The Science of Cherries: The FDA Calls Cherries a Drug

A 1999 peer-reviewed report in the Journal of Natural Products published by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, concluded that tart cherries may relieve pain better than aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs. The consumption of about twenty cherries reduces inflammation in a manner similar to that of aspirin or the cox-2 inhibiting… Continue reading The Science of Cherries: The FDA Calls Cherries a Drug

Our Troops Deserve Better

The Truth about Supplement Use among the Armed Forces In 1997, the National Defense Council Foundation found that the federal government could save up to $6.3 billion annually by increasing the health of active and retired military personnel through an anti-aging program—one that includes the use of vitamin supplementation. That report clashed with a recent… Continue reading Our Troops Deserve Better

Adverse Event Report Labeling for Supplements — the Controversy Continues

In 2006, AAHF took a stand against the proposed Dietary Supplement and Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection legislation, now law, because we felt the bill was not in the public’s best interest. The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act had already been amended to require reporting of serious adverse events for both over-the-counter and dietary supplements to… Continue reading Adverse Event Report Labeling for Supplements — the Controversy Continues

Supplements and Stroke

Strokes are on the rise in this country; each year there are 700,000 reported strokes in the U.S. Too frequently, they occur in people under the age of 30. The Wall Street Journal has published a number of front page articles devoted to stroke in the U.S. (1) (2) (3) (4) They show that medical… Continue reading Supplements and Stroke

Neuropathy and B Vitamins

A recent Wall Street Journal article about a prescription form of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 to treat diabetic neuropathy makes us wonder about another attempt to make supplements available only by prescription. According to the article, the prescription supplement boosts the production of nitric oxide which in turn relieves neuropathy.

Adverse Event Reporting—New FDA Report Puts Things in Perspective

Research published in the October 2008 issue of Pediatrics says that some of free prescription drug samples being distributed to pediatric patients may be unsafe. The researchers found that one in twenty American children received free drug samples in 2004—and that the most frequently distributed samples were unsafe to children. Four of the 15 most… Continue reading Adverse Event Reporting—New FDA Report Puts Things in Perspective

Fluoride—Good for the Teeth but Bad for the Kidneys?

One of the greatest public health successes of the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the fluoridation of most public water systems in an effort to control tooth decay. But recent research is showing that fluoride has several significant downsides—including harming the creation of tooth enamel.