Herbal Supplement Information and videos relating to dietary supplements and nutritional supplements. - Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry
Natural Causes: Death, Lies and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry
Price: $23.95
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
A riveting work of investigative journalism that charts the rise of the dietary supplement craze and reveals the dangerous—and sometimes deadly—side of these highly popular and completely unregulated products.
Over 60 percent of Americans buy and take herbal and dietary supplements for all sorts of reasons—to prevent illness (vitamin C), to ease depression (St. John’s wort), to aid weight loss (ephedra), to boost the memory (ginkgo biloba), and even to cure cancer (shark cartilage, bloodroot)—despite the fact that few of these “natural” supplements have been proven to be safe or effective. The vitamin and herbal supplement industry generates over $20 billion a year by selling products that promise to cure or fix, but are produced and marketed essentially without oversight. And while the media has been quick to sensationalize the benefits of supplements, few have taken a hard look at the dangers posed by many of the remedies flooding the market today. Award-winning journalist Dan Hurley breaks the silence for the first time in Natural Causes.
From the snake-oil salesmen of the early twentieth century, to rise of the health food movement in the sixties and seventies, Hurley charts the remarkable growth of an industry built largely on fraud, and reveals the backroom politics that led to the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which effectively freed the industry from FDA oversight. In unprecedented detail, he shows how supplement manufacturers have concealed the truth about dozens of untested treatments and the shocking rise in deaths, disfigurements, and life-threatening injuries caused by products deceptively promoted as “safe and natural.” Most importantly, he provides a telling look at why, in an age of unprecedented scientific advancement, we continue to buy and believe in remedies for which little evidence exists—and why the supplements we take to promote our health may be doing far more harm than good.
As Hurley shows, the dietary supplement craze may be one of the greatest swindles ever perpetrated on the American public—one that feeds billions of dollars each year into the pockets of lobbyists, politicians, and any charlatan who wants to slap a label on a bottle and tout it as the next big “natural cure.” Blending hard facts with spellbinding personal stories, Natural Causes is a must-read for anyone who has ever popped a multivitamin or an herb, and provides a hard-hitting, frightening look at a cultural trend that is out of control.
Similar Products
- Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine
- Suckers: How Alternative Medicine Makes Fools of Us All
- Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
- Research: Successful Approaches
Customer Reviews
L. Yeager Said: Difficult to know what to believe even after reading book ( Apr. 30th 2010 )
First of all, I'm ambivalent regarding the use of natural supplements. I have relatives/friends who use them and swear by them, and friends/relatives who have had adverse reactions. So I was eager to read this book, but after doing so I am just as confused as ever.
The author seems to make good points but then there are obvious errors such as this one on page 43 of the hardback edition which concerns an analysis of Adelle Davis' book 'Let's Get Well':
"When he analyzed the 170 references in Chapter 5...he found 112 did not relate whatsoever to the assertions Davis used to back them up...another 50 were taken out of context...only 30 accurately confirmed Davis's writing".
112 + 50 + 30= 192 citations, not 170. A small example, but you have to wonder about an author's criticism that another author's work is inaccurate when their OWN work has inaccuracies.
His good points? The supplement industry is unregulated and in the business for profit, and there have been injuries and deaths from these products.
A real distraction in the book is that he seems so biased and one-sided in his approach to this subject. Injuries and deaths have been caused by FDA-approved medications, too. With the exception of Vitamin D, and fish oil he doesn't seem to think any vitamins/supplements work. Yet, my son's therapist recommended melatonin to help him go to sleep at night, his pediatrician said fine, and it's worked like a charm for him. The author accepts assertions that supplements don't work or are harmful from anyone who says so, just as the other side accepts the opposite. I by no means believe that the FDA is impartial in their studies just as other studies are also biased depending on who funds them and their agenda.
In reading other reviews of this book by individuals who swear by supplements/vitamins, I couldn't back up their claims either. I googled Sue Gilliatt as suggested and the only "verification" of her "fraud" against Alpha Omega Labs I could find was on the Alpha Omega Labs Website which, naturally, I'm hesitant to believe. I did find a court document asking Greg Caton, founder of Alpha Omega Labs be dismissed from the lawsuit, but again hardly evidence of her "fraud".
