[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']this is definitely worth keeping in mind, and a reminder to make sure you buy from reputable brands...not just the cheapest you can find. a reputable brand will tell you how and where they source their herbs or supplements (gaia, new chapter, mega food etc...).[/font]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']that being said, i'm always leery when there's an attack on herbal supplements...many of these herbs have been used for hundreds and thousands of years safely. i think there are other motivations (like money) since supplements cut into the pharmaceutical companies' profits, so there's always a push from that side to standardize supplements in an effort to make them "safer" (it's actually an effort to give the big drug companies a way to manufacture, sell and profit from the big supplement money). [/font]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']also, they didn't say what type of supplements were causing the problems? there are a lot of herbal diet supplements that are very dangerous because they are combined with caffeine and other stimulants...back in the 90s there was some big diet pill (can't remember the name) that was causing all sorts of heart problems because it was combined with other stimulants and then taken in excess and daily...something it was never intended to do. [/font]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']also, really, dr. oz?? [/font]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']i worked in a health food store for many years and these claims came up quite a bit. you're going to find a lot of resistance from supplement makers to have this regulated...for one thing, how on earth do you regulate a plant? and once it's been regulated and standardized to death, do you really want to take it? [/font]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']also, people like to bring up airbornne (which had some nasty stuff in it, so i didn't take it)...but the lawsuit with airbornne had nothing to do with its ingredients, it had to do with its advertising. herbal and vitamin manufacturers have to be very careful what language they use in their advertising and on their bottles. if they make any sort of claim to a "cure" it has to be proven (and essentially, treated as a drug). this is what airbornne did. they should've said, "it supports healthy immune function"...not that it cures colds (or whatever it was they said exactly). [/font]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']so, that's my 2cents =)[/font] |