Q&A with Dr. Perry
Q: What do you make of the recent report on contaminants in supplements reported recently by the media?
A: Dr. Perry… First, some background. This report was based on a study pursued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) at the request of Senator Herb Kohl, who chairs the Special Senate Committee on Aging.
The GAO purchased 40 different herbal supplements and had a lab test the products for heavy metals. The lab found trace amounts of various heavy metals in most of the products, but the levels were not large enough to cause concern about safety.
In fact, this point was reiterated in public statements by the FDA, who made it clear that these low levels of heavy metals in supplements did not create a concern for the public’s health or safety.
The truth is this finding by the GAO is right up there with discovering that water is wet and the sun is hot. Of course supplements coming from natural botanical sources (herbs, vegetables, fruits, plants, etc.) will contain trace amounts of heavy metals. That’s because the soil and natural environment they grow in contain trace amounts of these very same minerals.
Just the same, the foods you eat every day contain low amounts of these heavy metals too – even organic products. This is true of fruits, vegetables and herbs as well as fish and meat.
The way you deal with this is by keeping your body functioning as normally as possible so it can excrete these toxins faster than they can accumulate in the body.
Now it would have been nice if the news media would have provided some perspective and balance in their reporting of the GAO study. Instead, the headlines from the New York Times and others read “Herbal Supplements Often Contain Contaminants, Study Shows.”
We know that bad news sells – but this wasn’t even news! At least they had the decency to include in the article statements from the FDA indicating these trace amounts do not cause a health concern.
The bottom line is you will never find supplements from natural sources that are completely free of trace amounts of unwanted minerals. That’s not to say you shouldn’t care about the levels in products you are taking.
Good manufacturers who care about you are usually careful about the ingredients they select for their products – and look to minimize unwanted substances like heavy metals.
This is one reason that certain brands cost more than others you see for sale. It’s not only because of what’s in the product - but also what is not.
You know at NatureCity® that we use our products just like you do. And we’re very careful about the quality of the raw ingredients we choose. We also work with only the premier manufacturers in the industry, who immediately test all ingredients when they arrive to confirm identity and toxin levels. The result is products that more than comply with State and Federal regulations that limit heavy metals.
All of this cost us extra, but you (and we) are worth it!
