CODEX Archives

Risk of nutritional supplements vs prescripton drugs. (Archive.)

Comments?
Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

Hi Health Activists & Consumers,
I have just examined the American Association of Poison Control
Centers Annual Report for 2001. The last year available on their
website.
It reports the total number of cases reported for different
substances. The figures show that the number of deaths from ALL
vitamins including the fat soluble Vtamin A and D that can build up
to a toxic level was 0, ZERO.They group vitamins separately.
The number of deaths from ALL minerals was 7, Seven and all other
dietary supplements including Amino Acids,botanicals-
Herbs,Homeopathic Remedies,Hormonal Products(Androgen
Precursors,melatonin,etc) was 12, Twelve.
By the way the individual breakdown was Amino Acids 0,
ZERO;Botanicals-herbs 7,Seven consisting of Kava Kava 1,Ma Huang-
Ephedra-single ingredient 3 and Ma Huang in botanical combinations
3 . Homeopathics had 2; Other supplements not specified. therefore
there was a grand total of 19 deaths from all dietary supplements
together. This is what concerns the FDA that is charged with
regulating prescription that result in 106,000 deaths a year from
drugs taken "as directed" not overdoses or the wrong drug by mistake
according to the Journal of the American Medical association April
15,1998. In other words there are 5,579 times as many DEATHS from
prescription drugs as from the supplements FDA is spending its time
and considerable resources to regulate with a miniscule benefit in
safety produced.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, "Adverse Drug
Events in Ambulatory Care, April 17,2003 surveyed outpatients in
Boston from 2 hospital clinics and 2 community based centers. Of 661
patients they found 13% had serious adverse reactions. If this
percentage is typical of all patients taking prescription drugs, the
number of serious adverse reactions is quite high. There are about
3.34 billion prescriptions filled per year. If 1.34 billion are
written for the same person then 260 million people have serious
adverse reactions and FDA wants to investigate tne 19 who died and
353 who had major reactions from all supplements including vitamins
and minerals. In an environment in which so many other health and
envronmental regulations are subjected to strict cost benefit
analysis to justify them, it is interesting for someone to explain
why these proposed FDA regulations are not subject to similar
scrutiny. Could it be the influence of the pharmaceutical industry
that wants to eliminate the competition from dietary supplements.

Still no word from Clinton & Schumer in New York, Please keep
calling asking them to meet with Consumers Health Freedom Coalition
& Arnold Gore on the Supplement Safety Bill.
Sen. Clinton - NYC# 212-688-6262
Sen. Schumer NYC# 212-486-4430
for those in other parts of NY State see my other post for local
offices of the Senators near you.

Re: Risk of nutritional supplements vs prescripton drugs. (Archive.)

Another name for them is the "Pharm-Cartel (nmsg)

"Pharma-Cartel" that is. (nmsg)

Re: Risk of nutritional supplements vs prescripton drugs. (Archive.)