In a new federal report released May 26th, 2010 by the Government Accountability Office, evidence of the dangers of food supplements is finally brought to light.
According to the report, natural supplements, now taken by at least a quarter of adult Americans, often contain trace amounts of lead, mercury, arsenic and potentially dangerous levels of pesticides. This report comes out just in time for a key Senate hearing, set to begin in two weeks, that will decide whether to approve a food safety bill that could clamp down on regulation of such products. Investigators tested 40 herbal supplements. Of those, 37 contained trace amounts of heavy metals, especially lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. The content wasn't enough to exceed safety limits, but it does raise questions about the sterility of the supplement ingredients and the plants where they're produced. "Consuming high levels of the contaminants for which we tested the 40 products can lead to severe health consequences, such as increased risk of cancer," the report reads, adding that the toxicity depends largely on one's dosage and individual health. Sixteen of the supplements contained elevated levels of pesticides. Most of those chemicals aren't capped by legal restrictions because of insufficient scientific evidence about their risk to humans.
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Now I'm not just talking about any and all supplements. The risky supplements I've warned my patients about for years are the cheap ones you find at Costco, Walgreens, and your supermarket. I've been carrying vitamin supplements in my office for 15 years and we only buy from manufacturers that can guarantee purity and also potency. The source of the supplement is key. Our manufacturers use sources from clean waters where the fish don't have mercury, land where the plants don't have pesticides, and they NEVER contain any coloring, sugar, or other artificial additives.
The reason for taking supplements is to improve your health. Don't risk damaging your health by purchasing the cheapest supplement you can find. You wouldn't apply this in other areas of your life and your health is by far the most important.
Our line of supplements includes multi vitamins, joint formulas, and some key nutrients to help control inflammation, sleep difficulties, cardiac health, intestinal health, allergies, and natural immunity particularly against colds and flu. We pride ourselves on providing only the safest products to our patients.
Dr. Harris Meyer
Body Focus Health Center
415-956-3226
medicine as 20% of American men and women utilize chiropractic care at some point in their lives. Of all the health care options, few have been found to be as satisfying to their patients as chiropractic with 80% of those seeking chiropractic treatment reporting significant pain relief, better functioning and an increased sense of wellbeing. Still, many ask questions such as, what is the science behind chiropractic and, what exactly does a chiropractor do? The original hypothesis or theory of chiropractic that led to its founding in 1895 is that skeletal or bone misalignments cause nerve interference resulting in pain, loss of function, and a host of other symptoms related to the nervous system. The entire body is connected through bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, with their supporting circulatory or blood flow system and nervous system. When the skeletal structure is in good alignment, the body can handle the many stresses and challenges we all face on a daily basis. When there is a breakdown in this system, symptoms manifest and when left untreated, these symptoms can develop into chronic pain, including conditions such as fibromyalgia. Chiropractors focus on correcting the imbalances in the skeletal system which reduced problems with how the nervous system functions. The result: reduced or aleviated pain and other symptoms. But what happens if you take a pill or use another form of healthcare that doesn't get to the cause of the problem? That's right, it continues, often worsens, and the symptoms you can't stand return, persist, or also get worse. 
