Supplement product info

Some of the most common questions we are asked relate to how often a vitamin supplement should be taken, whether it is safe to use for prolonged periods, and whether a particular supplement can be taken the same day as another. It is very difficult to give answers that would apply to everyone since there are so many factors that influence your need or response to supplements. These factors include your age, sex, overall health status, activity level, climate you live in, diet, types of fluids consumed, alcohol or caffeine use, body weight, whether you are currently on prescription medicines, quality of the herbal products, your sensitivity and tolerance, whether the herbs are whole herb or extracts, whether the supplements are taken with food or on an empty stomach, the time of day they are used, and the dosage of the supplements. However, since may people who email us are frustrated that their doctors have no clue, I will provide some general guidelines that you can adapt to your own unique situation. There's not enough space to cover all the supplements in one newsletter, therefore I will begin with the letter A, and in subsequent newsletters proceed further along the alphabet. One point we would like to emphasize: When you take a supplement you have never been exposed to before, do your best to try it a on day when you are not using other supplements or medicines. This way you can better tell what kind of effect this new pill has on you. Also, if you are sensitive to herbs or supplements, at first use a portion of a capsule or tablet to avoid any potential harmful effects, particularly if you are taking pharmaceutical medicines or are taking hormones.

Physician Formulated supplement products
MultiVit Rx is an excellent multivitamin supplement.

Are you overdoing it with supplements? by Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D., printed with the doctor's permission
Dr. Sahelian says: A friend of mine called me recently for advice. He is 53 years old, very healthy, and wanted to know what I thought about his supplement regimen. I was shocked when he read off 15 different supplements that he was taking every day. "I often take two or three capsules from each bottle," he added. "I want to take a lot of antioxidants to stay young." I'm a strong believer in supplements and truly feel that they are underused by the medical profession. Sometimes people proudly list a dozen supplements they take daily, thinking that the more they ingest, the healthier they will be. I don't think there is any evidence to support this viewpoint. In fact, my interpretation of studies leads me to believe that a certain amount of supplements can be helpful, but after a point they could interfere with optimal health and lead to unexpected or unforeseen health problems. Since my friend had about 15 different bottles on his kitchen counter, I suggested that perhaps he could alternate their use and take five or six different supplements a day rather than 15. This way he could go through all of them every three days. I also told him that I had no proof that taking more would not be helpful, and ultimately it is up to him and his health care provider to decide what to take. Some people may not need any supplements, others may do fine taking 10 or more different ones. However, as a general rule, there should be a good reason for taking more than six to 10 supplements each day (such as treating a medical condition). Think of supplements the same way as the produce section of your grocery store. Dozens of healthy vegetables and fruits are available to you and each one of them has a unique set of vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, flavonoids, and other beneficial substances. However, this does not mean you should eat them all every day. Same with supplements. Literally hundreds of products have antioxidant and potential health-benefiting properties. But it is not reasonable to take them all every day. You may be taking too many pills if you notice your heart rate increasing or your body temperature rising, feel overstimulated or anxious, have uncontrolled or restless energy, or if you find your sleep is disturbed. Many herbs (including ginseng, aphrodisiacs, and herbs that increase energy) and nutrients (like B vitamins) can cause alertness. You may have trouble falling asleep, experience shallow sleep, or wake up an hour or two earlier than usual. If this happens, take a break from these supplements and resume a couple of days later at a lower amount. Also, keep in mind that the effects accumulate over time. If you take a pill, some of the effects may last into the next day. So, when you take the same pill the second day, it is already adding on to some of the remnants of the first day.

The Age Limit for Supplements By Ray Sahelian, M.D.
As a strong believer in natural remedies, I am constantly recommending that people turn to supplements to help them fight disease, stay healthy, and keep their brains and bodies strong. Recently, a 65-year-old reader of my newsletter wrote me to ask: "Is there an age limit on taking the herbs, hormone supplements, or amino acids?" The simple answer is that there is no age limit - you can take supplements into your 80s and 90s and beyond. However, you should reduce the dosage of those supplements as you grow older. This is because many herbs (including ginseng and many sexual enhancing herbs) can stimulate the heart to beat rapidly, which can cause problems for those with weak hearts. In general, supplements such as fish oils, garlic, and most vitamins and minerals are fine no matter how old you are. Hormones, on the other hand, can be dangerous unless used in tiny doses of less than five mg. Individual amino acids such as tyrosine and phenylalanine can also cause heart rhythm problems in high doses, and so can SAM-e, a nutrient used for depression. As a rule, as you get older, you should take a portion of the suggested dosage, perhaps half the amount recommended on the label of the supplement bottle - at least initially - to find out if there is any untoward effect. You should also be cautious about using supplements while you are taking prescribed pharmaceutical drugs, because we don't fully understand their interactions.

Dietary supplement use could reduce health care costs
May 2007 - A study shows that over the next five years, appropriate use of select dietary supplements would improve the health of key populations and save the nation more than $24 billion in healthcare costs. The study, commissioned by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA), updated research conducted by The Lewin Group in 2004 and 2005 that included a systematic literature review of the most rigorous scientific research available. Key study findings include:

Calcium with vitamin D supplement use - Appropriate use of calcium with Vitamin D for the Medicare population shows potential avoidance of approximately 776,000 hospitalizations for hip fractures over five years, as well as avoidance of stays in skilled nursing facilities for some proportion of patients. The five-year (2008-2012) estimated net cost associated with avoidable hospitalization for hip fracture is approximately $16.1 billion.

