Supplements and Health products: Caveat Emptor
Caveat Emptor (Buyer beware).
Many may be familiar with my concept of the Semelka trilogy, basically: if it is cheap enough, seems to make wisdom- or scientific-sense, and is very unlikely to make you worse, why not try it? This also reflects that: I don't know, neither does anyone else, because there is not sufficient peer-reviewed scientific literature to confirm the claims, BUT if it is cheap enough, seems to make wisdom or scientific-sense, and is very unlikely to make you worse, why not try it? I always have in the back of my mind, the body has a remarkable ability to mend itself, so it is difficult to exclude if you have taken some wonder drug, and are feeling better, maybe it is just because your body has healed itself, and at least what you took hopefully did not make that self-healing process longer or worse. Also I keep in mind the power of both positive and negative placebos.
This blog deals with the issue of 'unlikely to make you worse'. In part this has been stimulated by emails from trusted patient-scientists (such as Gail Montani) paying attention to science programs on tv and elsewhere, and the medical literature.
To start at the end: buy only products sold by reliable sources.
I was shocked to learn that CBD bought for instance at gas stations, may not be CBD at all, but a synthetic cannaboid substance that is harmful. Similarly shocked to read that many (?all) baby foods contain high amounts of heavy metals such as lead. I have referenced before but supplements that are from some unknown site, and they may appear to be of utmost health-value because they contain Indian writing on the container and hence must be Ayurveda and hence the next best thing to Nirvana, contain heavy metals and may not even contain the supplement they describe on the container.
I have not made an exhaustive search of reliability of vitamins ands supplements suppliers yet, so this list is not intended as the definitive list, and everything else caveat emptor. I do know that Pure makes reliable supplements and vitamins, Centrum should be reliable and relatively inexpensive, I would think these products at Whole Foods should be vetted (but I am not sure), GNC is famous and makes an enormous amount of money, so should be reliable (but I am not sure). Buy CBD at a reliable pharmacy or from a reliable source.
I would not buy things on-line from large on-line sellers that originate from some unrecognized site.
Buy only products sold by reliable sources.
Richard Semelka MD Consulting Stay tuned on the latest advancements: