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The safety of supplements is an important consideration. Hippocrates, the father of natural healing, said, "First do no harm." A recent study from the University of Toronto showed that pharmaceutical drugs kill 108,000 people a year in U.S. hospitals and are the fifth leading cause of death, even when taken as directed. Compared to pharmaceutical drugs, dietary supplements can be considered safe, even in the worst-case scenario. Still, because the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed in 1994, the dietary supplement industry in the United States and Canada has become wide open. There's less regulation and there are more product claims than there have been in nearly 70 years. What does DSHEA mean to you? Manufacturers can make claims regarding the structure or function of an organ. For example, manufacturers can claim that an herb "maintains cardiovascular health" or "helps support healthy immune function." DSHEA disallows disease claims, such as "lowers high cholesterol" or "relieves the pain of arthritis."
With this wide-open climate come some less-than-ideal situations. Some manufacturers are selling new supplements that do not have ample testing to determine their long-term safety. For example, when taken in therapeutic doses, DHEA and pregnenolone and amino acids like L-carnitine do not have a lot of safety data to their credit. Scientists are still scrutinizing some vitamins, minerals, and new substances sold in natural food stores and pharmacies to try to determine more about their safety and efficacy, so you need to be careful about which supplements you use, and take fantastical product claims with a grain of salt. It's a good idea to consult your doctor or practitioner any time you plan to begin a supplement regimen.
Here are some helpful guidelines to help you determine the safety of any supplement:
- Ask the employees at the store selling the supplement if they have any information regarding its safety. You can always call the company that makes the supplement; it should have data to back up its safety. The producer is ultimately responsible for supporting its products with reliable information. If the company does not have a clue about the safety of one of its products, switch to one that does support its products.
- Start with a simple supplement program. Limit supplements to two or three basics, such as a multivitamin, vitamins E and C, and one specialty supplement, such as the amino acids or enzymes, for the first one or two months. Superfoods like spirulina and nutritional yeast are usually not a problem.
- Review the safety recommendations and cautions for each supplement you're considering. You can find specific safety information on the product label. If you're skeptical about the supplement or its contents, do the proper research before you add the vitamin to your personal program.
 | Consult your health care practitioner and/or physician if you have a preexisting ailment, especially if it's serious or if you're taking prescription drugs. They can advise you about any potential harmful interactions between your supplements and prescribed medications. |
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