Herbal supplement risks
Consumers need to be wary of misleading label information
“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” The phrase is often credited to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan in a 1994 radio interview, but Senate records indicate that it was said earlier, by James R. Schlesinger, possibly during his 1973 Congressional testimony.
Whatever its origin, for herbal supplements it’s clear that facts on many of their labels are “alternative” enough to send you to the hospital or worse.
Research published in the Journal of the Association of Public Analysts reveals that many natural and herbal supplements contain “permitted food additives in excess of their limits, contaminants, unauthorized novel food ingredients, unauthorized nutritionally related compounds, excess vitamins, controlled drugs and one instance of the poison strychnine.”
For example, herbal weightloss supplements may pack the now-banned drug sibutramine. Researchers say that it’s associated with panic attacks, memory impairments and psychotic episodes, as well as cardiovascular events. Also beware of erectile dysfunction supplements — they often contain active ingredients in prescription ED meds, but in risky doses. And at any dose, guys who take nitrate-containing meds (for angina, for example) can find the combo truly dangerous!
So don’t be fooled by claims on herbal supplements’ labels. If you’re concerned about ED or your weight, go see your doctor! And before using an herbal supplement for any other reason, ask your doc. Also, go to
www.FDA.gov to see if there’s been action taken against that supplement or similar products. Most manufacturers are honest, but the bad apples tend to keep using bad apples.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
Paul Marcarelli, Verizon’s former “Can you hear me now?” guy, heard the call and decided to switch to another phone company. Well, for folks who are experiencing or are at risk for hearing loss, switching brands might be a smart move, too.
Reviewing data on almost 56,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that using some over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, twice a week or more may up your risk of hearing loss by as much as 24 per cent. The longer you take those OTCs, the more hazardous it is. So maybe it’s time for you to switch to another kind of pain relief.
But how do these seemingly harmless meds cause hearing loss? Well, ibuprofen can reduce blood flow to the small, snailshaped organ in the inner ear called the cochlea. It translates sound into nerve impulses and filters out background noise. A reduced blood flow can kill off cells that help you perceive sound. Acetaminophen may deplete the body of an antioxidant called glutathione, which protects the cochlea from damage by blocking oxidative stress. Aspirin wasn’t associated with such problems.
Ibuprofen also can damage your stomach and gastrointestinal system, raise blood pressure and reduce the benefits of aspirin, which decreases cardiovascular disease and cancer risk. Acetaminophen also can trigger liver problems! So use these pain relievers sparingly. Your alternatives? Meditation, acupuncture, massage, stretching, exercise, a new mattress or cognitive behavioural therapy. Can you hear us now?
SHOVEL THIS
Politicians and con men are known for shovelling loads of what “M*A*S*H’s” Col. Potter (Harry Morgan) called “bull cookies, mule fritters or Carolina cow pies.” But if you’re out shovelling snow this winter, research from Harvard’s School of Public Health has uncovered something that’s a lot more inflammatory — at least for your circulatory system.
Tracking incidences of cardiovascular-related hospital admissions associated with a major snowfall, the Harvard researchers found that not the same day or even the day after, but TWO days after a snowfall, hospital admissions for heart issues jumped by 23 per cent! That means if you’ve been out clearing the driveway or sidewalk, for several days after shovelling don’t dismiss pain around your shoulder blades, arm, chest, jaw, left arm or upper abdomen as simple muscle soreness. And follow these safety tips, because, as the researchers point out, with global climate change, more frequent and severe snowstorms are expected.
• Cold air makes the heart work harder; do a short warmup inside by stretching and jumping. It’ll get muscles and heart ready for the exercise.
• When shovelling deep snow, take it off by layers.
• To help the snow move off the shovel more easily, spray the metal scoop with — we’re not kidding — nonstick cooking spray!
• Remember to lift with your legs; keep your back straight.
• If you start to feel pain or discomfort in your shoulders, neck or chest, stop immediately.
• And remember, alcohol doesn’t really warm up your body. Mixing shoveling and alcohol makes you more likely to slip, fall and wrench your back.
DON’T WEIGH DOWN YOUR COFFEE
In the 1998 film, “You’ve Got Mail,” chain-store owning, hard-driving businessman Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) rants about personalized coffee orders. “Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc . ... people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing or who on Earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee, but an absolutely defining sense of self.”
Joe was a bit off-base. We get why people are picky about their coffee: You want that cuppa Joe (ironic?) to be primo. But what’s worth ranting about is the impulse to take a goodfor-you beverage and turn it into a drink that is anything but healthy.
In a study published in the journal Public Health, researchers found a full twothirds of coffee drinkers add high-calorie, inflammation-triggering, heart-clogging substances like sugar, cream and flavoured syrups to their franchised cup of java, adding 60 to 140 extra calories per drink.
By itself, coffee is loaded with disease-preventing compounds. In fact, the scientific report of the U.S. dietary guidelines advisory committee says: “Consistent evidence indicates that coffee consumption is associated with reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults. Moreover, moderate evidence shows a protective association between caffeine intake and risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
So, if black coffee isn’t for you, use nonfat milk; add cinnamon or nutmeg, but use the real deal, not anything with high fructose, corn-syrupy additives. Then when you walk up to the counter you’ll hand over your bucks, but not your health.
MOVE YOUR MOOD TO HAPPY
The classic 2005 animated movie “Madagascar” ends with a funny rendition of the song “Move It,” in which all the zoo animals bust out their dance moves. Most of the moves involve little more than hip shaking or shuffling. But they make you laugh and send you out of the theatre feeling happy.
The next time you see this movie (or a promo for it), we hope it’ll remind you of what a new study found: Movement, no matter how little or silly, helps improve your mood.
To track how mood was connected to moving, researchers created a special app that 10,000 Android users downloaded. For 17 months, the app regularly asked the folks if they’d been sitting, standing, walking, running, lying down or doing something else in the past 15 minutes and how they were feeling. It also periodically checked overall life satisfaction.
The scientists found that the more people moved throughout the day, even if it was just standing or fidgeting, the happier they were. (If you’re doing your 10,000 steps a day, you’re ahead of this curve.)
The lesson: If you can’t exercise (you’re stuck at a desk or busy at home), make sure you move around. It’s vitally important not just for your physical health, but your emotional well-being, too.
To help you remember to move, download a free app such as MOVE, Stand Up! or StretchClock. Then every 30 minutes walk around the room or bust out a silly dance move.