After a recent email, and several exchanges on a few of the message boards I frequent, I felt is was imperative of me to reiterate my stance on the use of vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies.

As long time readers of my blog may already know, I am against the taking of all vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies. But I wasn’t always that way. Prior to my diagnosis I truly believed the taking of Vitamin C, E, Calcium, fish oil (and a few other items) were essential for good health. Obviously that didn’t work, and now I’m even of the opinion it was that belief which led to my diagnosis of MCL.

That’s not to say all of the hype is a complete fabrication. After all, I am a firm believer in the efficacy of EGCG, a by product of green tea. Nor am I saying maintaining proper nutrition isn’t important, because it definitely is. What I am saying is, if you can’t get it naturally, it’s probably not worth getting. And that’s a policy I adhere to religiously, taking no artificially produced vitamins, supplements or herbal remedies.

There have been no clinical studies authenticating or substantiating any of the claims made for the numerous supplements sold on the market. In my opinion, all the hype about many [most, all] of these products is simply a scam by the pharmaceutical and supplement industries to instill fear into the minds of consumers, and separate them from their money.

Worst of all, the supplement industry is not regulated. So buyer beware. Even if the claims were substantiated, there is no guarantee you’re getting what you expect when you purchase any of those products online or at the market.

Even Dr Oz, who I consider the biggest shill for the pharmaceutical and supplement industries, warned about this on a recent show.

So even if you don’t want to take my word for it, at least take Dr. Oz’s.

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The following doesn’t need any commentary. It speaks for itself. (No pun intended)

Oh, and BTW, in case anyone’s interested, I’m feeling minutely better today. I’m not sneezing or blowing my nose as much, but I am still doing both. And my headache is mostly gone. I’m hoping as the day goes on I’ll feel even better.

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Still believe in the benefits of vitamins and supplements? Still have trouble grasping the idea that vitamins and supplements are a well devised scheme by the pharmaceutical and supplement industries to separate you from your hard earned money?

Then maybe this article from Consumer Reports will finally convince you otherwise.

Americans ………….. spent an estimated $10 billion on them [vitamin and mineral pills] in 2008, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. But recent studies undertaken to assess their benefits have delivered a flurry of disappointing results. The supplements failed to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and premature death.

“We have yet to see well-conducted research that categorically supports the use of vitamin and mineral supplements,” says Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Most studies show no benefit, or actual harm.”

While some people may need supplements at certain stages of their lives, nutritional deficiencies are uncommon in the U.S. “Almost all of us get or can get the vitamins and minerals we need from our diet,” says Paul M. Coates, Ph.D., director of the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Just more evidence supporting what I’ve been trying to tell everyone all along. Vitamins and supplements do more harm than good, and it’s what I attribute my contracting MCL to, and it’s the complete stopping of taking any vitamins or supplements that I attribute my longevity (8 years without treatment), along with high intensity exercise, and [of course] wine. :)

Even if you don’t believe me, at least believe Consumer Reports. They don’t have any axes to grind.

Read the entire article.

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Shortly after my diagnosis with MCL, I came to the conclusion vitamins, supplements, immune system boosters, what every you want to call them, are bad for you. They’re nothing more than a scam perpetrated on a naive and unsuspecting public, designed by the pharmaceutical and supplement industries to separate you from your hard earned money.

If you can’t get it naturally from the food you eat, then it’s not worth getting.

Now here’s just one more piece of evidence to support my belief.

Researchers at Kansas State’s [K-State] Cardiorespiratory Exercise Laboratory now believe anti-oxidants may be bad as well.

….what a lot of people don’t realize is that the antioxidant and pro-oxidant balance is really delicate. One of the things we’ve seen in our research is that you can’t just give a larger dose of antioxidants and presume that there will be some sort of beneficial effect. In fact, you can actually make a problem worse.

…………..

K-State’s studies have shown that some of the oxidants in our body, such as hydrogen peroxide, are helpful to increase blood flow.

We’re now learning that if antioxidant therapy takes away hydrogen peroxide – or other naturally occurring vasodilators, which are compounds that help open blood vessels – you impair the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the muscle so that it doesn’t work properly

You can read the entire article here.

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