Are Supplements Safe?
An Editorial About Making Your Own Choices
Originally Published in our Online Newsletter
DISCLAIMER: I understand that the author is not a licensed
health care professional and will not have examined me or discussed my health
condition with me. I also understand that the author did not intend this information
to be medical advice. I do acknowledge that any and all information I read in the
following article is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice from a
health care professional. I do agree to consult with a licensed health care
professional before beginning any diet, exercise, or supplement program to verify
that I am in good health and that any suggestions will not cause me harm. I will
read all labels for any product that I might use, and if I experience any unusual
symptoms after following any suggestion, I will immediately stop taking the product(s) and call a licensed
health care professional. I hereby release Affordable Supplements, Inc. and the
author of this article from any liability related to any information that I read.
ARE SUPPLEMENTS SAFE?
Update 3/26/04: This article was posted sometime in 2000. The U.S. Ephedra
Ban is official as of 4/12/04. Honestly, we can't tell the future...but this article
does stand the test of time well. Enjoy.
We've all heard and read about what the media refers to as "the controversial
supplement creatine." Same goes for "andro", and anything else the media gets
fired up about. Unfortunately, with all of their technology and coverage,
the media repeats itself quite often and still leaves many unanswered
questions. That's where the misconceptions come in - the untruths and the out
and out rumors. It all leads to a huge misunderstanding for the general public.
Recently, a girl passed out at a local college basketball game. She was
dehydrated and immediately, creatine was blamed. If she was using creatine
and not keeping herself hydrated, (big shock here) she could have been
dehydrated. But let's not blame creatine. Why not require some personal
responsibility and blame the athlete who didn't follow the directions. If I
take too many aspirin and fall over dead, is it the aspirin's fault? Sure, it
is an extreme example, but the same concept applies.
Within the last few years, Triax by Syntrax
became "the culprit". The FDA sent out a warning with the media that Triax
may cause extreme and rapid weight loss. Good! - that's certainly why I had used
it in the past - and I think that's what it was made to do. Thanks for backing up
the label claims. I don't know if their "crackdown" was due to someone thinking "if
one capsule works, I'll really lose weight if I take three!", but I would like to
the choice to responsibly use an effective supplement.
Ephedrine and its herbal form, MaHuang, are supplements that are continuing to
cause controvery, but the fact remains that literally millions of people responsibly,
safely, and effectively use diet and energy supplements like
Xenadrine RFA-1,
Hydroxycut, and
The Patented ECA Stack containing ephedrine or mahuang
everyday. (Editor's Note: As of 4/12/04 millions of people no longer legally have the
choice to use Ephedra in the United States.)
However, the above example does prove that
the dietary and sports supplement industry is in fact regulated by the FDA.
The next time you hear any media person refer to the "seemingly unregulated
supplement industry," you'll notice the "seemingly unregulated" part moreso -
the supplement industry really is regulated. To further prove the point, you
can visit their website
here and read about
their regulations and "Tips for the Savvy Supplement User". They have
published some good common sense tips.
Overall, I personally believe that those of us who painstakingly plan out our
diets, workouts and supplement programs are smart enough to responsibly make
choices about effective supplements. Just because there is the possibility that
someone will not use the supplements correctly (please follow label directions
and check with your doctor) doesn't mean Big Brother should take them from all of
us that do.
Well, sorry for the rant, but I like having the choice, and I'm sure you do, too.
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