On occasion, an article is printed in the mainstream media about natural approaches to health.  Rarely are they positive.  At the same time, rarely do they actually have much merit, either.  Here's a great example.  At the end, I take apart the article and reveal exactly what the headline DOESN'T want you to think.


Herbal medicines may hurt more than help

Aug. 26, 2008 06:28 PM
USA Today

Traditional herbal supplements used by thousands of Americans may contain dangerously
high levels of lead and other toxins, a study shows.

Nearly 21 percent of Ayurvedic medicines - plant-based products used in India for
thousands of years to promote health - actually contain lead, mercury or arsenic,
according to a study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
Arsenic can cause cancer. Lead and mercury can damage the kidneys and brain,
especially in children, says study author Robert Saper, an assistant professor at Boston
University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. More than 80 people have
developed lead poisoning worldwide from Ayurvedic medicines since 1978. Symptoms
include fatigue, anemia and abdominal pain.

Although Ayurvedic medications are largely used by adults to treat problems ranging
from indigestion to infertility, about 4 percent of the 193 products that Saper tested were
labeled for use in children.

Saper and his colleagues purchased all of the medicines on the Internet. In a 2004 study,
he also found lead, mercury and arsenic in 20 percent of Ayurvedic supplements sold in
Boston-area stores. About 750,000 Americans have used Ayurvedic medicine, says
Michael McGuffin of the American Herbal Products Association, whose members
include the makers of traditional herbal products.

Manufacturers and the owners of Web sites mentioned in the article say they carefully
test their products for safety. Peter Bowes, owner of Seattle-based Tattva's Herbs, says
his company's own tests found much lower lead levels than those listed in the study.
McGuffin notes that it may be impossible to ensure that herbal products are 100 percent
lead-free, because even fruits, vegetables and dairy products can be contaminated with
lead, which can be found in soil or water.

McGuffin notes that government and professional agencies set widely different safety
standards for lead, mercury and arsenic. While most of the products in Saper's article
have lead levels that exceed California's standard, only two violate the World Health
Organization's standard.

Saper says the Food and Drug Administration should set maximum daily dose limits for
toxic metals in dietary supplements. Although the FDA currently doesn't specify how
much lead is permitted in these products, it can pull products off the market if they're
found to be unsafe. The FDA, for example, banned Ayurvedic products cited in Saper's
2004 study.

McGuffin says the government and industry should seriously consider such limits. "If we
know what the target is, it makes it easier to hit the target," McGuffin says.


My comments
Initial Note: I am all for fair and honest reporting of the truth.  I am also for safe products, including natural products.

Let's start from the top.
1. "21% of Ayurvedic medicines actually contain lead, mercury, or arsenic."  First off, this is a blanket-sweeping statement that is not accurate. The medicines in this article were internet purchases only, and only 193 of 673 products were actually studied.  I have always been wary of internet purchases, and only buy supplements locally.  However, the statement does not mention internet purchases, which would be much more accurate.  It should read, "21% of a sample of internet-purchased Ayurvedic medicines actually contain lead, mercury, or arsenic."

Neither does the very first statement: "Traditional herbal supplements used by thousands of Americans may contain dangerously high levels of lead and other toxins, a study shows."  Wow, what a broad and scary statement that really is media-worthy and full of hot air (it doesn't even mention Ayurvedic!).  And now for the whopper:

2. "More than 80 people have developed lead poisoning worldwide from Ayurvedic medicine since 1978."  This is actually media-headline material???  That averages out to 2.7 people every year around the WORLD.  Considering the world's population is currently at 6,719,466,802, somehow the 2.7 people DOESN'T scream out "Stop all Ayurvedic herbs instantly for fear of death and disease!!" (Statistic: http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html)

If the point was to protect the American public from 2.7 deaths, then where is the protection from the 7600 annual deaths due to aspirin-related medicines in the US alone?  Nor is there any mention of the 365,000 deaths in the US alone due to "poor diet and physical inactivity."
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm

3. The article mentions that 750,000 Americans take Ayurvedic medicines for health purposes.  Now I'm going to take a really rough estimate and say that maybe 50% of these medicines show benefit.  That's 375,000 Americans that are benefiting.  Let me also calculate that the U.S. holds about 5% of the world's population (300 million of the 6 billion people).  So 5% of the 2.7 deaths in the world annually from Ayurvedic medicine comes out to 0.135 people.  Let's round that up to 1.0 (ridiculous, I know). 

So what the article is saying is that we need to "protect" 375,000 Americans against the possible death of 1 person (and that's with a statistically ridiculous round-up).  In the meantime, we are denying benefits to 374,999 people who gain benefit.

Now, for the kicker: The headline reads "Herbal medicines may hurt more than help."  HUH?????

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My energy blog is dedicated to helping you get maximum amount of energy, in minimum amount of time.

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