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Herbs and Dietary Supplements
In the July-August, 2001 issue of Arthritis Today there is a section labeled "Supplemental Guide" which contains a discussion of products such as herbs and other dietary supplements. The January-February 2004 issue of Arthritis Today contains an ad promoting the use of Cherry Juice Concentrate as a means of reducing pain. Generally speaking, claims are made daily that certain herbs, vitamins, and other dietary supplements are beneficial for one's health. Since most of these products are not regulated by any official agency how is the patient or even the physician to know whether or not a patient should be taking them?
Specifically, the Federal Government only regulates herbal supplement as food and does not require the makers of these products to provide evidence of their effectiveness or safety. There are two major concerns relative to herbal supplements. The first concern is that many individuals who have suffered with a chronic disease for a considerable length of time are willing to pay for these products without being presented with reliable evidence that the product will benefit them. Furthermore, in most cases insurance won't cover the cost of these products. The second concern and perhaps the more important one is that there is a possibility that certain of these herbal supplements could react with other medications that are being taken by an individual. Although two major concerns have been raised, it is possible that certain of these herbal supplements could be beneficial. Thus, each individual must conduct their own mini research project in order to determine if a particular herb or other supplement should be used by them. What should the individual do? The following is the answer to this question. The individual needs to obtain answers to the following questions:
- What is the botanical or scientific name of the supplement? What are the ingredients?
- What is the source of the supplement? For example, does it come from certain parts of plants such as roots, certain parts of animals, or is it made synthetically?
- What are the conditions that the product is supposed to treat? What is the source of these claims?
- How is the product to be used? Is it taken internally in certain dosages for example?
- What can be said about the safety and effectiveness of the product? Are there peer reviewed published studies which support the claims about effectiveness and safety?
- Are their warnings about effects on other medical conditions such as diabetes and/or interactions with current medications a patient may be taking?
Answers to these questions should be obtained before trying any new type of herbal or dietary supplement.
In addition to the information provided in the article, what are other sources of information which are accessible? There are many foundations and/or societies which are identified with these chronic diseases such as the Arthritis Foundation and the National MS Society to name two and are sources of information. Most of them can be accessed through the Internet. The following additional sources were listed in the previously referenced article in the magazine Insidems.
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, http://www.fda.gov/cder/about/default.htm
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, 700 Busse Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068, Phone: 847-698-6227, http://www.nabp.net
National Patient Safety Foundation, 8405 Greensboro Dr., Suite 800, McLean, VA 22102, Phone: 703-506-3280, http://www.npsf.org
Office of Generic Drugs, http://www.fda.gov/cder/ogd
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Phone: 888-463-6332, http://www.fda.gov/default.htm
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