Vitamin Supplement and Herbs: Useful or harmful?
There can be no better thing than a balanced diet and thus if you want to use vitamin supplement and herbs rather than a balanced diet then you must be careful. Some vitamin supplements can be toxic when taken in excess. Thus you must consult your doctor before you take any such vitamin supplement and herbs. Herbs definitely have many good qualities and you can also cook them. But still vitamin supplement and herbs must be taken with caution.
Garlic is the best example of this. It makes the food tasty and also has good medicinal benefits. . Some people refer to garlic as the “natural antibiotic.” These are the same people however, that take a handful of processed garlic pills when they feel a cold or some perceived or real infection coming on instead of seeing their doctor.
Now I don’t see my doctor for every cold. But if I think I need an antibiotic I’m going for the real McCoy. Besides, garlic has blood thinning capabilities and we get enough of the good stuff by cooking with it. Yet I know people who pop those garlic pills to ward off anything they think they are coming down with without any regard to the possible interaction of these garlic pills with another vitamin supplement and herbs and/or their prescription medicine.
Thus you are committing a mistake if you take any such medicines thoughtlessly. Another thing to consider regarding garlic: Even if you aren’t taking blood thinning medication, you don’t want to have consumed a lot of garlic before you have surgery because you need your blood to clot. That doesn’t mean you can’t have your favorite garlic sauce before having surgery, but it could be harmful to take a lot of garlic supplements before surgery.
If you believe you need a vitamin supplement and herbs daily you should check with your doctor before consuming large amounts of any supplement as some of these can have toxic effects. Anything taken in excess is harmful for health. Thus you must check out with the doctor before purchasing any over the counter medicines.
Manufactures of vitamin supplements and herbs, unlike manufacturers of drugs, do not have to prove that their products are safe before they are put on the market. The FDA regulates these dietary supplements as food and not as drugs and so after a product like this causes a problem or is unsafe then the FDA can take action.
FDA is active in this case. In December 2005, they sent out warning letters to nine companies that were promoting their dietary supplements could prevent, treat or cure bird flu. When the label reads like that, then the FDA has to look at it like a drug and not food. That is why on all or nearly all vitamin supplement and herbs labels you’ll see the disclaimer that says something like, “ These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and we’re not saying they will cure you.” That’s a rough paraphrase but you get the idea. There is no evidence, genuinely. Thus you must be careful while taking vitamin supplement and herbs.
In the end, we are the ones responsible for what we put into our bodies. Check with your doctor before you believe any outrageous vitamin supplement and herbs claims. There may be some vitamin supplements and herbs that may cause you some allergies or reactions. Some people may be allergic to something and in that case you must be aware of any such allergies.
Summary: Vitamin supplements and herbs are good for health but if taken in excess then can lead to problems. One best example is garlic. If you believe you need a vitamin supplement and herbs daily you should check with your doctor before consuming large amounts of any supplement as some of these can have toxic effects. Anything taken in excess is harmful for health. Thus you must check out with the doctor before purchasing any over the counter medicines.