EXPERT PANEL SAYS VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS ARE SAFE

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EXPERT PANEL SAYS VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS ARE SAFE

Mon, 22 May 2006 12:20:14 -0500

" Orthomolecular Medicine News Service " <omns

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, May 22, 2006

 

EXPERT PANEL SAYS VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS ARE SAFE

 

(OMNS, May 22, 2006) An independent panel of university faculty,

medical researchers, and physicians experienced in nutritional

therapeutics

says that vitamin supplements are exceptionally safe for the public. A

new report by the expert Vitamin Safety Review Panel rebuts a recent US

National Institutes of Health report that attempted to cast doubt on

food supplement safety.

 

" Over half of all Americans take vitamins every day, " said Andrew Saul,

Assistant Editor of the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. " One cannot

help but ask, where are the bodies? The NIH panel ignored

pharmaceutical drug dangers, while concentrating on unfounded concerns

over your

daily multivitamins. This indicates bias.â€

 

According to statistics compiled annually by the American Association

of Poison Control Centers (1), multivitamins kill no one. Gross overdose

of iron (not a vitamin) has been associated with perhaps two deaths per

year. On the other hand, in 2003, there were 59 deaths from aspirin

alone. That is a death rate nearly thirty times higher than that

attributed to iron supplements. There were still more deaths from

aspirin in

combination with other pharmaceutical products. In 2003, two people died

from caffeine. Three people died from dishwashing detergent. There was

also a death from " Cream/lotion/makeup, " a death from granular laundry

detergent, and one death from table salt.

 

On the other hand, says the Vitamin Safety Review Panel, there is not

one death per year from any vitamin in the alphabet. Not from A, B’s,

C, D or E. Michael Janson, MD, said, “In decades of people taking a

wide variety of dietary supplements, few adverse effects have been

noted, and zero deaths as a result of the dietary supplements. There

is far

more risk to public health from people stopping their vitamin

supplements than from people taking them.â€

 

Another Vitamin Safety Review panelist is Abram Hoffer, MD, who also

has a PhD in nutritional biochemistry. Dr Hoffer said, “Vitamin

supplements are extraordinarily safe and effective. This is based on

fifty

years of clinical experience without seeing any life-threatening side

effects and no deaths. It is pharmaceutical drugs that are dangerous.

Perhaps the US Food and Drug Administration is getting tired of all

the bad

news about drugs, so instead they are going after nutritional

supplements.â€

 

Carolyn Dean, ND, MD, agrees. “784,000 people are dying annually,

prematurely, due to modern medicine,†she said. “These are statistics

from peer-reviewed journals and government databases.â€

 

“Focusing on so-called ‘vitamin overload risks’ is lot of

prattle,†commented consumer Nancy Watson Dean of Rochester, NY.

“What is

risky is not taking vitamins. I take lots of supplements every day, and

absolutely no prescriptions at all. I have no ailments, and I will be

91 next month.â€

 

For a copy of the Vitamin Safety Review Panel’s draft report, please

email drsaul

 

Reference:

 

1. Watson WA, Litovitz TL, Klein-Schwartz W, Rodgers GC Jr, Youniss J,

Reid N, Rouse WG, Rembert RS, Borys D. 2003 annual report of the

American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure

Surveillance

System. Am J Emerg Med. 2004 Sep;22(5):335-404.

 

What is Orthomolecular Medicine?

 

Linus Pauling defined orthomolecular medicine as " the treatment of

disease by the provision of the optimum molecular environment, especially

the optimum concentrations of substances normally present in the human

body. " Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy

to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

 

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit

and non-commercial informational resource.

 

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