THE NEED TO QUESTION CLAIMS BY THE NATURAL HEALTH INDUSTRY AND MEDIA - BUYER BEWARE

 We know that Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, and Big Government routinely lie to us.  We are astute enough to question their claims and products.  But how many of us question natural health magazines and websites - bathed in a glow of golden images picturing slim, happy, healthy, and beautiful folks? 

 

Their principles make so much sense:  exercise, eat fruits and veggies, avoid GMOs, avoid stress, practice meditation - so much so that we often swallow other advice unquestioningly.   Their Truth has become as sacred as religious catechism. 
 

Not everything "natural" is beneficial for our health.  And not everything claiming to be "natural" is really so.

 

Not all recommended "natural" health products are really good for you.

 

This month\s Alive magazine, a Canadian monthly that is distributed free at health food stores, contains a "Correction" on their From Our Readers section.   

 

In our article "Healing Tea" in the February 2014 issue we included a recipe for a tea blend for pain and inflammation that contains dried arnica.  While believed to be safe when used externally or in homeopathic preparations, arnica can be toxic and potentially dangerous when taken internally.  Do not drink this tea blend.  We apologize for this error.  The health and safety of our readers is our top priority. 

 

We can't expect a magazine to fact-check absolutely everything, particularly involving a product that is alleged to be beneficial when used externally.  To err is human. 

 

The point is that health magazines are sometimes proponents of serious errors.  Only a few years ago I read an article on a health and beauty publication  that recommended swallowing a little toothpaste when you brush your teeth because of the "beneficial effects of fluoride in fighting cavities"!  This was published at a time when the fluoride debate was already in high gear.  How could the author have missed it?  But she did.  I don't want to speculate further.

 

The vitamin and supplements industry

 

Almost all Vitamin C sold in Canada is manufactured in China - as is the case with just about all the vitamins and supplements marketed for your health.  No natural health magazine or store tells you that. 

 

Vitamin tablets won't kill you, and they can be beneficial for individuals with nutritionally poor diets.  Pregnant women are also advised to take the B vitamin folic acid, which helps prevent certain birth defects. 

 

But generally, when you take vitamins and supplements, you don't really know what you are getting or where it comes from.  There is not enough government inspection or regulation of these products. 

 

The organic industry

 

Proponents of organic products never warn you that many of the products touted as "Organic" come from Asia, where standards for growing, irrigating, storing, inspecting and transporting food are different from those in the West.

 

How do you know whether your organic food was irrigated with water polluted by industries discharging unimaginable poisons into it?  Or that maybe those organic lentils you buy were stored in the same containers previously used to store who knows what.

 

Canadians, beware if the supermarket tells you that the product comes "from the United States".  It so happens that there are major food importer companies in the US that buy from all over Asia, and then sell the products to Canada stores.  The Canadian clerk is not technically lying when he says that the cereal, beans or nuts in the bulk section come from the United States.  But - where were they grown?  That is the question.

References

Alive Magazine Twitter correction regarding arnica
https://twitter.com/aliveHealth/status/436606460898709504


RELATED

Even Canadian organics can't be trusted

January 2014 -  Nearly half the organic fresh fruits and vegetables tested across Canada in the past two years contained pesticide residue, according to a CBC News analysis of data supplied by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

 

University food expert Bill Holey explained that pesticides can get onto organic produce through contamination of water or soil through pesticide spray drift from neighbouring farms, and through contact with non-organic produce after harvest.  Some of the larger residue measurements suggest an organic producer deliberately used a pesticide that is not allowed.

 
Read more:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pesticide-residue-found-on-nearly-half-of-organic-produce-1.2487712


Chinese river so polluted it bursts into flame after lit cigarette is thrown into it
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/03/chinese-river-so-polluted-it-bursts.html


China does not allow foreign inspectors into their organic farms
http://www.alternet.org/story/94146/is_your_organic_food_really_organic


Dangers of fish oil - May contain mercury - Cancer risk
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fish-oil-friend-or-foe-201307126467


Supplements made from animal parts   
Supplements made from the brains, eyes and glands of cattle may expose consumers to more risk from Mad Cow Disease than do meat products, scientists say.
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/1040/mad-cow-disease/risks-from-vitamin-supplements#

The benefits of B vitamin folic acid for pregnant women's babies
http://www.webmd.com/baby/folic-acid-and-pregnancy


Make your own pet food - The perils of commercial pet food
(includes links to more information)
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/03/pet-food-alert-pieces-of-plastic-found.html

While searching the internet for Alive magazine's article on arnica or their correction, I found this 2003 article that includes toxic arnica as ingredient in a sleep-aid tea.

 

Herbal teas: chamomile, passionflower, hops, kava kava, St. John’s wort, valerian
Homeopathic remedies: Coffea, Nux vomica, Arnica, Cocculus, Ignatia (as directed).

http://www.alive.com/articles/view/17776/sleep_matters

But how were the Alive magazine fact-checkers to know?  Look at what WebMD says about ARNICA

The flower of arnica is used to make medicine.

 Arnica is applied to the skin for pain and swelling associated with bruises, aches, sprains, and arthritis. It is also applied to the skin for insect bites, muscle and cartilage pain, chapped lips, and acne.

It is also taken by mouth for sore mouth and throat, insect bites, painful and swollen veins near the surface of the skin (superficial phlebitis), sore gums after removal of wisdom teeth, and for causing abortions.

In foods, arnica is a flavor ingredient in beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, baked goods, gelatins, and puddings.

In manufacturing, arnica is used in hair tonics and anti-dandruff preparations. The oil is used in perfumes and cosmetics.

How does it work?  The active chemicals in arnica may reduce swelling, decrease pain, and act as antibiotics.

Source:  http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-721-arnica.aspx?activeIngredientId=721&activeIngredientName=arnica

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