Comments on: Are Herbal Supplements Hurting You?

New Book Says It's A Buyers-Beware Market For Herbal Remedies

[nc_gwyn]

George2221, We want MORE Calcium in our food, not less. I think you might have misunderstood the point there.

Calcium is important for maintaining healthy bone density and supporting other important physiological process. The same goes for Magnesium and Potassium. The presentation you quote shows that the ratios of those three minerals has remained relatively similar, but the total amounts have diminished. This is a "bad thing". We need those nutrients to live healthy lives. And since getting those nutrients from food sources is more and more difficult (especially with people eating so much fast food and junk these days), it's no suprise that lots of licensed MDs are telling patients that they need to take calcium supplements. That's right, doctors are recommending supplements.

I still find it ridiculous that there are ads for Tylenol on the top of this page. Long-term Tylenol usage has been a major cause of hepatic failure in this country for some time now. So... how's that for unsafe?

[Zen_Minded]

It is quite obvious, after reading the book, Natural Causes, Mr. Hurley has a remarkable talent for spin and muckraking.

Clearly incorporating Lee Atwater/Karl Rove fear-mongering tactics which the current White House administration heavily employs upon the masses; Mr. Hurley paints an inaccurate, erroneous portrait of an industry, i.e., the Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry, supposedly rife with deception, sham and fraud.

On the contrary, the book, Natural Causes which is chock-full of half-truths, biased, party line misinformation overwhelmingly shows his only purpose in writing such inaccuracies is clearly to make him a fast buck while preying on the fears of the misinformed.

Although Mr. Hurley has done some research, it is quite clear he did not do enough to substantiate 336 pages of false claims and inflammatory rhetoric.

In conclusion, for those seeking an accurate, unbiased portrayal of the Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry as well as the proven benefits of vitamins and supplements, please DO NOT rely upon this book for health advice.

In a nutshell, for people to miss out on the health benefits of vitamins and supplements simply because this author wanted to make a few bucks is absolutely criminal and I give this book a resounding " F ".

[tmhtt]

It's so unfortunate that our media is contoled by pharmaceutical companies. Natural medicine is in direct competition with them and they have the power and the money to do what they can to damage the natural medicine industry.

[Zen_Minded]

It%u2019s quite obvious, after reading Mr. Hurley%u2019s book, %u2018Natural Causes%u2019, he has a remarkable talent for spin and muckraking.

Clearly incorporating Lee Atwater/Karl Rove fear-mongering tactics which the current White House administration heavily employs upon the masses; Mr. Hurley paints an inaccurate, erroneous portrait of an industry, i.e., the Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry, supposedly rife with deception, sham and fraud.

On the contrary, it is Mr. Hurley%u2019s book which is chock-full of half-truths, biased, party line misinformation and his only purpose in writing such inaccuracies is clearly to make him a fast buck while preying on the fears of the misinformed.

Although Mr. Hurley has done some research, it%u2019s quite clear he did not do enough to substantiate 336 pages of false claims and inflammatory rhetoric.

In conclusion, for those seeking an accurate, unbiased portrayal of the Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry as well as the 'proven' benefits of vitamins and supplements, please DO NOT rely upon this book for health advice.

In a nutshell, for people to miss out on the health benefits of vitamins and supplements simply because this author wanted to make a few bucks is absolutely criminal and I give this book a resounding " F ".

[rob1505]

What a bunch of BS....

Dietary Supplement Safety
Dietary supplements have a great safety record, especially compared with other consumer goods, such as drugs and even other foods. Below are a few statistics that support this claim.

The truth is that dietary supplements are far safer than most common foods and drugs that consumers use without a second thought. For instance, it may surprise you that ibuprofen, one of the most common pain relievers, is responsible for more than 17,000 deaths annually [New England Journal of Medicine].

Prescription drugs, for all the testing they go through and copious usage directions that are issued with them, are estimated to be one of the top five leading causes of death in the U.S. at more than 106,000 annually[Journal of the American Medical Association].

In 2001, the FDA received 1,214 reports of adverse events regarding dietary supplements. That same year, it received more than 300,000 adverse reports about drugs. So, supplements represent less than half-of-one percent of drug adverse events using current FDA data.

Is the higher safety profile for dietary supplements unique to the FDA%u2019s data? No. According to reports from poison control centers throughout the United States, adverse reactions to drugs are more than 800 percent higher than those to dietary supplements [American Association of Poison Control Centers].

