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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,241
Registered: ‎12-05-2012

I have a friend who just went to a kidney specialist because her labs showed borderline normal/ failure.

She was showing me the literature she was given about what to do and not do.

Under vitamins and supplements...one multi vitamin a day and no herbal supplements or other vitamins. No Nsaids. No tests/scans with contrast.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 38,158
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@MalteseMomma wrote:

It was very informative. I got up  and on my computer and cancelled a few of my standing  orders. Especially the vitamin D, I was taking. The Gov. should have more controll in this area. I had just started taking a few  about a little less than a year ago . My eye dr  just  advised me to take Lutien. Wondering if I should stop these too.     Smiley Sad

 

I wonder how Andrew Lessman will make out after this show??? I wouldn't even trust his company either.


 

@MalteseMomma  Vitamin D and D3 are different, and in my opinion, D3s the most important.  Unless one is in the sun for at least fifteen minutes per day where the face and hands are exposed,  people should take this supplement, otherwise, they will be difficient.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,476
Registered: ‎06-27-2010

Re: Frontline/PBS

[ Edited ]

 

 

Thanks for this thread, @Gooday.

I realize (as mentioned in the film) this problem was looked at back in the 1970s and in some respects since then. 

 

But that does not mean this is “nothing new.” 

 

This is new, and really is worth our attention.  Rather than being instantly dismissive, I hope everyone will at least give it some thought even if you decide you disagree with the findings.

 

As one example, we now have DNA testing for these supplements and that wasn’t available then.  Now we can find out exactly what is — and is not — present in these unregulated pills, powders, concoctions we ingest.

I hope no one allows bad feelings about pharmaceutical companies or the FDA completely color their views about this problem.  Certainly, it’s valid to be concerned about those entities but that’s a separate issue and it doesn’t change the fact that no one is monitoring or overseeing this “wild west” of vitamins/herbs/supplements. 

 

It should bother us that anyone can produce any supplemental concoction they want, and make almost any promise they want, and no one will protect us from charlatans.

I can understand that there are loyalties to certain companies, but some of that loyalty has been carefully fostered by good advertising and affable, personable, charming vendors. 

 

If their product truly is good, and if it truly can do what’s promised, then those brands should welcome scrutiny and offer to be tested so all of us know for certain what the ingredients are.  And should welcome studies which prove whether the supplements actually work and, if so, what the proper dosages are.

Anecdotal information is interesting, but I hope everyone keeps in mind that the placebo effect is powerful…  and that can cause us to think an expensive supplement helped when in reality it was our belief in it which worked.  And, in the process, we spent our hard-earned money to enrich someone selling what sometimes is called “sugar pills" which might contain harmful ingredients.

 

This isn't about traditional eastern treatments, etc.  The fact is, some things work and some don't.   As an example, I deal with almost-daily, intractible, disabling migraine disease.  I've been on a journey of looking for more "natural" help, and in one case I tried acupuncture for this.  Thankfully, the practitioner was open enough to tell me if 3 or 4 treatments didn't help that meant this wasn't going to be effective for migraine pain.  But we did find out that acupuncture helped my stress levels.  

 

So, if something works for us, that's great.  But in the process, if we're spending a lot of money and later discover we were ingesting something which damaged our body...  isn't that worth learning about up front, to protect ourselves and those we love?


Think about how much all of us want the foods we buy to have proper labeling, regulated processing, and proven results, so we know for certain what’s going into our bodies — and our loved ones’ bodies.  The same should be true of all these supplements, no matter who makes or sells them. 

 

Also, think about how we rail against the wealthy lobbyists in D.C. who push through things which are only good for those who make money from them...  this industry is one of those, just as much as "big pharma" is, so please keep that in mind.

We don’t want to purchase ice cream tainted with listeria, and we shouldn’t want to buy supplements which contain zero amounts of what they claim and might be comprised of things like ground-up houseplants from China.  Houseplants are "natural," but I don't want to introduce them into my body.


