According to a recent study nearly two-thirds of chronically ill children use dietary supplements, and 30 percent are using non-prescribed supplements.
Though some supplements can be beneficial, their effects on children's growth and development are often unknown, and, since doctors are often unaware that their patients are taking supplements -- only 20 percent of parents whose children were taking unprescribed supplements had discussed them with the child's doctor -- drug-herb interactions are a concern.
In the study, a survey was given to parents of over 500 chronically ill children. In all, nearly 200 different dietary supplement products were being used, including:
Other study findings include:
Researchers said that parents should discuss their children's use of unprescribed dietary supplements with their doctors or registered dietitians. Though they may not always know of potential adverse reactions between supplements and medications or health conditions, they do have access to such information.
Cancerpage.com January 6, 2005
American Dietetic Association December 28, 2004
There's no question supplements can compensate for some of the damage that people do to themselves. In my practice, however, I've found most people use them to justify their poor food choices. No matter what you spend or what dosage you take, there is no substitute for proper eating.
That's why I was quite concerned about the results of this study that found parents were giving their chronically ill children with serious conditions dietary supplements without telling their doctors. My biggest concern is that parents may be using the supplements as a replacement for proper nutrition, which is the key to fighting so many chronic conditions.
If you only take away one thing from this article, it should be that it's generally better to get your vitamins from food, not supplements. Yes I know and understand that many of you are jumping out of your seats right now, saying but you don't understand, the soils are depleted and it is impossible to get all the vitamins you need from your food.
Well, if you restricted your food choices to those typically available in most restaurants and food stores I would have to agree with you. But I am referring to high-quality, organic and preferably biodynamically grown food. If this is what you are putting into your body then most supplements become a moot and unnecessary issue. They can, and should, of course, be used for many serious conditions as an alternative to drugs, but only in addition to, not in place of, healthy foods.
Many of my patients come into our offices frequently spending hundreds of dollars a month. I believe a far better option would be to invest the money you are spending on supplements on healthy, high-quality food and you will be much healthier.
Supplements can be particularly problematic when they contain several vitamins in one (such as in multivitamins that can contain as many as 24 different nutrients). If your body is sensitive to any of the components, the supplement can actually become disease-promoting.
One just needs to remember to minimize the long-term use of supplements and be diligent in seeking out potential interactions.
The exception here is with fish oil and cod liver oil, which I classify as foods, not supplements, and believe the majority of people could benefit greatly from taking. Just make sure you are using a high-quality brand that is free of toxins like mercury and is not rancid or oxidized.
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