I Retweeted this today on Twitter.
"Cautionary reminder re: herbal supplements, Skip the Supplements, via @nytimes, #cancer, #endcancer http://nyti.ms/1j5s8xA"
New York Times Article, 2013, quote
"when parents in our hospital still want to use products whose quality can’t be assured, we ask them to sign a waiver ... the supplement may be dangerous, and that most have not been studied for their effectiveness."My Tweet on it.
"Consumers & doctors not completely on their own. There is oversight w/limitations as stated. Many people take unneeded supplements."
The fact that many companies violate the regulations of what oversight there is and the statistics in that article are not heartening, makes the issue that much more serious.
Supplements may not be necessary. That is why dietary supplementation, or supplements used to medicate, should be discussed with a qualified medical doctor, especially where children are concerned. There can be risks, or side effects outside of those for dosage and other cautions, given what has been revealed lately.
The news on this topic is spreading. To me, it is not spreading fast enough!
Added: My response also in part to an email on natural product safety on Twitter, shortened there.
I think more people need to understand that: 1."Chemical-free" only exists in bad marketing. Everything contains chemicals.
2. By no means are natural products necessarily safer than drugs, especially with the amount of fraud, unproven drug claims, and mislabeling of products still happening now.
Added today, December 19, 2013, directly from my Twitter account:
Study finds vitamin pills have 'limited benefit' - Health News - NHS Choices -
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/12December/Pages/Study-finds-vitamin-pills-have-limited-benefit.aspx
"Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements" http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1789253
"Effects of vitamin D supplements on bone mineral density: a systematic review and meta-analysis", 2013 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61647-5/abstract
"use of vitamin D for osteoporosis prevention without specific risk factors ... vitamin D deficiency seems to be inappropriate."
The Mayo Clinic has been saying this for a while now. Current, (2014) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/supplements/NU00198
Note use of the word may regarding study conclusions. What are the health benefits of honey? - Medical News Today:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264667.php#.UrMZjirMS1U.twitter
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I am all for natural product use without hype or fraud or promoted "miracles". New and better research will validate some health claims made or not. It is about the quality of the research, and whether the risks outweigh any benefits of a specific product.
What I am against is false and misleading claims for: health products, systems, foods and cosmetics. There is lot of that in the marketplace today.
I will not support bad marketing that exists only to make money, and creates health risks. There are too many people who have too little money to spend as it is and need qualified medical help.
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http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2013/02/honey-and-cinnamon-as-cure-all.html
Regarding honey and infants, see the botulism links in this blog post,