New malarkey on herbal remedies
It's another hit job on herbal supplements, custom tailored to increase fear, reduce sales and force people to turn to dangerous drugs instead of all-natural remedies.
And, as usual, this so-called study is full of you-know-what.
The headline, as I'm sure you've seen by now, claims herbal supplements are a major cause of liver injury.
That makes it sound like you're pointing a gun at your liver anytime you pick up an herbal remedy -- but the truth is nothing of the sort, because the injuries aren't among people who use, say, a quality Echinacea supplement to help fight off a cold.
No, the biggest jump in liver injuries is among bodybuilders who use all kinds of dubious supplements -- many of which claim to be herbal formulas, but in reality are filled with God-knows-what.
And among the rest of the herbal supplements, the researchers made no real effort to distinguish which ingredients were responsible for liver problems, or if the ingredients on the label were even in the bottle.
That means some -- maybe all -- of the rest of the problems were among low-quality dollar-store "herbal supplements" and the "herbal" junk you find sitting next to the cash register in gas stations and convenience stores.
But if you want to know how safe herbals REALLY are, consider this: Even with all that low-quality garbage floating around out there, herbal supplements represent only a tiny fraction of liver injuries.
The lion's share comes from medication. Drugs are responsible for 80 percent of those liver injuries -- four times as many as herbals -- and when people suffer liver damage due to drugs, they're far more likely to die, according to the same new study.
So what this really proves is just what I've been telling you all along -- what you already know yourself anyway: You have to be a smart consumer.
Gobble down dubious bodybuilding formulas and convenience store "herbal" supplements, and you're pretty much asking for it. Stick to a quality herbal remedy from a maker you trust, and you'll have nothing to worry about.
The only worry should be in Big Pharma sales offices -- because every person cured with a natural remedy is a person who won't need a liver-killing drug.