The following 2:36 video is a perfect example of a well known licensed physician (Paul Offit) WITHOUT expertise in nutrition or vitamin supplementation selectively choosing unnamed references to promote FEAR about healthy lifestyle choices (ex vitamin and mineral supplementation.)
It is entertaining to watch him maintain a serious expression as he voices the “SERIOUS DANGERS” of multi vitamins (especially in mega doses.) The Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS) reported:
ZERO CASES OF DEATHS FROM MULTI MINERAL, MULTI HERBAL AND MULTI VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS IN 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and (the latest information) 2015.
.
This number would include reported cases of MEGA DOSE SUPPLEMENTATION. (This does NOT mean, however, that everyone should take mega doses of ANYTHING without proper guidance by a licensed physician QUALIFIED to advise on vitamin, herbal and mineral supplementation.)
You might be interested to know that:
370 CASES OF DEATH OCCURRED FROM SINGLE SUBSTANCE **PHARMACEUTICAL EXPOSURE** CASES IN 2015 ALONE.
(REFERENCE: 2015 Annual Report of the American Assoc. of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS): 33rd Annual Report)
.
These 370 deaths did NOT INCLUDE the additional number of patients dying from adverse reactions to pharmaceutical prescriptions. EVERY YEAR there are over:
100,000 Deaths from properly prescribed, properly taken pharmaceuticals.
(REFERENCE: HARVARD UNIVERSITY: “New Prescription Drugs, A Major Health Risk With Few Offsetting Advantages”)
.
Did you know DOCTORS are the 3rd or 4th leading cause of DEATH (depending on reference chosen) behind Cancer, Heart Disease and Respiratory complications?
(REFERENCE: Johns Hopkins study suggests medical errors are third-leading cause of death in U.S.)
.
Although I believe the United States has one of the finest EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES available in the world, Dr. Paul Offit (lacking education and knowledge in nutrition and supplementation) does his profession a disservice when unnecessarily intimidating the public with these appearances. Do some manufacturers of vitamins make untruthful claims? YES! Do some manufacturers misrepresent the ingredients in their products. YES! Do quality vitamins and minerals in and of themselves pose a likely danger of DEATH to the general public? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
An informed consumer is the BEST CONSUMER to make the best informed decision. If we apply common sense to most American eating habits, we would see that approximately 70% of our population is overweight and/or obese based on food sources that LACK ADEQUATE NUTRITION. Quality vitamin and mineral supplements (although NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR HEALTHY MEALS) provide a good source of these nutrients lacking in the standard diet. Personally, I eat a healthy diet and consume additional supplements because our food supply doesn’t contain the nutrients it did 50 years ago. Between the increased quantity of pesticides and the shorter time span soil is given to replenish nutrients, I have chosen to supplement to insure my nutritional needs are met.
.
PLEASE DON’T LET THESE BIASED MEDIA APPEARANCES DISTRACT YOU FROM MAKING QUALITY HEALTH CHOICES FOR YOURSELF.
.
Dr. Offit believes vitamins are more dangerous than pharmaceutical drugs. When comparing over 100,000 deaths per year from prescription medications (taken properly) with ZERO deaths from vitamins from 2010-2015, one must question Dr. Offit’s judgement.
.
All About Healthy Choices 
My opinion is I rather have a doctor put me on a vitamin then prescription meds. If there s an alternative (diet, etc) to a prescription drug, I rather do it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Here’s the problem. Doctors receive only a few hours of education on vitamins (at maximum) over an entire medical education . This means they aren’t trained properly to OFFER nutraceutical options when available. This is why it is so important to CREATE a team of doctors with specialties in different areas to help you understand ALL the VIABLE CHOICES before following ANY doctor’s recommendation. A medical doctor is going to prescribe a pharmaceutical. A great example is LOVAZA. This is a prescription of FISH OIL. It costs between $130+ to $230+ for 120 capsules. You could get the same quantity of EPA and DHA (omega 3 oils) in a quality OTC supplement for about $40.00.
This is just one of many examples that show the lack of training and education the traditional general practitioners and internists have when it comes to recommending proper food and supplement sources to address health problems.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I get my vitamins behind the counter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am a medical language specialist (transcriptionist) by trade (I don’t do this anymore), but because of this, I no longer blindly trust doctors. With that being said, there is no way I would let this guy’s “opinion” distract me from my own knowledge about vitamins.
LikeLiked by 3 people
People with “inside” medical experience often make similar comments like yours. Perception of health is very different from the eyes of many traditional medical physicians. They tend to view “the absence of disease” as being healthy. This is far from accurate. It’s like saying, “if you don’t hate someone, you love them.” Good health is not only based on what you “don’t have,” but also (very much) what you DO HAVE. It requires ACTIVE participation and commitment to oneself and one’s behavioral habits.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Consumers should educate themselves first and foremost about supplements. I will buy only from reputable companies that have been around for the longest time. I always joke by stating that I will NOT take ANYTHING approved by the FDA. True more harm is done by prescriptions drugs than any over the counter drugs. The issue is when people are harmed by a prescription, the medical field blames it on a condition that the patient had for a cover-up, whereas if someone dies of an OTC supplements which is rare unless it is not from a reputable company or misuse then it is all over the news. I asked once my doctor why the medical community is so weary of supplements? His response was that if any side effects occurs due to these supplements, the physicians are not trained or know how to treat the patient.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With greater than 100,00 deaths per year from properly prescribed medications, it doesn’t sound to me that physicians necessary know how to treat patients with products they are well acquainted with! A smart doctor doesn’t end his or her education with medical school (and the mandatory CE credits required for license renewal.) They seek new knowledge from a myriad of sources to offer the best COMBINATION of options available.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Media news about supplements means very little, actually nothing to me. I eat healthy, mostly vegetarian, and I still use a wholefood sourced supplement. But, I research the ingredients so I know what is going to benefit my body and how it will enhance my health. We can’t blame consumers, we have to try to educate and promote best health, naturally. Thanks for the great article!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Most people only seem willing to change behavior when NEGATIVE diagnoses present themselves. It’s unfortunate that people choose damaging self destructive behaviors because they believe (wrongly) that healthy living requires great sacrifices.