[lisagtrz]

What- CBS news bolds "1.5 million adverse reactions in 20 years" to herbal supplements? That is miniscule compared to what pharmacuetical companies are selling us trusting and naive Americans. THE WAY DRUG REPS WINE AND DINE OUR MD'S so they can write high dollar prescriptions that are causing a million adverse reactions a year is what CBS news SHOULD be "uncovering". Herbal supplemants are effective and should be treated so. Anyone who underestimates their effectiveness and doesn't respect the potency are probably the few bad experiences. I work in the medical field and can see a profound difference in the much better health of people who use supplements and herbs compared to the sickly's with a medicine cabinet full expensive prescriptions.

[downtownchri]

Regarding St. John's wort. This is just more bad journalism. There are well over 40 double blind, placebo controlled studies confirming the efficacy of St. John's Wort in mitigating symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Here is part of but one abstract on its mechanism of action from the Butterweck V.Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology,Universitatsklinikum Munster,Munster, 2003;17(8):539-62.

From a phytochemical point of view, St John's wort is one of the best-investigated medicinal plants. Initial biochemical studies reported that St John's wort inhibits the synaptosomal uptake of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) with approximately equal affinity. In vitro binding assays demonstrated significant affinity for adenosine, GABA(A), GABA(B) and glutamate receptors, a downregulation of beta-adrenergic receptors and an upregulation of serotonin 5-HT(2) receptors causing changes in neurotransmitter concentrations implicated in depression. St John's wort extract was shown to protect from the consequences of unavoidable stress. With regard to the antidepressant effects of St John's wort extract, many of the pharmacological activities appear to be attributable to the naphthodianthrone hypericin, the phloroglucinol derivative hyperforin and several flavonoids. This review integrates new findings of possible mechanisms that may underlie the antidepressant action of St John's wort and its active constituents with a large body of existing literature.

[downtownchri]

Regarding St. John's wort. This is just more bad journalism. There are well over 40 double blind, placebo controlled studies confirming the efficacy of St. John's Wort in mitigating symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Here is part of but one abstract on its mechanism of action from the Butterweck V.Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology,Universitatsklinikum Munster,Munster, 2003;17(8):539-62.

From a phytochemical point of view, St John's wort is one of the best-investigated medicinal plants. Initial biochemical studies reported that St John's wort inhibits the synaptosomal uptake of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) with approximately equal affinity. In vitro binding assays demonstrated significant affinity for adenosine, GABA(A), GABA(B) and glutamate receptors, a downregulation of beta-adrenergic receptors and an upregulation of serotonin 5-HT(2) receptors causing changes in neurotransmitter concentrations implicated in depression. St John's wort extract was shown to protect from the consequences of unavoidable stress. With regard to the antidepressant effects of St John's wort extract, many of the pharmacological activities appear to be attributable to the naphthodianthrone hypericin, the phloroglucinol derivative hyperforin and several flavonoids. This review integrates new findings of possible mechanisms that may underlie the antidepressant action of St John's wort and its active constituents with a large body of existing literature.

[downtownchri]

Regarding St. John's wort. This is just more bad journalism. There are well over 40 double blind, placebo controlled studies confirming the efficacy of St. John's Wort in mitigating symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Here is part of but one abstract on its mechanism of action from the Butterweck V.Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology,Universitatsklinikum Munster,Munster, 2003;17(8):539-62.

From a phytochemical point of view, St John's wort is one of the best-investigated medicinal plants. Initial biochemical studies reported that St John's wort inhibits the synaptosomal uptake of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) with approximately equal affinity. In vitro binding assays demonstrated significant affinity for adenosine, GABA(A), GABA(B) and glutamate receptors, a downregulation of beta-adrenergic receptors and an upregulation of serotonin 5-HT(2) receptors causing changes in neurotransmitter concentrations implicated in depression. St John's wort extract was shown to protect from the consequences of unavoidable stress. With regard to the antidepressant effects of St John's wort extract, many of the pharmacological activities appear to be attributable to the naphthodianthrone hypericin, the phloroglucinol derivative hyperforin and several flavonoids. This review integrates new findings of possible mechanisms that may underlie the antidepressant action of St John's wort and its active constituents with a large body of existing literature.

[kcatdeejay]

How about a new slogan for your network........


......We distort, you decide.....???