Tips on Buying and Using Natural Supplements

Obviously the more you know about natural supplements, in particular ones you are interested in using, the better. And the more serious the disease you are attempting to treat, the more care you must exercise and the more you must know. There is no substitute for knowledge, as the doctors, scientists, and patients cited in this book will tell you.

If there is one thing to keep uppermost in your mind, it is that many natural supplements, particularly those that have effects on serious diseases, such as congestive heart failure, depression, cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome, must be approached with respect. They work because they have strong pharmacological activity. Although their side effects are generally much less than those of prescription pharmaceuticals - which makes them especially attractive - natural remedies if abused or overused can also harm you.

In the best of all worlds, you would have a highly trained person - a pharmacist, a doctor, or another health professional - to help guide you: to tell you what you need, how to decide among products and brands, how much to take, what to expect - just as you do when you buy prescription drugs. That's the situation in Germany, where both physicians and pharmacists must be knowledgeable about natural remedies, their approved uses, their potential side effects, and how they should be prescribed. In this country, where natural supplements are virtually ignored by medical schools and poorly regulated by the government, there is no nationwide established repository of consumer information or support system. That is sure to change in the near future, as the power of natural medicines becomes more known. However, at the moment, you are on your own.

Talk to your doctor

Engage the support of your primary health care practitioner, if possible. Health professionals can keep you from making a major mistake. There are limits to self-diagnosis and self-care. You need to be sure in the first place that the disease you believe you have is in fact the disease you have. Professionals can save you from treating something that does not exist or failing to treat something that does. If the remedy doesn't fit the disease, of course it won't work, and you could be neglecting to recognize and treat a serious of life-threatening disease.

Further, health practitioners can help you gauge the extent of your success. Although just feeling better is a good indication that a natural remedy is working, it's best to have concrete evidence that can be provided only by health professionals. Sophisticated test are often necessary to measure your true progress - e.g. in judging changes, such as liver function tests when you are using milk thistle. Health professionals can help you integrate the natural remedies into your overall treatment. Remember, a natural medicine, notably in the case of cancer, should be part of a comprehensive treatment. Well-trained professionals can give you excellent advice on potential interactions with other drugs you may be taking. And of course they are essential if you get into any type of trouble while taking a natural remedy.

For most North Americans a health practitioner means a doctor, usually a medical doctor - an M.D. You are lucky if you have or can find a doctor who is attuned to the use of natural remedies. And, happily, more physicians than ever before are becoming aware of the potential of natural remedies and integrating them into their practices. Some doctors say they learn much from their patients on this subject. Approaching your physician about a natural remedy you want to use is a good idea and essential if you have a serious illness. If your doctor is not responsive, you may want to seek help elsewhere.

For some Americans another very good possibility is a licensed or well trained naturopathic doctor, or N.D. Of all health professionals in this country, these are the best educated and trained in the use of natural remedies. Some well-trained N.D.s may be good practitioners but still unlicensed simply because their state simply doesn't offer licenses. Some unlicensed people, however, might call themselves naturopaths even though their training is from brief correspondence courses.

How to Get the Best Products

Something waling into a health food store or perusing the mail order catalogues for natural supplements is a nightmare of confusion, even for highly sophisticated, knowledgeable people. The array of different products and brands is daunting.

Since the government does not regulate the potency of natural supplements, you have no guarantee that a product you buy has substantial pharmacological activity. sadly, some unscrupulous manufacturers market natural supplements that, when analyzed, have few or no active constituents.

Here are some other ways to be sure you get good, efficacious, safe products.

Buy from a Good Company

Since the industry is unregulated, your best bet is to choose products made by large, reputable companies that have been in business a long time and have a lot to lose by putting out a shoddy or deceptive products. Many of the excellent products increasingly found on American shelves originate in foreign countries, notably Germany and France, and are essentially the exact high-grade medicinal product used there and sold under a different name in the States. For example, Ginkgold (ginkgo biloba) and Thysilin (milk thistle) are both made by large German companies. Because such herbal supplements must meet the strict standards of Germany, they inspire confidence. Many large Europeans companies, such as Indena in Italy, are now formulating their successfully high-quality botanical remedies for an American market. If in doubt, ask your pharmacist or personnel in your health food store to direct you to well established supplement companies with excellent regulations for producing quality products.

Update: In Canada, if a supplement does not have a DIN, the manufacturer or marketer must obtain a Natural Health Product License number NPN. To find out if the supplements you are taking are approved by Health Canada, click here.

Check the Label

Your best guarantee of potency is to look for the word "standardized" on the label. This tells you that the product consistently contains a certain percentage of a specific chemical, which, in most cases, has been shown to be or is suspected to be the most active pharmacological agent. Because the manufacture of such products is more rigorous, they usually more expensive, but generally worth it.

Consider the Product's Form

An extract, which is either liquid, powder, or solid, is generally best. Such extracts are made by processing an herb in water, alcohol, or other solvents in a way that isolates and concentrated sits active constituents. Thus you can tell how much of certain agents a product contains. Bulk herbs can lost their potency quickly, and dried herbs stuffed into capsules are often worthless.

Choose Single-ingredient Supplements

As a general rule, beware the "kitchen sink" combinations. Some manufacturers combine mixtures of herbs that sometimes have little logic and serve to drive up the price or create a unique products of dubious value. If you want echinacea, buy it alone; the fact that it may be combined with goldenseal or another herb does not necessarily make it better or more potent. The same goes for other products. If you need ginkgo to boost your memory, it's better to get it full strength than to get a product diluted with ginseng, garlic, and other herbs.

What about Price?

Unfortunately cheapest is not always best. it's true some natural products are overpriced for various reason. But in the realm of botanical medicines, the higher price often reflects higher quality.