What If a Vitamin Supplement Killed 30 People?

Imagine if you will, that there was a vitamin supplement sold in your local mall. And imagine that there were 30 documented cases of death resulting from taking that supplement. No if's ands or buts, no question about cause, this supplement caused 30 deaths.

Now go one better with me.

All thirty deaths were children.

Can you imagine, even for a moment, the uproar that would ensue? Can you even fathom the outrage? Thirty kids- dead. Sure it's a tiny number when compared to the population at large, but that's cold comfort if you're one of the parents.

Well, guess what. It happened. Only it wasn't a supplement.

It was Ritalin.

Over 2 and a 1/2 million kids in the US have used Ritalin, so 30 deaths might be considered "acceptable" risk, although I think you'd have a hard time convincing the parents of the kids who died.

Now, the American Heart association, for the first time ever, is recommending a thorough heart work-up- including an electrocardiogram- before taking stimulants like Ritalin, the first time a medical-guidelines body has recommended widespread use of an electrocardiogram.

Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not, across the board, against Ritalin, though I think we give it out like candy, and often inappropriately. I'm more interested here in pointing out the utter and shameless hypocrisy that exists concerning drugs and natural supplements. If this number of deaths happened due to a vitamin supplement, you can be sure that there would be a media circus over the lack of regulation of the vitamin industry.

I'd like to point out that there has never been a documented case of an overdose from a vitamin or mineral, at least not in the last ten years. But well over 100,000 people a year die from the use of properly prescribed prescription medications, taken as directed. There's good reason to think that number is much higher, but that's the number that's been documented.

Despite stunningly effective marketing on the part of the pharmaceutical industry, many of their products we could easily do without. If there are natural alternatives- from vitamins, minerals, herbs or lifestyle adjustments- try those first.

Drugs aren't necessarily bad- they clearly sometimes save lives, and I'm glad we have them. But as I said in "The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth" , when it comes to pharmaceuticals, the less you take, the better off you'll be.

Just as this newsletter was going to press, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that an entire class of diabetes meds- thiazolidinediones- is associated with increase risk of fracture and have a negative effect on bones. And in a twist of irony, an osteoporosis drug used to prevent fractures- alendronate- was found to increase the risk of arterial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heart rhythm.

So when it comes to drugs, the best advice is this: go with the absolute minimum necessary, and be sure that they are in fact necessary.

You'd be surprised at how often they're not.