And according to wikipedia, Greg Caton was a wanted international fugitive in early 2009. FDA conspiracy or con-artist?
You really almost have to make up your mind based on personal experience taking the products, which according to the author, and for all I know, could be dangerous.
So, final analysis. This book does at least present a different side of the story and I found it interesting, but the author seemed just as biased in presenting his side of the story as do the detractors in presenting theirs. I look forward to SOMEONE authoring a book not funded/written by anyone with a vested interest or prejudice against the supplement industry.
LittleRedRuby Said: A Life Changing Perspective!! ( Feb. 17th 2010 )
This book has forever altered my perspective on conspiracy theories and the government. I don't know what led me to read this book or why I did, but I am so glad I did! It really makes me wonder who's behind all those complex conspiracies in the first place and if they only exist to make money off of fools like myself for believing them.
The author explains in chronological detail the history of the FDA to protect American citizens from harmful substances being marketed to the public over the last 100 years, and what has happened in the process. If you take any kind of over the counter vitamin or herbal supplement, then you need to read this book!
Whether you agree with the views expressed by Dan Hurley or not, the facts presented in this book are still valid and important for every consumer to know.
bavaview Said: Give me a break! ( Jan. 6th 2010 )
Codex Alimentarius just came into being. Supermarket produce has about 5 times less nutrients than naturally grown. So, let's get rid of those devil vitamins. With a neurological condition I have been taking strong supplements for 20 years. Just go to reputable stores and check on manufacturers like anything else. Some "natural" vitamins do contain the same recipe from one supplier that is also sold on cheapo store shelves. Has ANYONE not got a medical horror story? Google up "death by medicine". THEN we have real stats.
J. Engle Said: Biased and Innacurate ( Nov. 27th 2008 )
Hurley writes well but his book is misleading and full of innacuracies. In the book and an essay authored by Hurley in the January 16th, 2007 edition of the New York Times, the author claims that:
The database of The American Association of Poison Control Centers has recorded 1.6 million reports of `adverse reactions' to supplement products (vitamins, minerals, essential oils, herbal products, homeopathic products, etc.) from 1983 to 2005.
Homeopathic products are NOT dietary supplements and are not covered by DSHEA. It was soon realized that Hurley had counted all "exposure calls" as adverse reaction calls. Exposure calls are non-administrative, non-information calls; the caller was concerned about an exposure to a substance. Typically only about 10 percent of these result in adverse reactions (requiring medical attention). He was inflating the number of adverse reaction calls BY A FACTOR OF TEN. When confronted with the truth the NYT had to print a retraction on Feb. 6, 2007. Unfortunately the inflated number remains in the book, and people like to quote it as proof how "dangerous" supplements are.
Hurley devotes an entire chapter to the supposed dangers of Tryptophan. When the FDA banned Tryptophan in 1989 it was because of problems caused by a single tainted batch made by one Japanese company. Up to that point Tryptophan had been one of the most popular supplements sold in the US. It is very useful for treatment of insomnia, depression, and obesity. It is also inexpensive since it occurs naturally and can't be patented. For decades Tryptophan has been included in baby formula--If there were any problems with Tryptophan itself we would have known about them many years ago. Hurley makes a weak attempt to convince us that Tryptophan is intrinsically harmful. He hints vaguely at a conspiracy to suppress research proving the inherent dangers of this amino acid. The result: Recently, in the face of overwhelming evidence of Tryptophan's safety, the FDA finally allowed it back on the US market!
In pursuing his agenda of trashing dietary supplements, Hurley includes in his book many exaggerations and some outright lies. Reader Beware!
A. Weinberger Said: Very useful ( Nov. 15th 2008 )
I spent a lot of money on vitamins and minerals before I red this book. It was an eye opener for me. Not so much that one shouldn't take any supplements, but to seriously look at their effectiveness and possible side effects. Easy to read and lots of information about the supplement industry that you might not know.