The Sharon Kleyne Hour

Radio Talk Show – www.workdtalkradio.com

Power of Water – Global Warming

Mind – Eyes – Skin – Body

 

Show Summary

 

Date aired: April 14, 2008

 

Guest #1 – Dr. Alan Kadish, NP (Medford, OR), Naturopathic Physician      

“Purchasing Dietary Supplements”

Guest #2 – George Kotti, Executive Director, Hot Springs (SD), Chamber of Commerce

“The South Dakota Hot Springs” 

 

Sharon Kleyne (paraphrased): Welcome to the Sharon Kleyne Hour. My guest today, for the second time, is Dr. Alan Kadish, a Naturopathic Physician from Medford, Oregon. Welcome, Dr. Kadish. Could you tell us about yourself once again?    

Dr. Alan Kadish (paraphrased): Sure. When I was growing up, I had a number of medical problems that conventional medicine could not help. When we moved out of the country for a few years, I discovered alternative medicine. Ultimately, I cured myself with diet. I eventually went to school to become a licensed Naturopathic Physician.

S: Are there unlicensed Naturopathic Physicians?

A: There are many of them. Most don’t use the word “physician” in their title, which is one way to tell. It’s pretty easy to tell is someone is qualified. Only 15 states license Naturopathic Physicians and there are only five accredited schools (one is in Portland). The licensing states require graduation from an accredited school, and you must pass a state board exam. It’s helpful to know all this when you to go a Naturopathic Physician. To find out for sure is someone is qualified, look them up on the AANP register (although only about 50% of graduate NP’s belong to the AANP).

S: It’s a very exciting field. I always recommend that patients be very careful in selecting a doctor, that they ask lots of questions, and that they pick somebody who spends a lot of time asking them about diet and lifestyle.

A: There are some great articles about diet and lifestyle at my website, which is www.centerofhealth.com.

S: Today, we are going to talk more about dietary supplements and how to buy them. In our deteriorating environment, supplements are becoming important to supply what the environment may no longer supply. Las Vegas and west Texas are the worst places in the U.S. for dryness but they’re not nearly as bad as China, Argentina and Mexico. Dry eye and dry skin are a terrible problem in those places. How well regulated in the U.S. supplement industry?

A: It’s getting there. They passed a Federal law regulating the manufacture of vitamins and dietary supplements in 1994 but they’re only now beginning to enforce it. The FDA has implemented a series of standards called “Good Manufacturing Practice” or “GMP.” This has long applied to pharmaceuticals but had not been applied to supplements. The idea is to make sure that what’s in the bottle matches what’s described on the label.

S: Can we be confident in the supplement we buy or do they still vary widely?

A: You can be confident. However, there are some big “ifs.” When you buy vitamin D, for instance, you need to know if it’s D₂ or D₃. And it makes a difference what the quality control standards are, which and how much anti-oxidants are included, and what other ingredients are added. The government wants this to be reliable and accurate until the expiration date. Also, it’s very important how supplements are stored. Fish oils go rancid if stored for very long over 70 degrees. However, some supplements get water-logged if you leave them in the refrigerator.

S: There’s a lot of knowledge involved with supplements, that most store clerks don’t have.

A: This is not easy information to acquire. Not all supplements are good for you or compatible with other supplements. Getting back to GMP, it was passed in 1997 and is still not fully implemented. Full implementation will begin in August, 2008, for larger companies, and later for smaller companies. I should add that some companies have being exceeding these standards voluntarily day one while others are being dragged kicking and screaming. One of the largest vitamin companies has only recently met GMP standards.

S: Could you tell us about alkaline water and herbal medicine?

A: We could do a whole show about the Japanese companies selling “alkaline water” with all sorts of dubious claims. And the “Herb Pharm” group in Williams, Oregon, not far from where we live, is already incompliance with GMP regulations and has excellent quality control. This can be expensive for a small company.

S: Do you have any final words?

A: I have several.

1.      If you are purchasing a product for your health, make sure you need it.

2.      There are many companies and the most expensive supplement is not always the best. Sales clerks usually can’t help you with this.

3.      Less is better than more and food is always better than pills.

4.      There are places you can go to online or call that can give you an independent assay of a product’s contents.

5.      There’s an excellent article on my website about buying supplements. Go to HTTP://centerofhealth.com/id36.html. “And you thought the label was accurate.”

6.      Ask someone who KNOWS!

S: And drink plenty of water.

A: Non adulterated water for which you know the source.

S: Thank you once again, Dr. Kadish. My next guest is George Gotti, Executive Director of the Hot Springs of South Dakota, at the extreme south end of the Black Hills, who will tell us all about this wonderful and popular warm spring.