New Law Could Empty Vitamins Aisle...

I cant believe that some of you guys are so gullible and stupid by taking some of these 'quack' vitamins in the first place.

If you eat a healthy and balanced diet in the first place you should not need any vitamins. There are obviously medical reasons why some are needed to be prescribed.

I dont know about the US, but I guess that it is the same as in the UK, that vitamin pill producers are not regulated like real medications and it is about time it is. From what I see here, the FDA is trying to protect you, the consumer.

Originally posted by Mountainmeg

Originally posted by AGWskeptic
A,D,E and K are fat soluble, in other words they build up in your body if you take too much.

The rest are water soluble, take too much you just pee it out.

As far as I'm concerned they could pull all of that snake oil off the shelves, the most anyone needs is a single multivitamin daily.

You may feel better when taking handfuls of vitamins, but it is only a placebo effect.

Both pill industries are bad, not just big pharma.

Not entirely true. My son is on B-2 (Riboflavin) at the direction of his pediatric neurologist for the prevention of migraines after my son had bad reactions to two prescription migraine preventatives. The neurologist is a specialist in the area of migraines and finds that B-2 at the proper dosage is more effective for more people than the prescription drugs. So far, 11 months and no hospitalizations - a new record!

And then there's my husband - a Crohn's sufferer. Crohn's disease causes damage to the intestines and interferes with the absorption of many nutrients from food due to scaring of the intestinal wall. What nutrients seems to depend on the portion of the intestine that was damaged. In my husband's case, he needs to supplement with B12 due to the section near the ilium being scarred. Without the B12 supplementation, he gets foggy and has trouble with his memory. Blood tests confirm the deficiency.

So, no placebo effect in either case - rather a well documented need for vitamin supplementation. And I'm going to be pissed if our ever-for-sale government makes it harder to care for my men folk then it already is.

There are many uses for vitamins in treating disease, but nowhere near the amount being sold in America.

I'd be shocked if the percentage of vitamins taken that actually do some good was higher than 2%.

For a normal healthy person a single multivitamin is more than enough to maintain homeostasis.


For what it's worth I had severe migraines as a child, they went way after puberty, so don't give up hope.

My M.D, at the time ordered a low potassium diet which I did not follow ( I was a kid, so I knew everything already right ), and they still went away.

###SNIP###

reply to post by Wotan
I can only speak for myself, being an American I firmly believe in individual liberty, even the RIGHT to be stupid

Government is the LAST entity I want dictating to me how to live or what choices are *safe* and *correct*

As far as I am concerned the ONLY place government has the right or the authority to determine what is *safe* for me is in the protection from outside forces and other individuals. Since government is failing so MISERABLY in these areas I will thank them very kindly to stay out of the other areas of my life and I will continue to determine what is right and good for my body, mind and spirit!

Originally posted by AGWskeptic

There are many uses for vitamins in treating disease, but nowhere near the amount being sold in America.

I'd be shocked if the percentage of vitamins taken that actually do some good was higher than 2%.

For a normal healthy person a single multivitamin is more than enough to maintain homeostasis.

I cut down the quotes, so they are not as big. I will be the first to say I will be surprised if 2% did any good. I agree taking vitamins is not a placebo effect. How do we really know if a multivitamin is all we need? I believe the effects of vitamins have been already well documented, and their benefits known. Otherwise, people would not be taking them in the first place.

The doctor found I was vitamin D deficient. He put me on two doses of 50,000 IU a month. I was taking 100,000 IU a month total. Boy did I feel the difference. At the next appointment, he checked my blood again, and lowered it to 50,000 IU a month with one dose. The problem was that I felt fine for only the first few days. After that, my body felt tired and weak. He finally told me I could take 5000 IU of D a day. Talk about a major world of difference. Currently I get the 5000 IU over the counter.

I did some digging online about vitamin D, and found out that it is practically impossible to overdose on it. It would take a lot.

Can You Overdose on Vitamin D?
It's Harder Than You Think

Yes, you CAN Overdose on Vitamin D, but the risk of too LITTLE is more than your risk of getting too much Vitamin D! Doctors seem to have a fear of recommending ANY amount Vitamin D for fear of causing Vitamin D toxicity. But while Vitamin D Toxicity IS a reality, it is such a rare phenomenon to have a Vitamin D toxicity that I have not seen one single case of it in over 10 years of being a nurse in intensive care units and emergency rooms in major cities.

Taking an entire bottle of aspirin or Tylenol will almost surely kill you, but taking an entire bottle of Vitamin D, in the vast majority of cases, will be more likely to actually IMPROVE your health than to damage it!

