NYTIMES article;
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/16/h...r=1&ref=science
........... :eek: .............
“Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America’s Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry” Broadway Books. Dan Hurley

Wow!
I get the NY Times delivered....I read this same article this morning.
So glad someone posted it!!
Very interesting reading.
People need to be aware.

I think that Mr Hurley is echoing what most open minded rational folks have known all along. The problem is that many in the alt. industry wish to keep the truth from an unsuspecting public. The alt industry as a whole is in dire need of regulation, and it is all to apparent that this industry is not capable of regulating itself. I really did not realize how many adverse reations there are to many of these natural products, especially those that are often praised on this very Message Board :mad:
Thanks for the story Karen, and although it might not be good news, hopefully one day soon something will be done to stop the madness surrounding this industry.

I think this part of the article was pretty eye catching;
Injuries to children under 6 account for nearly three-quarters of all the reports of adverse reactions to dietary supplements, according to the poison centers. In 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available, 48,604 children suffered reactions to vitamins alone, the ninth-largest category of substances associated with reactions in that age group.
Vitamins.....and kids.......do they REALLY require them? I know my daughters pedi only recommended vitamis in the case of a child not eating properly. My daughter didn't require them, she ate from the required food groups, kept active...etc.

Which brings me to this question, my daughter is 22 so it's been a while since I've needed to bring her to the pedi lol.... :p
Flavored vitamins became the rage when she was younger..and they were like CANDY! Do pedi's recommend thier use?
My thoughts are this; vitamins look like and taste like candy, I'm thinking the above figures might somewho refelect these reactions. I'd be begging for a vitamin or 5 if I were a kid.
I'm still re-reading thru the rest of the article. Nice to see Bush signed onto the bill.
Should prove interesting.

Karen

I think this part of the article was pretty eye catching;
Injuries to children under 6 account for nearly three-quarters of all the reports of adverse reactions to dietary supplements, according to the poison centers. In 2005, the most recent year for which figures are available, 48,604 children suffered reactions to vitamins alone, the ninth-largest category of substances associated with reactions in that age group.
Vitamins.....and kids.......do they REALLY require them? I know my daughters pedi only recommended vitamis in the case of a child not eating properly. My daughter didn't require them, she ate from the required food groups, kept active...etc.

Which brings me to this question, my daughter is 22 so it's been a while since I've needed to bring her to the pedi lol.... :p
Flavored vitamins became the rage when she was younger..and they were like CANDY! Do pedi's recommend thier use?
My thoughts are this; vitamins look like and taste like candy, I'm thinking the above figures might somewho refelect these reactions. I'd be begging for a vitamin or 5 if I were a kid.
I'm still re-reading thru the rest of the article. Nice to see Bush signed onto the bill.
Should prove interesting.

Karen
Good question Karen! When my boys were younger the Doc said not to give them vitamins if they eat correctly and are healthy. My boys were never sick, so we were very lucky for that. The industry even makes and sells chewing gum vitamins, which I think is not a very good idea. My husband is a pharmacist and he will not stock them in his store.
Great article!
Cindy

VITAMIN GUM?!!!!!!!............ :eek:

Yes m'am ... GUMBALLS that look & taste just like something you'd get out of a gumball machine.
Even worse, there's also "vitamin" GUMMY BEARS!!!! :eek:
(Sorry, but who the heck would be content with ONE gummy bear?!?)

[QUOTE=seedoubleyou]Even worse, there's also "vitamin" GUMMY BEARS!!!! :eek:
QUOTE]
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh lookie at what I found about those gummy vitamin bears!!!!
The analysis also showed that Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, a multivitamin for children, had 216 percent of the labeled amount of vitamin A in the retinol form, delivering 5,400 International Units (IU) in a daily serving. That's substantially more than the upper tolerable level set by the Institute of Medicine of 2,000 IU for kids ages 1 to 3 and 3,000 IU for those 4 to 8.
Because too much vitamin A can cause bone weakening and liver abnormalities, the Yummi Bears "could be potentially doing more harm than good," Cooperman said. "Vitamin A is one of those vitamins where you really don't want to get too much."

And buyer beware....about the other vitamins, there is a small list of companies that have been tested by an independent lab to puchase from in this article.
" Tod Cooperman of Consumerlab.com talks with TODAY host Matt Lauer about his company's report, which finds that some vitamins may actually be hazardous to your health. "
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16655168/
Karen