Often, I think one problem is that if we’ve been a strong advocate of a product we don’t want to believe we might have been wrong or misled.  I'm not saying that’s true for those who have posted on this thread, just saying it happens in some cases.  As a result, new and important information can be ignored or pushed aside, dismissed without careful consideration, and we might end up causing long-term harm to our bodies.

I don’t mean to discount anyone’s opinions, but I do hope everyone will take the time to view this documentary with an open mind and give it some thought.

 

(Rather than relying on what one of us says about the documentary, I encourage everyone to see for themselves.  It's still available online right now and might be re-airing on some PBS stations.  link to entire documentary:  http://www.pbs.org/video/2365646371/)

 

 

 

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,357
Registered: ‎03-23-2010

Well said dooBdoo!  You have such a way with words and states things that make it so easy to understand.

 

Thank you.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,583
Registered: ‎08-08-2013

@Maltese Momma  I don't know what you are taking Lutein for but I will say this:

 

My retina specialist was trained AT the best (Bascom Palmer Eye Institute) BY the best.  He diagnosed my macular degeneration and gave me samples of Lutein and advised me to take them 2x every day.  I have been taking them for 1-1/2 years and my eyesight is still 20/30.  At every visit, he says "keep taking your vitamins" - so I would take a guess and say they are contributing to my good eyesight.  At my last visit (Friday) he moved my injections up to 7 wks. instead of 6...... If I'm still at the same level, then he will increase it to every 8 wks.  Hopefully, this will happen.

 

I'm not saying that all vitamins are equal but if you trust your doctor, then I would trust the vitamins.  My Cardiologist says "15 minutes of sun every day OR Vitamin D".  That is, if my Vitamin D is low, which it isn't.  I would not hesitate to take the vitamin D because I trust my doctor.  So far, the Lutein is the only vitamin I take.  

 

I don't understand people who are competing with each other on the amount of pills they take.  The one who takes "the lowest amount" wins..... LOL  I don't know how many different doctors they go to but so far I'll stick with my Cardio/Internal Medicine doctor, who monitors my blood work and prescribes whatever medication I need.  I'm the only one who benefits from it, so I'll take as much as he thinks I need.....  So far, so good....

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,476
Registered: ‎06-27-2010

Gooday wrote:

Well said dooBdoo!  You have such a way with words and states things that make it so easy to understand.

 

Thank you.


 

 

      Aw, that's so kind of you to say, @Gooday!  This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and so I hope everyone will consider it with an open mind.  I understand that we all have our opinions on this, and certain allegiances to products or advisers/vendors, and it can be a sensitive topic.  But when we have such a "wild west" attitude about something we ingest into our body -- and when it's so heavily leveraged by powerful lobbyists in D.C. -- I just hope rather than being summarily dismissive everyone gives it careful consideration.

 

 

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova
Regular Contributor
Posts: 190
Registered: ‎01-02-2014

@Gooday wrote:
Save your money. Most ingredients on the labels were either totally absent or trace amounts. Black cohosh (sp) used for post menopausal women was a joke.
It took people in Hawaii to go into liver failure before the FDA to launch an investigation.
What I took from this one hour program is, save your money AND buyer beware. You can end up doing more harm than good. You will get the vitamins your body needs by diet. The most misused was Vitamins C, E and D.

Exactly!

Super Contributor
Posts: 337
Registered: ‎04-09-2014

@Gooday wrote:
For all of you that take vitamins and/or supplements, watch the rerun of this show. They are rerunning it around 2 a.m. depending on where you live.

Excellent documentary and I think still available online for viewing.

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Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,356
Registered: ‎01-03-2012

@Gooday wrote:
Golden gate ~ Lutein is for glaucoma. My dad has been taking it for nearly 2 years. It has helped in keeping it from progressing.

It's also for macular degeneration.  I take it because my dad and uncle had it per my eye doc and I take a multi vitamin per my GP.  I'm sure Andrew Lessman has nothing to worry about.