That's Forty Thousand IU's per day to produce a true Overdose on Vitamin D with the required Elevated Calcium levels to go along with it! That's NOT what doctors and governments are telling us, so doctors give us inadequate amounts of Vitamin D in order to prevent a nearly fictitious possibility of overdose on Vitamin D!

Another study gave pregnant women 100,000 IU's per day for the entire length of their pregnancy. The study concluded, "Thus, there is no evidence in humans that even a 100,000 IU/d dose of vitamin D for extended periods during pregnancy results in any harmful effects."

Toxicity of Vitamins

vitamin A 100,000 units/day
vitamin D 4000-10,000IU /day - I'm going with the article from easy-immune health.com on the toxicity level
vitamin K1, K2, K3 not considered toxic

I'd be more worried about not having enough vitamins than overdosing. The ones that you can overdose on, well are you going to trust the government figures? All I can say is make your own common sense decisions. Know the overdose symptoms. I have read that overdose symptoms of D can be mistaken for lack of Magnesium.

reply to post by Mystery_Lady

I recently ended up in the hospital for 8 days, due in a large part to stress. I was also diagnosed as being very deficient in Vitamin D. Like you, I have no trouble at all feeling the difference! Wouldn't it be a shame if we had to pay ridiculous prescription prices for such a simple supplement?!!!!!

reply to post by Cinaed


Agree totally. Since you mentioned stress, I thought I might mention something I was reading about magnesium deficiency.

Common Conditions That May Result from Low Magnesium Levels

A lack of this important nutrient may be a major factor in many common health problems in industrialized countries. Common conditions such as mitral valve prolapse, migraines, attention deficit disorder, fibromyalgia, asthma and allergies have all been linked to a Mg deficiency.

Magnesium deficiency causes increased levels of adrenaline, which can lead to a feeling of anxiety.

You know anxiety = stress. Also, here is some more information for you.

www.whfoods.com...

What can high-magnesium foods do for you?
Relax your nerves and muscles
Build and strengthen bones
Keep your blood circulating smoothly

What events can indicate a need for more high-magnesium foods?
Muscle weakness, tremor, or spasm
Heart arrhythmia, irregular contraction, or increased heart rate
Softening and weakening of bone
Imbalanced blood sugar levels
Headaches
Elevated blood pressure

Hmmm, maybe all I needed to do was take more magnesium when I was headache prone instead of reaching for the ibuprofen all the time. I wish I knew this information a lot earlier.

reply to post by Cinaed


This says more about the US medical system then it does about the concept behind regulating potentially dangerous supplements/regulating fraudulent corporations.

reply to post by Cinaed


You can be stupid, obviously, but sometimes when people endanger themselves they also endanger others. That is NOT your right. In addition, if a corporate entity is able to manipulate vulnerable people, because of a loophole in the law, that loophole should be closed.

Originally posted by captainnotsoobvious
reply to post by Cinaed

 

You can be stupid, obviously, but sometimes when people endanger themselves they also endanger others. That is NOT your right. In addition, if a corporate entity is able to manipulate vulnerable people, because of a loophole in the law, that loophole should be closed.

\

Since when do laws stop people from being stupid? Your logic is flawed. Stupid people break laws al the time. What people do is thier own business as long as they are harming no one. This false idea that laws somehow prevent people from being stupid harming others or committing crimes is a lie and control mechanism. vitamins and supplements have killed no one nor harmed anyone seriously. Prescription drugs kill hundreds of thousands a year.This is all about money and protecting politically connected mega corporations so they can continue to kill people and suppress natural remedies.

reply to post by hawkiye


Laws are obviously only a deterrent. Obviously. But unless you think all law is meaningless your view is just ideological lip wagging.

reply to post by hawkiye


And btw if you read the thread you'd know I knew someone who died from an allergic reaction to genseng. These unregulated drugs and vitamins can kill.

Originally posted by captainnotsoobvious
reply to post by hawkiye

 

And btw if you read the thread you'd know I knew someone who died from an allergic reaction to genseng. These unregulated drugs and vitamins can kill.

I read the thread I started the thread and you are full of it. Prove someone died from Gensing! You can't because it never happened!

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious


The flaw with this logic is that anyone can develope an allergy to ANYTHING, at anytime. Should we regulate peanuts, strawberries, dairy products etc etc etc just because SOME might be allergic? The ginseng was not the danger, Millions take it daily in large doses wth no issue.

