The Most Popular Supplements: Do They Work?
Posted June 8, 2009 12:11 PM
Posted in echinacea, fish oil, flaxseed oil, garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucosamine, omega-3, supplements, vitamins
Flaxseed oil
Source: Flaxseed, also known as linseed.
Health claim: Usually as a laxative. Also for hot flashes and breast pain, high cholesterol, cancer prevention.
Does it work? Flaxseed contains soluble fiber and is an effective laxative. Its effectiveness at preventing heart disease and cancer are unproven. Study results are mixed on whether flaxseed might reduce hot flashes.
Side effects: Flaxseed should be taken with plenty of water or it may worsen constipation or, in rare cases, even cause intestinal blockage. Flaxseed may lower your ability to absorb oral medications. Flaxseed should not be taken at the same time as other medications or supplements.
Source material: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Ginseng
Source: Root of Asian or American ginseng, an herb native to Korea and China. It is used in tablets, capsules, extracts, teas, as well as creams. (Siberian ginseng or eleuthero is not a true ginseng.)
Health claim: Immune system booster, improvement of stamina, physical and mental performance; lowering blood sugar and blood pressure.
Does it work? There is no convincing evidence ginseng works for anything. One study suggested it helped cancer patients relieve fatigue, but doctors said it was too soon to recommend it; also, the ginseng used in the study was powdered American ginseng root whose purity was verified by the scientists. Some studies suggest ginseng may lower blood sugar.
Side effects: Usually none. Most common are headaches and sleep and gastrointestinal problems; some reports of breast tenderness, menstrual irregularities, and high blood pressure, but these products were not analyzed, so effects may have been due to another herb or drug in the product.
Ginseng may lower levels of blood sugar, so diabetics should be extra cautious, especially for interactions with medications or other herbs.
Source material: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Source: , Associated Press
Comments
Have something to say? Share your thoughts.
Posted June 21, 2009 1:10 PM
Has anyone heard anything about alkaline antioxidant water? I was told it helped cleanse cells of toxic wastes and that it really works for migraine headaches among a list of other ailments. I was wondering because I have tried looking it up on several sites and can't find any info on it.
Posted June 10, 2009 3:26 PM
This shows such disdain for supplements, it must have been written by a physician, a drug company executive or a relative of one. Almost every one of the supplements mentioned works for people who understand such treatments and obtain good quality products. If one reads the article carefully one quickly discovers that it mostly cautions against reactions to pharmacuetical drugs that people are taking by a doctor's decree. Perhaps if people would take these gentle supplements INSTEAD of drugs they would do a lot better. All of these have NO side effects, while the drugs often have more side effects than the disease they are supposed to help has symptoms.
Posted June 9, 2009 10:08 PM
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a USA goverment agency. I do not believe the test results because these agencys are funded by private companys (drug manafactures). The private companies do not want us to take low cost meds. Their main function is this life is to make money for the stockholders that is why RX drugs are so costly.
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