The accuracy of medical advice given by staff at natural food stores is compared to that given by staff at community pharmacies, based on the balance of available scientific evidence.
Employees in natural food stores have been caught giving advice that is not only scientifically baseless, but also risky and downright dangerous.
Most health food store supplement aisle employees have little or no training and make wildly dissimilar recommendations. Even when they’re consistent, the levels of active ingredients in supplements may not be. We should not assume the multibillion dollar supplement industry has our best interests any closer to heart than the pharmaceutical industry.
Studies in the U.S. and Canada focus on what advice and supplements natural food store employees would offer a woman suffering from breast cancer.
Both U.S.-made and imported Ayurvedic dietary supplements have high contamination rates of toxic metals such as mercury—though only a small fraction of the levels found in canned tuna.
Toxic heavy metal contamination of Ayurvedic dietary supplements is, in most cases, intentional.
Triphala, a combination of three fruits—amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki—is the most commonly used herbal formulation in Ayurvedic medicine, and may have powerful anticancer properties. Unfortunately, one in five Ayurvedic herbal dietary supplements were found contaminated with lead, mercury, and/or arsenic.
Many of the most powerful drugs in modern medicine’s arsenal came from natural products, from penicillin to the chemotherapy agents Taxol® and vincristine.
Indian gooseberries (amla), an important plant in Ayurvedic medicine, may have anticancer properties, as well as cough-, fever-, pain-, stress-, and diarrhea-suppressing effects.
Though nasal irrigation with salt water has been found to an effective and inexpensive treatment option for sinusitis symptom relief, neti pot use may increase the risk of recurrence. A new study reveals why, and what we can do about it.
Case report of life-threatening metabolic acidosis in an infant “overdosed” with homeopathic sugar pills.
The spice saffron was compared to donepezil (Aricept), a leading drug treatment for slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease cognitive impairment.
In a double-blind study, the spice saffron beat out placebo in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease dementia symptoms.
A common plant may successfully treat oral lichen planus, a painful condition affecting the lining of the mouth.
More than a dozen herbal teas were compared for their antioxidant activity.
Potential neurotoxicity is another concern regarding spirulina supplements.
Chlorella does not have the toxins that may be present in blue-green algae supplements and spirulina.
Concerns about spirulina supplements extend to liver toxicity.
The effects of artificial colors on impulsivity, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity among young children.
The risks associated with these supplements may outweigh the benefits.
Ground flax seed consumption may decrease breast cancer risk by slowing one’s menstrual cycle. It may also control prostate enlargement as effectively as the leading prescription drug.