Originally posted by Cinaed
reply to post by Wotan

 

I can only speak for myself, being an American I firmly believe in individual liberty, even the RIGHT to be stupid

Government is the LAST entity I want dictating to me how to live or what choices are *safe* and *correct*

As far as I am concerned the ONLY place government has the right or the authority to determine what is *safe* for me is in the protection from outside forces and other individuals. Since government is failing so MISERABLY in these areas I will thank them very kindly to stay out of the other areas of my life and I will continue to determine what is right and good for my body, mind and spirit!

From the above quote, you certainly are excersing your right to be stupid.

How would you feel if all the prescription medications that you bought came from unregulated sources, not tested in any shape or form, no evidence to back up any of their claims and some even being downright dangerous? Well, that is how some of the vitamin companies operate ........ are you getting the picture now?

Originally posted by sbctinfantry
So the government approved treatment of Milk Thistle, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E and other herbs is going to be outlawed?

The original article linked to in this thread is written by a Jim "Healthy" who doesn't cite to any sources.

reply to post by Wotan


I am a firm believer in personal responsibilty so I do my research before I put things in my body, ESPECIALLY the new products being. PUSHED by the government as in vacines and new prescription drugs! I'll tell you stupid, stupid is trusting in new drugs just because some government agency swears they are safe!!! Human beings have been usoing nautral supplements for centuries, more often than not without any ill effects. Can't say the same thing for many pharaceuticals.

Stupid is as stupid does. For myself I will do my research and make my own choices.

reply to post by Cinaed


In reality this isn't a real argument for a few real reasons:

- No one regulates labelling on supplements (unless it's changed since I lived in the US); food and meds are properly labelled however
- It's not just about allergies, it's about say quantities, long term use and abuse and drug interactions... if you go to a doctor they monitor this... yes it's not perfect, but it's better than the opposite... no one paying attention and people, esp innocent people getting hurt.

Finally, one of the most dangerous things about all this stuff is people that avoid ACTUAL medicine because they think they can cure themselves with some bollockss from a GNC or a Chinese herb shop (remember I AM a supporter of acupuncture; some alternative medicine IS real).

Things that claim to be MEDICINE should be regulated. This # is MUCH more regulated in the EU and Europeans are a LOT healthier. If you want to be healthier eat properly and exercise.

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious

My comments about allergies were a reply to a post about allergies. I respect your opinion as just that however I fail to find innocent people *innocent* when they fail to do the most basic research before taking things based on hearsay. I personally have never seen a supplement in any nutrition store claiming to be medicine. However perhaps that is because I do the footwork before I put things into my body.

I am a very healthy person, and until I stayed far too long at a very stressful and extremely demanding job I had no health issues whatsoever. When I finally did have problems it was a very simple fix.... guess what I needed? Vitamins and minerals!

I am not saying there should not be ANY regulations I am simply saying if they are not DRUGS I do not want the FDA taking over control of natural supplements. I think it is an absolute NIGHTMARE the poisons the FDA approves as safe for crying out loud!!!

Worse, most Dr.s know very little about the drugs they are prescribing beyond what the salesmen tell them! They know they have been approved by the FDA, they know there might be side affects.... They know there is a handout given at the time the medicines are picked up.

All I have to do is take a look at all the class actions suits currently against dozens of drugs approved by the FDA and I KNOW I don't what them taking control of anything else! I have taken some of the drugs currently in litigation and based on my own experiences with them I hope the drug companies get REAMED in the lawsuits!

That was when I switched to natural supplements and not only did my conditions correct themselves, I spent far less money with much greater results.

Let the FDA get a handle on what they currently control before letting them have MORE. I think the logic is simple. Just my opinion, which I am just as entitled to as you are

reply to post by Cinaed


If you've not seen people marketing "supplements" as medicine you're not paying attention.

That took literally 2 seconds to find.

www.google.ie...:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a

www.google.ie...:en-GBfficial&client=firefox-a

As for the FDA, not a HUGE fan, but that's more about the way it's run then the concept of these changes...

If you pay attention, and don't assume that everyone is gonna research as much as you do, then you'll see the "supplement" industry makes big bucks off of sick people, people that should be on proper medication. You'll also see the supplement industry marketing it's products as alternative medicine.

reply to post by captainnotsoobvious

What I assume is all people should be accountable to do their own footwook before putting anything anyone tells them is an easy and safe fix! What in the world has happened to individual accountabilty in this couintry??


Everyone should be making informed decisions not relying on giovernment agencies who are OFTEN in the back pocket of lobbyists!!!