Below is a copy of a post I wrote on a bloggers' site whose blog is on the subject of "Nutrition" . In a nutshell, he had posted an article that contained a lot of general information about the "dangers" of supplementation. His post encouraged his readers to be cautious of supplements that could be "harmful"and to research what they are taking. My concern is that the information on safe and effective supplementation is simply not found easily by the general pubic on a google search. Like many industry media print, the real valuable and truthful information is not easy to find on a google search but rather very easy to find and understand with experts that work with supplements (or the field your researching) on a regular basis in real life practice.
Here is my response:
I invite you to share/read info from the thousands of reputable supplement companie that professional, educated experts in the fields of integrative and functional medicine use in practice to actually enhance and in many cases SAVE LIVES. At a minimal, these are supplements that positively impact health, and thus everything in a persons life. I am a recipient of this on a personal level as well as a professional. I would not be functioning had i not been professionally guided on how to use them for myself. (this led to professional education and training for my work)
Professional line supplement products are ALL highly regulated for purity, safety and effectiveness. They are all researched and beyond that there is a wealth of education in Integrative and Functional Medicine provided by these companies. Sharing negative info like that which is in this article only continues to support the "notion" "lie" that supplements are harmful. One would not have to worry about anything with supplements if they seek an educated practitioner for advice and use professional lines. A professional will assess an individual for need and appropriateness of usage. This translates to avoiding the purchase of retail (non-professional) products unless you know the products mechanism of use, appropriateness for your unique needs, quality, effectiveness, and safety factors. The line in the article in the post "Just in the last decade, numerous popular supplements (sold both legally and over-the-counter) were found to contain harmful drugs and illegal substances, including anabolic steroids" sends the wrong message and of course in absolutely absurd when speaking to the type of supplements people should be choosing. The message should be- do not take supplements from retail sources or from sources whom are not trained and experienced clinicians/experts in the field of integrative medicine- which cover functional medicine, chinese medicine, ayurveda , and more . AND who train virtually all the time in the supplement area of practice, as they practice in this field. YES - there is a lot of junk supplements - as there is in food, pharmaceuticals, etc etc. The point is to not continue to market this bent on supplements using such BAD SOURCES and articles. Work in the positive and support positive change - WHICH YOU WILL SEE HOW TO DO AT THE BOTTOM HERE :) BTW - I have used supplements with thousands of people in 30 yrs of professional work and have never had a negative response with one !!
Mary Beth McCue RD, LDN, CDN - Integrative Nutrition Consultant
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