphetamine analog (N,alpha-diethyl-phenylethylamine). Three different samples from separate sources were analyzed in two labs--and found this potentially dangerous designer drug. The amounts found indicate it is not a minor contaminant.

Herbal Supplements Linked to Liver Injury

Using dietary supplements may account for almost 20% of liver injuries, according to Jose Serrano, MD from the U.S. Natitional Institutes of Health. Use of these may account for 7% percent of patients needing liver transplants. Supplements are not food, and some are not safe at all. (Navarro VJ, et al "Herbal and dietary supplement…

Supplement Safety

Americans spend more than $28 billion annually on vitamins, minerals, herbals and other "natural" products in the form of dietary supplements. They do this assuming they are safe and effective. The FDA regulation of these products has been rather weak, even though the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act requires manufacturers to present "reseasonable expectation…

Supplements Fail Again

The British Medical Journal just published results from a study on how B-Vitamins and fish oil affect several cardiovascular diseases. The outcomes were disappointing.Researchers studied 2501 individuals who were sick to begin with. All had experienced a stroke, heart attack or unstable chest pains. The study involved over 400 research physicians throughout France. People were randomly assigned to one of…

Omega-3 Supplementats Not Beneficial

There is growing interest in the possibility of reducing the risk of heart disease by supplementing with fish-based omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) or plant-derived alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Using a multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 4837 older men with heart disease, researchers found during an almost four year follow-up that none of the supplements…

Do Expensive Supplements Provide Real Healing?

Many people who spend hard-earned money on expensive nutritional supplements are mistakenly seeking a "natural" method of healing. The companies who sell these products know this, and spin their marketing to exploit it. You can learn more about "natural" doesn't always mean natural if you wish.Some people today dream of a wonderful time in the past when…