It is always a treat when Sherry Rogers, MD is my guest on Healthy by Nature. This week we will take listener calls on the general subject “Healing the Impossible”. That title covers a lot of health territory, but whatever a caller’s concerns, this brilliant physician and author will have something positive to offer. She’s written 14 books and when you look at the breadth of topics you’ll know what I mean: Is Your Cardiologist Killing You?; Wellness Against All Odds; Pain Free in 6 Weeks; and Depression Cured at Last. Participate at 1(800)281-8255.

SUPPLEMENTS IN THE NEWS

This week the Dallas Morning News reprinted a negatively slanted article on supplements that originally ran in a California paper. Hmmm. Why is it that I see hundreds of positive studies on supplements, but the “news” that shows up in the media is almost always negative? Below I list some possible reasons for the occasional negative research outcome and why I believe the media tends to promote that exception over the bulk of the others.

Researchers may notice an interesting trend while investigating something entirely different. That would be fine except that since the study wasn’t focused on that particular factor, it may not have controlled for all the things that might possibly have confused the results. For example, let’s say that a study is tracking heart disease and looking mainly at variables like cholesterol levels and statin drugs but notices that participants who reported taking a multi-vitamin didn’t seem to have an advantage. Had they been conducting the study specifically on vitamins, they would (or at least should) have looked very closely to make sure that folks weren’t using the vitamin to compensate for a lousy diet. They would also have asked about the type of products being taken. I believe that some of the most highly advertised and widely used multivitamins do not contain meaningful amounts of many of the nutrients, include poorly absorbed forms and are also chock full of potentially disease-aggravating chemicals. I wrote more on that subject at this link and gave an example.

Most researchers completing these studies are not nutritionists therefore have a very different set of values.
When they study vitamin E consumption for example, they too often don’t differentiate between the synthetic vitamin E and the natural, let alone the more beneficial vitamin E complex. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, a government sponsored study supposedly to confirm fabulous cancer-protective effects of selenium didn’t bother to use the same beneficial form.
These non-nutritionists also seem to expect nutrients to behave like drugs and therefore evaluate only short term benefit when the most powerful effect is prevention over decades. (I guess it is hard to get funding for a twenty year study and the scientist might retire by then.)
Sometimes the studies use such small amounts of nutrients known to be beneficial in higher amounts that it is tempting to think they want the study to fail. I could dissect each of the studies, but you get the idea.
One thing I do agree with is this: they always end the articles by saying that supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. It’s right there in the name. It’s a supplement.

What’s up with the news media?
It is too boring to say, “hey, yet another study reports that vitamin C is good for you.” Contrarian “man bites dog” stories rules the day. The more extreme the headline, the more papers it sells. Don’t get me started on cable news—with 24 hours to fill, they get pretty desperate for anything to talk about.
Budgets are tight and with fewer reporters to do real investigation, media very often repeat “news” from a wire service or another media outlet. It’s rather like spreading a rumor. Especially since it can get distorted along the way, you really have to hope the original source at least came close to reporting the actual intent of the researchers. (Sometimes they twist it beyond recognition.)
Then there is the 4 or 5 billion dollars that pharmaceutical companies spend yearly on advertising. Do you think possibly the media might be reluctant to say that a supplement might replace a drug even if it is true?

VITAMIN A Link Booboo
At the end of last week’s newsletter I gave a link for more information about Vitamin A. However, to view the HealthNotes site, it is apparently necessary to enter through a sponsoring site. I’ve given the steps below to do that. Although this may be too much trouble for just vitamin A, Vitasearch and HealthNotes are both great resources for many other questions about health or nutrients and herbs.

So, please give it a try.

1. Go to www.vitasearch.com (You can search here for journal articles on any condition or substance. You can even register for a weekly update of new research on health and nutrition.)

2. Look for the Health Notes link (it is in the second line under the search box). HealthNotes is a wonderful resource.

a. Select “Vitamin Guide”
b. Vitamin A is under “V” for vitamin

*This information is educational and should not be substituted for your doctor’s advice. The statements in this newsletter have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book : Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

Copyright 2011 Martie Whittekin, CCN