Supplements popularity

Many over-the-counter treatments are herbal supplements popularized by the recent trend toward all things natural. In a grocery or department store, a shopper can buy a vast array of different herbal supplements, all reported to have some healing property or nutritional value. Ginseng, echinacea, ginger root, flaxseed oil, lavender oil, and shark cartilage are all examples of the things one can find, each with a different function that supposedly makes life better. 

An alternative means of avoiding the hazard from fire is to bury the vessels or to employ the increasingly popular method of mounding. In either case, acknowledgment of the reduced hazard is indicated by the reduced separation distances (see Table 20.4). Since both burial and mounding preclude the possibility to monitor continuously the external condition of the vessels, very high-quality corrosion protection needs to be applied, often supplemented by cathodic protection, depending on soil conditions. 

The most widely used preservative remains benzalkonium chloride, which often is supplemented with disodium edetate. The benzalkonium chloride defined in the USP monograph is the quaternary ammonium compound alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chloride, in which the alkyl portion is composed of a mixture of chain lengths ranging from C8 to C16. This compound s popularity is based, despite its compatibility limitations, on its being the most effective and rapid-acting preservative with excellent chemical stability. It is stable over a wide pH range and does not... 

In February 2004, the FDA withdrew ephedra, one of the most popular dietary supplements, from the market because it finally had enough information to prove that ephedra presented an unreasonable risk of illness or injury under the conditions of use recommended on the product labeling. This withdrawal did not happen until many people suffered from the terrible potential side effects of this supplement (see Chapter 4). 

Figure 6.2 Guarana, shown here, grows as a shrub in the Amazon. The Maue Indians initially made this herb into a beverage that they used as a stimulant to keep them attentive on hunting trips. The Maue Indians also believed guarana had medicinal purposes. Today, guarana is still a popular stimulant beverage, especially in Brazil, and is used in dietary supplements to help people lose weight.

Another popular herbal dietary supplement that has a long history of use for medicinal purposes is ginseng. Much like Echinacea, three primary species of ginseng exist for therapeutic consumption Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng), Panax notoginseng and Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng). These herbal varieties can be readily authenticated... 

Dietary Supplements. In the past 10 years, melatonin, available as a dietary supplement from health food stores or over the Internet, has become a popular sleep agent. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland at peak levels during the night. It is believed to help regulate the 24 hour circadian sleep-wake cycle. 

Over the past few decades, the use of natural products as drugs and dietary supplements has raised an increasingly important question What impact does it have on biodiversity The widespread popularity of some natural products has resulted in their rapid destruction in the environment. One of the best-documented examples of this pattern is the decimation of wild echinacea resources throughout the United States. Sales of the plant in 2002 amounted to more than 32 million, and manufacturers are eager to obtain as much as they can from American sources. As a result, the plant is rapidly being depleted from its natural habitat, which ranges across large parts of the Midwest. 

Sales of Ca supplements alone were 875 million in the United States in 2002, and comprised 60% of all mineral supplement sales (Anonymous, 2004). In 2004, sales of Ca supplements increased by 9.3% (Uhland et ah, 2004), possibly to some extent in response to the Surgeon General s report on bone health that was issued that year. More recently in 2006, it was projected that dietary supplement sales in the United States would approach 5 billion (Anonymous, 2006). While Ca derived from a balanced diet is preferable, Ca supplements are a popular noncaloric alternative for increasing daily Ca intake. There are a vast number of oral Ca supplements available in the market place in the form of capsules, tablets, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets, liquids, powders, suspensions, wafers, and granules. However, not all Ca salts are equally soluble or bioavailable and the dose of Ca on the label of a supplement may not necessarily be reflective of the relative amount of available Ca once consumed. Furthermore, the same Ca salt may be more or less bioavailable depending on the production process and materials used to manufacture the supplement. 

The popularity of the benzodiazepines as an anesthetic supplement in cardiac surgery is related to their amnesic potential. They can ensure unawareness during the initial period, when the anesthetics are being diluted in the fluid of the bypass circuit. Lorazepam is often chosen for this purpose because it is longer acting and more potent than either midazolam or diazepam. Benzodiazepine administration may cause amnesia even when used in doses that do not produce unconsciousness. Antegrade amnesia may occur with the doses that are used to relieve preoperative anxiety. 

Rapid recovery and its antiemetic properties make propofol anesthesia very popular as an induction agent for outpatient anesthesia. Propofol can also be used to supplement inhalational anesthesia in longer procedures. Both continuous infusion of propofol for conscious sedation and with opioids for the maintenance of anesthesia for cardiac surgery are acceptable techniques. 

SarubinA.The Health Professional s Guide to Popular Dietary Supplements. Chicago American Dietetic Association, 2000. 

CAM. Data about 145 boys and 35 girls, with a mean age of 10 years, were obtained. The most popular form of alternative therapy was vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (51%), followed by nutritional supplements (14%), herbs and botanical medicines (11%), massage (9%), chiropractic (4%), homeopathy (4%), and acupuncture (2%). (Horrigan et ah, 1998). An anecdotal report described the use of St. John s wort by four teenagers who were under psychiatric care (Walter and Rey, 1999). Three of the patients had been reluctant to reveal this to their psychiatrist, believing the doctor had no interest in alternative medicine or would disapprove of it. 

The addition of the National Formulary section to the pharmacopeia, followed more recently by the section of Nutritional Supplements, has resulted in a considerable increase in the numbers of substances described by an official monograph. These are mainly excipients and diluents for the NF and standards for the popular Nutritional Supplements (including my personal favorite, Chocolate). 

December 30 The Food and Drug Administration announces that it will ban ephedra, an herbal dietary supplement with amphetamine-like effects that has been popular with dieters and athletes. The government has included that the substance poses an unreasonable risk of illness and injury. ... 

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