Should herbal supplements be regulated? tonight on the CBS Evening News

[Guest guest]

Should herbal supplements be regulated? Can they be harmful to your

health? We'll answer those questions and more tonight on the CBS

Evening News with Couric

Are Herbal Supplements Hurting You?

New Book Says It's A Buyers-Beware Market For Herbal Remedies

Dan Hurley, author

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/15/eveningnews/main2359540.sht

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(CBS) In her New Jersey kitchen, Sharon Hubbs-Kreft crafts

everything from brain tonics to teas to treat pinkeye, CBS News

correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports.

" This is actually a family recipe I ship all around the world, "

Hubbs-Kreft says.

Hubbs-Kreft is a certified herbalist who learned about " natural

healing " from her grandmother.

" I believe fully in the healing properties of herbs, " she says.

And hundreds of customers believe in her home-grown supplements.

" Business is very good for me. It makes me happy that people are

willing to try a natural alternative, " Hubbs-Keft adds.

This year, Americans will spend about $20 billion on supplements

they believe will keep them healthy.

" There's no good evidence these products are safe and effective and

there's plenty of evidence that many of these products are unsafe,

ineffective or both, " says science and medical writer Dan Hurley.

Hurley investigated the supplement industry for his book " Natural

Causes. " He examined hundreds of studies and found there is little

proof that supplements work. Federal studies found no proof that St.

's Wort fights depression and no proof that echinacea fights the

common cold.

And, Hurley cites other studies that suggest there is no proof that

a healthy child or adult benefits from a vitamin or mineral

supplement.

Nevertheless, some people swear by it, and say they take Vitamin C

and don't get a cold. " I say, I can go all winter long and not get a

cold and I don't take those things, " Hurley counters.

" There are people that passionately believe in them. It's like a

faith for them. I'm not here to challenge their faith. I'm a

reporter. I looked at what evidence I could find, " Hurley says.

And, Hurley says some of what he found was alarming.

" People have found prescription medications in these products.

People have found pesticides, " Hurley says. " The manufacturing

process is not regulated. The safety and effectiveness has not been

proved. It's a buyer's beware market. "

Sue Gilliatt thought herbal remedies were safe. Then, her nose was

burned off by one.

" I've had seven surgeries, " Gilliatt says.

Gilliatt used an herbal paste called " bloodroot " to treat a pink

area on her nose, which she thought might be cancer, until she could

get to a doctor.

" After a few days the edges of the tissue started to lift off and I

lost my entire nose cartilage. The nostrils were gone, " Gilliatt

says.

Her case is extreme, but Hurley says his analysis of data from the

U.S. Poison Control Centers show a million and a half people have

suffered adverse reactions to vitamins and herbal supplements since

1983.

Not everyone agrees. " These products are tested by their

manufacturers, but there's a long history of not only safety of the

products, but the fact that they do have proven benefits, " says

Steve Mister, who works for the supplement industry.

Mister says Hurley's book isn't credible because of its " lack of

science, historical inaccuracies and emphasis on anecdotal evidence

and opinion. "

" I think it's premature for an author like Mr. Hurley to just

dismiss an industry based on a few extreme examples, " Mister adds.

Tuesday, CBS News will look at what the government has to say about

supplements — about their safety and effectiveness — and why they

still don't need FDA approval.