Spike in Harm to Liver Is Tied to Dietary Aids - NYTimes.com
It can't hurt you, right? I mean it's organic. And it's not poison, or a drug. It comes from a plant. Besides, it's not genetically modified, so it's safe.
It's way, way past time to get rid of the smoke cloud the "dietary supplement" people have erected, via their lobbyists. Even if the substance doesn't actually hurt you, its use might make people think they don;t need legitimate medical help.
There's a word for "alternative medicine" that works, you know. It's "medicine."
Well ... yes and no. I agree with you that "alternative medicine" is almost universally b.s. But I suspect there are distinctions to be made -- e.g., between a harmless amount of ginger, or whatever, and some ultra concentrated mess that challenges your liver.
ReplyDeleteBut perhaps that's what the regulators could decide. The white label is "this is the amount you'd get from food if you just ate responsibly." The yellow label is "you might possibly get this much fish oil if you were stranded on an island," and the black label is "you're stupid to eat this but we don't have any clear evidence it's bad for you."
Yes, there are harmless things people can do, like eating chicken soup for a cold. But if they eat chicken soup rather than getting chemotherapy, there's a problem.
ReplyDeleteAnd the lobbyists for the "supplement" industry have made it impossible to do any regulation at all. The coral calcium they sell is loaded with lead in dangerously toxic amounts, the health claims they make are magically disguised to avoid being regulated as medical.
So regulation would be very helpful, but those who sell snake oil don't want regulation, they want validation. And they have bought and paid for Congress.