Note: In June, this page will become a monthly entry so that I can add a new page on mental health and mental health issues. I have worked in this area for several years and find that the need for information is greater than ever and the new page will expand the interest for our readers. So, please watch for the new page soon! Ken...
If you have been in a drug store recently you have probably noticed that the section on vitamins, minerals, and supplements has grown almost exponentially. The demand by the public, coupled with the incredible profit to manufacturers, have fueled a baffling selection of pills and potions to cure all ills. Lose weight, take a pill, poor sex drive, take a pill, trouble sleeping, take a pill, need to be alert, take a pill. We have become a nation of consumers of the quick fix, and worst of all, these products are unregulated! That's right. There is no oversight or regulation to confirm the efficacy or value to these supplements. As we have seen before, even those drugs that are regulated by the FDA are recalled due to side effects like death.
If you have been in a drug store recently you have probably noticed that the section on vitamins, minerals, and supplements has grown almost exponentially. The demand by the public, coupled with the incredible profit to manufacturers, have fueled a baffling selection of pills and potions to cure all ills. Lose weight, take a pill, poor sex drive, take a pill, trouble sleeping, take a pill, need to be alert, take a pill. We have become a nation of consumers of the quick fix, and worst of all, these products are unregulated! That's right. There is no oversight or regulation to confirm the efficacy or value to these supplements. As we have seen before, even those drugs that are regulated by the FDA are recalled due to side effects like death.
But, in 1994, the floodgates really opened with the passage of the Hatch Act, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, (DHSEA), which was sponsored by Orin Hatch, R-UT. It allows manufactures to sell unregulated, untested, and unknown materials with untested results without regulation as long as they are sold as "dietary nutritional supplements". Do you think that there may have been some money spent by lobbyists to get this through Congress?
In order to sell these supplements, the manufacturer can make "structure/function" claims, such as, supports weight loss, but cannot offer health claims. They must also clarify that the material is not "FDA approved to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease".
And yet, with these supplements with no reliable test data, no evidence of efficacy, and no regulation, we still spend 28 billion dollars each year. And what is even more surprising, is that we get all kinds of upset when the Chinese send us toys with lead, of have tuna with trace amounts of mercury.
If, based on blood test, a doctor prescribes a supplement, then it may make sense to purchase or use some vitamin or mineral product. Otherwise, we are probably pissing away a lot of money. Just a thought, and the trend will continue. Fool me once, shame on you.......
In order to sell these supplements, the manufacturer can make "structure/function" claims, such as, supports weight loss, but cannot offer health claims. They must also clarify that the material is not "FDA approved to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease".
And yet, with these supplements with no reliable test data, no evidence of efficacy, and no regulation, we still spend 28 billion dollars each year. And what is even more surprising, is that we get all kinds of upset when the Chinese send us toys with lead, of have tuna with trace amounts of mercury.
If, based on blood test, a doctor prescribes a supplement, then it may make sense to purchase or use some vitamin or mineral product. Otherwise, we are probably pissing away a lot of money. Just a thought, and the trend will continue. Fool me once, shame on you.......
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