Are Supplements Safe?

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?

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.