Deadly "Herbal" Health Supplements - Don't Buy, Give or Take Them

Today's New York Times had a well written article by Natasha Singer about the dangers of imported supplements Americans take for a variety of reasons (a common one seems to be weight reduction) and the risks that these supplements may be deadly, rather than helpful.

Hematologists see patients with very abnormal blood counts (at life-threatening levels) who steadfastly deny taking any medicines and then, after careful questioning by the doctor, admit that they buy and take Chinese origin "herbal" health supplements for their aches, pains, joint problems, excess weight and other non-life threatening conditions. Several years ago I attended a San Francisco hematologists' meeting at which the problem of an "epidemic"  of life-threatening aplastic anemia was discussed. A meticulous investigation at the University of California disclosed that medicines sold as "herbal" contained an antiinflammatory agent, butazolidine, which  wiped out patients'' bone marrow's blood production. Butazolidine was one of  many pharmacologically active ingredients in all purpose pills bought at local shops, not pharmacies.

Read The Times article. Don't take miracle drugs, for which the only miracle is that you survive their serious side effects. Speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for good solid medicine based on science, not the need to make a quick profit on the powerful drugs on the shelf in the back room.  And tell your physician about every medicine you take, whether the medicine is by prescription, over the counter, from a health food store, or from the back room shelf of a local shop.

Added 8/31/2011: Read this FDA warning letter to an Asian manufacturer and learn about the seriousness and the magnitude of problems relating to offshore drug manufacture.