Dietary Supplements: Naturally Bad For You
There are a wide variety of dietary supplements that promise to improve your skin and hair from the inside out. Unfortunately, as the Beauty Brains mentioned
before the lack of regulation makes these products scary to use at best. Here’s some more research about natural health products that might make you think twice about popping those magic pills. Scientists found that negative interactions between prescription medicine and supplements go underreported because people just assume the products are safe. Not so say the researchers. Interactions between these drugs can cause lots of difficulties for people.
A friend of mine actually got pregnant while on the Pill because she took St. John’s wort. Her doctor later told her the supplement deactivated the birth control hormone. That’s enough to convince me to stay away!
-Midbrain
Do you have any scary supplement stories? Or do you think they’re safe and effective? Leave a comment!
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Gloria Says:
When you take anything, you have to consult with your doctor. That’s a golden rule that everyone should follow.
My sister’s friend has been having a really rough pregnancy, and my mom’s doctor suggested that she asked her OBGYN if she could take certain multivitamins.
You just have to go through EVERYTHING with your doctor.
Bec Temp Says:
First of all, I love your site! Secondly, yesterday I threw all my vitamins away except for my multiple vitamin and decided I would eat my way through the vitamin alphabet.
Stephanie Says:
I take a number of drugs that interact with various herbs.
The first, the VERY first thing I did was to buy a “drug-vitamin-herb” interaction book. I ALWAYS check it before I change, add, or remove anything vitamin OR herbal. I also have a habit of asking my pharmacist and checking PI sheets.
Basically, if it goes in my body, it gets heavily researched.
I think the onus of responsibility belongs to the individual to look up these things. People, unfortunately, do not realize how important it IS to look these things up even if they’re taking a drug that has severe to fatal interactions with other things (MAOIs, for instance).
It shouldn’t, either, for these medical interactions to go unreported or underreported–the problem again lies with the individual, who fails to inform the doctor of all their vitamins, herbs or supplements.
Eli Says:
All dietary supplements, including vitamins and minerals, are regulated under the U.S.Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Most vitamins and minerals were grandfathered by the law, which means they are safe to use and have been in use as early as 1972 and are known to be safe!
thebeautybrains Says:
Eli,
You are correct that about dietary supplements being covered under the U.S.Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. However, that law specifically states that it is up to the manufacturers to verify the safety and effectiveness of the products. The FDA has no power to enforce any quality or safety standards unless they get specific complaints that a product is causing illnesses.
That’s hardly a regulation.
Eli Says:
Vitamins and minerals are regulated as food is. So if, for example, an individual packager of spinach fails to keep salmonella out of his (or her) processing, as recently happened, that doesn’t mean spinach is unsafe. It means there was something wrong at the packaging level. Similarly with vitamins and minerals. The U.S. government has declared the substances to be safe. It is, of course, always a good idea to purchase from a reputable company.
thebeautybrains Says:
The difference between “food” and vitamins & minerals is that when you buy food you pretty much know what you’re getting. A carrot looks like a carrot. An egg looks like an egg. When you buy a pill, there can be anything in there. How would you know? You just have to trust that the people running the supplement manufacturing plant are reputable. The FDA has almost know power to ensure they are.
Leah Says:
Can anyone recommend a good “drug-vitamin-herb” interaction book?
Stephanie Says:
Leah:
If you google “drug vitamin interaction book” it will come back with several. The one I personally use is “A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition” and is edited by Dr. Alan R. Gaby.
It’s only up to date as of 2006, so newer drugs won’t be in there. You also have to know the generic name of your drug (for instance, “Fluoxetine” instead of “Prozac”) because all the drugs are listed by their generic name.
I’m sure there’s better ones out there, but that is the one I personally use and I have found it satisfactory.
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Victoria Says:
Be very careful of taking anything with your medications. I’ve had racing heartbeat and heart palpitations from mixing natural diet aids with medication. and i’m not the only one