By David Blyweiss, M.D.

Mainstream media thrives on fear, especially if it involves a health scare. I was reminded of this after a recent copy of Consumer Reports landed on my desk warning readers of The 12 Most Dangerous Supplements.
The article profiled several consumers who took tainted or overhyped supplements that sent their bodies into dramatic disarray. The Consumer Reports story says the 12 dietary supplements have been linked by clinical research or case reports to cancer, coma, heart problems, kidney damage, liver damage, even death. So what are these 12 perilous supplements? Most are herbs and compounds you’ve probably never even heard of—aconite, bitter orange, chaparral, colloidal silver, coltsfoot, comfrey, country mallow, germanium, greater celandine, kava, lobelia and yohimbe. Aconite? Coltsfoot? Really? Some of these, like country mallow aren’t even allowed to be sold in the United States! Continue reading →