When Toyota had their recall not so long ago, did you decide all cars were dangerous and give up driving? No, because you have the ability to discern between brands, and even before the recall you were probably aware of consumer complaints against the brakes in those cars affected.
It’s the same with every other product. Even among those who make “natural†supplements, there are those not living up to the claims. A little Googling usually reveals complaints by other users, or, on the flip side, crazy happy testimonials. It is entirely possible to discern between good sources and bad, no matter the products.
Why is this important? Recently, Yahoo released a consumer report attacking natural health supplements and calling for more regulation (side note: the industry is already heavily regulated, and regulations don’t always live up to the goal of protecting consumers as much as they make it hard–expensive–for smaller businesses).
Everyday, more food, toiletries (toothpaste, for example), and other things like pet food, children’s toys, etc. come into the country then there is possible manpower to regulate and check–less than 2% is actually confirmed to be what it says, and to be contaminant free. As a consequence, you may remember any number of awful things that have happened in the past few years causing illness or death: pet food poisonings, salmonella outbreaks, contaminated beef…
And yet, you never hear about anyone dying from taking supplements. In fact, there haven’t been any deaths in recent years. Although, as discussed above, some companies are less scrupulous then others, most small companies selling natural supplements are what they say–they, as already required by regulation, check their ingredients to confirm what they are and gauge quality.
The article claims that many health supplements are “contaminated with…pesticides or prescription drugsâ€. First, our world has reached a point where it’s nearly impossible to avoid any contamination of pesticides, although most natural health advocates do their best to avoid sources that have been contaminated. Even if your apples were organically grown, who knows what was next to them, and what toxins may have previously seeped into the ground. A magazine that promotes natural health once wrote that anything you intend to eat should be grown at least 20 feet away from any paved road because of the toxins it causes to seep into soil (not to mention car exhaust). Have you ever driven by/flown over farming land? Driven around wine country? No one seems to follow this advice, and so one can conclude that, no matter the farming practices, perfection is not exactly achieved.
Second, most of your drinking water is already contaminated with prescription drugs. It made news a few years ago–a study found that, especially in heavily populated areas like the coasts–tap water was full of prescription drugs that weren’t properly filtered out; hormones (from birth control) and anti-depressants were the biggest offenders.
The article also states that “China, which has repeatedly been caught exporting contaminated products, is a major supplier of raw supplement ingredients. The FDA has yet to inspect a single factory there.†Again, health supplements manufacturers are required to verify their ingredients, and this often involves checking the quality, and again, like with all products, quality will vary by brand.
The thing to realize is that those companies whose mission is natural health are doing their best to avoid these contaminants, spending money on purified water, getting things made without preservatives, fillers, or other synthetic add-ins that make production easier, that bigger companies tend to use.
When it comes to colloidal silver, the only side effect that is thrown out to depict colloidal silver as dangerous is argyria, a condition where large silver particles collect in the skin and give it a blueish sheen (this is something that can now be removed with lasers, although it’s expensive). Argyria does not adversely affect one’s health, much less is it life-threatening. Knowing that, it’s important to add that it’s incredibly rare. Very few cases are reported yearly, and most of them can be tied to a single product/manufacturer (again, consumers need to be discerning).
Silver has been used historically as a natural antibiotic–did the medical industry stop using it because it’s dangerous? No. Mostly, it’s because it’s more expensive in certain uses than alternatives, and the invention of antibiotics was a big breakthrough. What’s more, silver is still used (and finding rebirth among medical practitioners) in cases where antibiotics are becoming resistant, as with medical devices (like catheters, heart valves…) inserted into the body. Traditional (and continued) uses of silver involves the treatment of burns.
Of course, you need to practice common sense. If you eat large chunks of silver, that would probably make you sick. Or choke. But choking on something isn’t the fault of the thing, it’s usually the fault of the user. Get the picture?
When choosing health products, do a little research. Call the company. Are you speaking to someone knowledgeable? Sincere? Can they answer your questions? There are more things for sale around the world than ever before in history. Consumers have to be their own last line of defense, weeding out crooks, and supporting companies that are honest.
What are your thoughts and experiences with colloidal silver?
