Consumer Reports has released a list of supplement ingredients its researchers say have been linked to cancer, coma, heart problems, kidney damage, liver damage, and death, and highly advise avoiding these ingredients:
- aconite
- bitter orange
- chaparral
- colloidal silver
- coltsfoot
- comfrey
- country mallow
- germanium
- greater celandine
- kava
- lobelia
- yohimbe
http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/health/Copy_of_list-of-dangerous-supplements-announced1281035561806
Consumer Reports worked with Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent research group that gauges the safety and effectiveness of nutritional supplements, to devise the list.
Please remember to consult your physician before trying anything new. I am not a doctor and no information I provide here should be considered medical advice.The information I share on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from my research and experience. Links to other sites are provided for ease of research. Information on those sites is the opinion of those who publish the sites and is NOT necessarily that of FibroChick. I offer what I can as help. I believe in educating myself on all my medical issues and being my own advocate, for no one else will do that on my behalf. I recommend we all do the same! I encourage you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
This is good to know!! Do you mind if I post this as well? How are you feeling?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ‘heads up’ on these ingredients; I have checked my supplements; no problems there.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, please share and re-share!
ReplyDeleteThat's good Brenda, is so important to check! I have seen Kava Kava and even taken it before for my insomnia, but I won't take it anymore! I hope they have taken it off the shelves. I also noticed once that it is one of the ingredients in the Arizona RX Stress Herbal Iced Tea - so watch out! That tea has ginseng, kava kava, valerian, chamomile... Was good for helping me fall asleep for sure! But now not so sure about the kava kava part of it! (http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=1&productId=366169)
ReplyDeleteEvery year they come with this list attacking natural herbs that really work. Chaparral is linked with a woman who recovered from cancer. It was used by Indians. Herbs are very safe if you get them from reliable sources and take them safely. Meanwhile 10's of thousands of people die taking drugs prescribed by doctors and taken correctly. Meanwhile the best thing you can do for fibro is eat healthy fats like eggs, butter and coconut oil. Real food is the key and no one is going to make money on you using it except for the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good perspective Louise. I've heard good things about coconut oil, and even coconut milk. I agree, I think the more we can stay away with food products that contain crazy chemicals (like those *artificial* sweeteners), and stick to the all-natural, the better our fibro bodies will be!
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why I'd like to find a competent herbalist. Any herb can cause problems if you take too much of it. It's the same with prescription drugs, except a lot of them tend to have long lists of awful side effects. I've experienced way too many of those, that's for sure. . . The best thing on that list is the lobeli, also called asthma weed, which has the exact same possible risks as the extremely common side effects of my emergency asthma medication. I'm sure it's because of common chemicals and thus common chemical reactions in the body.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's always the risk of allergies: often, if you're allergic to one herb, you're allergic to the rest of the herbs in that class.
If anything was completely safe, we wouldn't need doctors to consult. :)
Very true! I so wish I could find someone in my area, a good herbalist to consult. For now I have been referencing https://www.mediguard.org/ for possible interactions with meds and supplements. I know I am allergic to feverfew, too close to my spring allergy weeds or something :) We def need to consult doctors and herbalists, and always be listing to our bodies and learning. It's an ongoing process.
ReplyDelete