H43 -- October 2007 -- Herbal Supplement Study

Intro: Herbal supplements are big business. Millions of people spend billions of dollars on herbs such as ginseng, ginkgo and St. John’s wort. Many of these supplements have real health benefits. But many don’t and some are downright dangerous. And a Mayo Clinic study shows that most people who take herbal supplements don’t know enough about the supplements they’re taking.

“MAROON AND WHITE. FIGHT GOPHERS, FIGHT!”

CHEERING HAS BEEN APART OF CONNIE WALKER’S LIFE FOR 40 YEARS.

“I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER.”

AND A COLLEGE CHEERLEADER,

“SPOTTERS, ARMS UP”

NOW A COACH.

“C’MON, SHAKE RATTLE ‘N ROLL!”

CONNIE’S ALSO A LONG-TERM FAN OF STAYING FIT AND TAKING HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS.

“THERE ARE A LOT OF HEALTH ISSUES IN MY FAMILY. THE TWO GLARING ONES ARE HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES.”

CONNIE TAKES SEVERAL SUPPLEMENTS KNOWN TO HELP BOTH CONDITIONS.
“OMEGA-3 FISH OIL, FLAXSEED…”

“BUT BEFORE CONNIE TAKES ANY OF THESE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS SHE MAKES SURE SHE TALKS TO HER DOCTOR FIRST SO SHE KNOWS THE RISKS AND BENEFITS.”

THAT INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO HER HEALTH TOO. A MAYO CLINIC STUDY LED BY DR. UH-DEET-CHUH BAR-DEE-UH SHOWS TWO-THIRDS OF ALL AMERICANS WHO TAKE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS DO SO WITHOUT KNOWING THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SUPPLEMENTS. WITHOUT KNOWING IF THEY’RE SAFE.

“THESE SUPPLEMENTS, LIKE ANY DRUGS, CAN HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS. THEY CAN REACT WITH OTHER DRUGS YOU’RE TAKING.”

FOR EXAMPLE, DR. BARDIA SAYS EPHEDRA, WHICH WAS TAKEN OFF THE MARKET, CAN CAUSE HEART PROBLEMS. AND ST. JOHN’S WORT MAY HELP DEPRESSION, BUT IT CAN ALSO INTERRUPT HOW YOUR BODY METABOLIZES CERTAIN DRUGS, MAKING THEM LESS EFFECTIVE. AND BECAUSE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT REGULATED BY THE FDA, THEY MAY CONTAIN INGREDIENTS NOT LISTED ON THE LABEL. SO TAKE IT FROM CONNIE. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE YOU TAKE HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH, NOT HURTING IT.

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I’M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.

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