The Dietary Supplement Scam Continues

What do you and John McCain have against letting people make their own decisions?

My wife is keeping her MS under control entirely through the use of various supplements, without the use of the insanely expensive drugs that, according to a large-scale British study, work only about 30% of the time but frequently have nasty side-effects up to and including killing people.

The solution to all the world's problems isn't more interference by government.

I just read Froma Harrop's column re: pill 'cures' are hard to swallow. I am a registered nurse having practiced for over 40 years, during which time I became very disillusioned with western medicine's 'cures'. I vehemently believe taking supplements are first a preventative measure and second a complementary measure to attain health to the best of ones ability to do so. Of couse, in addition to exercise, lose weight, and don't smoke. Any studies re: the benefit vs: danger of taking supplements should be read with a grain of salt. The key is to be well informed, have a frank discussion with not only your physician but your pharmacist (if you are one of the fortunate ones to have that resource). There has been numerous news stories re: the need to take additional Vit D3, essential fatty acids, calcium, a good quality mulivitamin and mineral. I also believe that Big Pharm is mighty interested to get the FDA to regulate supplemental products so they (Big Pharm) can isolate and patent the active ingredient and thus market the new "medicine" for an astronomical sum compared to a few dollars the initial supplement would cost. No wonder the cost of health care is escalating. I strongly recommend reading PHARMOCRACY by William Faloon. Another problem with 'just eat a healthy diet' is that our food is not as nutritious as it once was. The advent of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides have decreased the plant's ability to take up the nutrients from the soil as well as decreased the nutrients available in the soil. Thus, eat organic as much as possible. I believe Froma's editorial did a disservice to her many readers, although I realize she is just expressing her opinion. Read that book, then decide if the Iowa Women's Health Study should be the gold standard as to the benefits from supplements.

"Now we learn that most of those oils, minerals, exotic fruit extracts and herbs don't help us any more than would a sugar pill, and some actually do harm. " Please be specific. What oils, minerals, exotic fruit extracts, and herbs (SPECIFICALLY) are you referring to and what is the TRUE science that you are referring to that backs this statement?
What brands off oils, minerals, exotic fruit extracts and herbs don't work? Are there any that do? Are all brands of supplements lumped together now? Are all brands of multivitamins equally as effective or ineffective? Have you ever read labels or done any scientific comparisons? Are you aware that some brands of multivitamins are whole food and contain no binders, fillers, gluten, or soy? Are you aware that the number one selling brand of multivitamins contains talc, dyes, and hydrogenated oils? That comparison alone would be enough for me to question any studies that put ALL of anything into one basket. Something that is natural should not be equal to something that contains binders and fillers. Yet, you appear to throw every supplement into the same "junk science" bag. Do some homework and at least PRETEND you know something about the topic at hand.
"We swallowed the hopeful stories, thinking, hey, these pills can't hurt. But actually they can, as reported in a pile of new studies." Please be specific AGAIN. Nothing like a random number of new studies...a pile? Seriously? Have you read any of the PILE of studies or just the headlines from others who reported on maybe someone reading the studies? Have you looked into HOW these studies were conducted or are you simply reporting on what others have reported? Are you aware that the recent headlining multivitamin study was a self-reported study? Do you know how unscientific self-reporting studies are? Without observation, people can report anything they want. The tracking of seniors taking multivitamins began in the 1980s.
Please be responsible and read the studies you report on. Read them and understand the true science. Some companies produce bad products- fair enough...but that's not what's being reported. What's being reported is that ALL supplements and useless. If you stated that the most popular brand of multivitamins were no more effective than a sugar pill, I would agree with you because that would be a true statement. However, to say that ALL multivitamins are ineffective is not true because not all brands were tested or reported on.

My dear Friend-
Some of the responses - especially that of Karen RN -are valuable. As some one who has worked with Native Americans & other Indigenous people for many years, I believe that they have a great deal to teach us,especially their knowledge about and their connection to the natural world. Ask any Grandma on the reservation and ( if she trusts you)they
will teach you about the medicine chest of the Creator contained in the herbs, plats and other resources of the earth that would put many a Professor of medicine to shame. And they work!Ask the generations of our world's tribal people.
Respectfully & in peace,
Fr. Paul

The response to this article goes to show how powerful the Big Supplement industry is and how cleverly they have marketed their products. As for the commenter that said his wife has kept her MS at bay.....how do you know that she has not been in a remissive period? You can't know. You believe it's the supplements, but is there any scientific evidence that these supplements work for MS?
10 or so years ago, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and I went to any number of "alternative" healers. Naturopaths, chiropractors, accupuncturists, body workers, I even had a colonic. The result, hundreds, if not thousands of dollars poorer and I still had Fibromyalgia. One thing I learned about a pain condition that is true for many conditions. Symptoms fluctuate. So if I am taking supplement A for awhile and my symptoms seem better, there is no way to know if it's the supplement or just the natural waxing and waning of symptoms. I am not a friend of Big Pharma, either. Lyrica made my lower limbs swell so badly I couldn't wear my shoes. Cymbalta did the same thing, even though that is not a known side effect. I actually found that good, old fashioned narcotics worked the best, but eventually gave them up because the cost to my cognition was more than the benefit of the pain relief (you still have pain with narcotics, you aren't as bothered by it). I don't think that anything is stopping Big Pharma from isolating the curative properties of an herb or other supplement. If they develop a pill that works and can standardize the dosage, then they will. Many people don't realize that because there is no regulation of the supplement industry, there is no guarantee that when you take herb B that you are getting the strength and dosage you think you are getting. There's nothing to guarantee you are getting anything at all. And I have watched so many supplements come on the scene, get hyped out of all proportion, and then be found not to do diddly squat. One example I like to use is Gingko Biloba. There were articles everywhere about how it helps with memory and cognition. Millions of people, worried about their aging brains, took the stuff. Years later, studies show it has absolutely no effect at all. And Chondroitin....I was even tempted to buy some recently, as I have severe osteoarthritis too. I did some research and found that there is absolutely no reason to think it works. Yet it is sold in drugstores, grocery stores, there's even a forumla for pets.
The other concerning aspect is that many herbs DO have effects on the body....just like drugs. And the current situation leads to a lot of self diagnosis and self treatment. This is dangerous for two reasons. One, the person may have a serious illness that will not be treated because the sick person thinks it's something else and is self medicating. I have nothing against actual herbalists who are true experts and know what they are doing. But just because somebody has a website doesn't mean they are an expert. In fact, because herbalists aren't licensed, anybody can hang out a shingle. Secondly, people can over dose on supplements, if they don't know what they are doing.
I think the author's point about how the labeling makes these products look like they are coming from some altruistic hippie commune is very appropriate. This is a big business. They do have lobbyists. More and more, I see this kind of "alternative medicine" stuff coming from quacks like Dr. Mercola, who the FDA has charged with making false claims time and time again, or right wing fringe groups like "Natural News" where, in between hawking supplements, they talk about how big government is taking over the food supply, etc. etc. Survivalists and such.
More needs to be said about this. Especially given the kneejerk reaction that typifies the other comments on this article. People have been brainwashed to think of the supplement industry as benign and helpful, it is not.