Folic Acid supplement use: if just 11.3 million of the 44 million American women who are of childbearing age and not taking folic acid, began taking 400 mcg. of folic acid on a daily basis neural tube defects could be prevented in 600 babies, saving as much as $344,700,000 in the first year. Over five years, taking into account the cost of the supplement, $1.4 billion could potentially be saved

Omega-3 Fatty Acids supplement use: The estimate of the potential five-year savings in health care expenditures resulting from a reduction in the occurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD) among the population over age 65 through daily intake of approximately 1800 mg of omega-3 is $3.2 billion.

Lutein with zeaxanthin: Through daily intake of 6-10 mg of lutein with zeaxanthin, it is estimated that $3.6 billion could be saved over 5 years by helping people with age related macular degeneration avoid dependency. Across the five year period, approximately 190,927 individuals could avoid the transition to dependence either in the community or a nursing facility that would accompany a loss of central vision resulting from advanced AMD.

About DSEA:
DSEA is a coalition of industry leaders whose mission is to educate consumers, media and policymakers on the benefits of dietary supplements for optimizing health and prevention of disease, with a focus on their safety, efficacy and regulation. Its donors include nutritional and dietary supplement suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and publishers.  Since its inception five years ago, DSEA has generated millions of media impressions increasing public awareness of the benefits of nutritional supplements through its education project, the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau (DSIB). In addition to media outreach, DSEA has produced a Web site, www.supplementinfo.org, which has become a well-known resource for objective information about nutritional supplements accessed on an ongoing basis by media, consumers, health professionals and legislators. DSEA board members include the American Herbal Products Association, The Canadian Health Food Association, Capsugel, Herbalife (HLF), NBTY, the Natural Products Association, Natrol, Inc.(NTOL), New Hope Natural Media/Penton Media, Virgo Publishing and the Vitamin Shoppe.

Supplement use by children
A study published is October 2007 suggests that more than 30 percent of American children take dietary supplements daily -- most often multivitamins and multiminerals.

Dietary Supplement Emails
Q. I have noticed that there are many supplements with the following extra ingredients Hydroxypropyl cellulose, dibasic calcium phosphate, stearic acid, modified cellulose gum, colloidal silicon dioxide, and magnesium stearate. What are the effects of these? Why are there so many?
   A. In order for the herbs or supplements not to clump together and form a had hel, softening agents are used to keep the material apart so that it can be manufactured easily and the raw material placed in capsules without clogging or clumping.

Q. I came across this info on supplement legality and wanted to pass it on to you: Lame Duck Congress Threatening To Pass Anti-Supplement Bill. It is a regrettable fact that our legal-political system is so often characterized by deception and ambush. During the heated political campaigns prior to November 7, 2006 members of Congress would not dare pass a bill that would interfere with consumers' free access to dietary supplements. Now that the election is over, there is an attempt to attach a new law onto an existing bill that would give the FDA greater powers to remove dietary supplements from the marketplace and put a heavy burden on smaller dietary supplement companies. This ominous Senate Bill ”S.3546—is deceptively titled Dietary Supplement and Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act. The charade behind this title is that it would largely function to protect large pharmaceutical companies against the low cost competition they are encountering from makers of natural alternatives to their toxic drugs. As many of you know, this year's election was one of the closest on record. If the re-elected members of Congress know how outraged citizens will be if S.3546 is passed, it will almost certainly be killed. Please know that members of Congress now prefer email as the most efficient way to hear from their constituents.

Q. Do you have any information on the supplement zeolite?
   A. You can find information about zeolite here.

Q. Can you tell me if the results of the PET scan my mother will be having will be affected by any of the following supplements: liquid calcium, turmeric powder capsules, acai powder capsules, or any supplement not mentioned?
It seems like glucose metabolism is key for this test and since turmeric and acai do something to fat metabolism, I was just wondering if she should she stop the supplements. If you think she should stop taking them, how long before the test does she need to stop taking them?
   A. We have not seen any studies that have looked into supplement use and whether this influences results of a PET scan. We suspect not, but this is just an opinion.

Q. I read in one of your web pages that you should take a break from supplements, why is that?
Q. Another reader asks: I find that Tongkat ali worked great for a while for libido, but then as I kept taking it, it didn't seem to work as well. Do I need to take a break?
   A. As a rule, we recommend taking a break from taking supplements for the reasons listed here NEWSLETTER.
Note: The dosage makes a huge difference in how often to take breaks from supplement use. If your dosage is very low, you can take supplements for prolonged periods with hardly any breaks. If the dosage is high, you would need to take more frequent breaks.

Q. Please send information on Risotriene, (powder rice husks) also how to purchase.
   A. A search in google reveals RiSoTriene is a granulated powder extracted from the outer layer of the brown rice kernel. We are not familiar with research with this trademarked product.

Q. Could you please tell me whether you think it would be okay to supplement with gingko, panax ginseng, carnosine at the same time?
   A. Much depends on the dosage of the supplements and your overall health. No firm answers can be given since there are too may variables involved.
 

Supplements and Herbal Index tongkat ali home page

A list of supplement products
Advantra Z supplement for weight loss
Ambrotose glyconutrition product from Mannatech
Alteril as a sleep aid
Anatrim supplement for weight loss
Arginmax supplement for sexual enhancement
Avacor supplement for hair loss
Celadrin for arthritis
Cellfood dietary supplement
Essaic is a mix of several herbs and often touted as an anticancer combination.
Extenze male enhancement supplement
Immunoguard for immune system supplement
Manapol supplement
Maxiderm herbal sexual patch
Maxoderm herbal sexual enhancement patch
Memoprove supplement
 for men is promoted as a male enhancement product.
Penis enlarge patch rx supplement for increased penis size, no evidence of effectiveness
Phenocane as anti-inflammatory
Semenax sperm pill
Testofen supplement
Trigogen supplement, a fenugreek extract

 a sexual product alternative to Viagra .

VitalzymSEB and Vitalzym
VSL#3 probiotic supplement