LikeLike
Did he get an oscar for this performance? How many millions to play this role?
If he didn’t get both then he must be feeling very very threatened …
LikeLiked by 2 people
He also developed the rotavirus vaccine currently part of the scheduled vaccine program. Needless to say, he sat on the board and VOTED for this vaccine approval which he didn’t consider a conflict of interest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
so more two faced than most actors 😦
that is appalling, but he got away with it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish he was an actor. Paul A. Offit, MD is the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He has been a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He is well respected in the medical community.
His “credentials” (arguably) do not convey his lack of ego or acute lack of objective alternative scientific awareness!
LikeLiked by 1 person
don’t you mean his huge ego and lack of generalised knowledge … ignorance … sorry I struggle to take such arrogance seriously but obviously others are impressed 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it has less to do with impressing the public and more to do about reinforcing a medical bias to support the pharmaceutical basis of medicine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
don’t you mean making big bucks?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your wording is nice and direct. I was attempting a more diplomatic approach (also known as “sugar coating”.)
So to answer your direct response with a direct answer…YES! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
you know me Dr J short and sharp, call it like it is!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just the way I like you! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I rarely take heed of anything I hear on the news unless I check it out myself. Saying that so many people take the news and advertising as gospel and they are the supplement industry’s dream customers. We need to do our own research as doctors or GP’s as they are called in England which stands for General Practitioner do not have the training in everything, so unless they specialise in a certain area they are not experts in everything hence the need for the consumer to check things out for themselves. A good article which highlights the need for us to be aware.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With the consumer relying on TV for so much of their information, it makes it challenging to share hidden truths with them. The process is slow, time consuming and emotionally laborious, but the BEST CURRENT TRUTH must gain exposure for people to make better informed health decisions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh it certainly isn’t easy to get to the truth and as you say sometimes it is the best current truth you can find. It is just this celebrity craze that it ” must be correct” mentality I don’t understand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rather than taking personal responsibility, it is simply easier to follow other people. Of course, this is unlikely to produce the best outcomes much of the time, however, many people don’t care. As long as they can “function” they don’t care about the level of quality they experience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spot on, just not my way I like to know what goes in my body and the possible effects…but that is just me 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
If more people were concerned with what went into their bodies, healthier outcomes would be achieved. This just shows how strong the emotional attachment to “taste” is. People are willingly choosing short term “taste” gratification over long term quality health and living.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Watched the video and saw the letters CNN in bottom right corner…that’s all I needed#fakenews
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is no question, an agenda is clearly obvious. It’s a shame the consumer has to be the target of this propaganda.
LikeLike
I stopped trusting doctors after being bullied into giving my daughter the MMR shot while she was on antibiotics. Ever since then my daughter has had health and neurological issues. I recognize that the majority are well-intentioned but they need to do more than blindly believe pharmaceutical companies and start recommending gentler remedies sans adverse side effects.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so sorry to hear about this outcome for your child.
It is very difficult to convince a profession indoctrinated in western medicine to open their minds to viable, credible alternative options. The dogma is so strong, the unintentional harm caused is “invisible” to these care givers. The profession has become more focused on preserving a traditional medical approach to health and disease than focusing on patient’s best interests and seeking new and better approaches that achieve better LONG TERM SOLUTIONS.
It is just as important, however, that the consumer assume greater responsibility for their health by gradually implementing lifestyle changes that promote and RESTORE quality health to the body and mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, lifestyle changes are huge. I just wish I had known all that before my first child was born. Don’t get me wrong, I still go to doctors when I need to, but I take their advice with a grain of salt.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are wise to ask questions and seek out available options. Any GOOD doctor would ENCOURAGE doing so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] MEDICAL DOCTOR SPEWS FEAR OVER VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTATION […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
I battle this every day at my health and nutrition center. People return things I’ve recommended unused saying their doctor didn’t approve. I suppose it competes with kickbacks from pharmaceuticals which actually destroy health and create a drug-dependent state. I didn’t watch The Vitamin Movie when you initially shared it but I’ve since heard interviews with Dr. Andrew Saul (the megavitamin man) and his research is truly groundbreaking. Hopefully the public will respond to new discoveries in natural medicine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The hardest part of CHANGE is taking the FIRST STEP. Once a person recognizes their SELF VALUE and is willing to commit the effort to improving their quality of life, the results become ACHIEVABLE!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s a great interview to set the record straight if anyone is interested: https://youtu.be/iPZ4UyOl7Ps
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing. Glad to see you found some time to follow up with my suggestion to listen to Andrew Saul. He is an amazing source of information.
LikeLike
I was so astonished I listened to the interview several times. It is truly amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
great post…I have been educating my MD about the different alternatives I would rather use than prescriptions…she takes the time to look on google with me….and she never suggests a scrip if I can come with a better alternative, all for trying the healthy way first….xxkat
LikeLiked by 1 person
She’s a smart doc. Don’t you wonder why anyone force a synthetic prescription with potential side effects on someone (as a first line of defense) if a natural alternative without negative side effects is available?
LikeLike
makes me turn my head sideways for sure…..I am lucky I found a good one….kat
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great article Jonathan. Personally if I can avoid taking synthetic meds/vitamins I will. I would rather research and try with extra health foods first. It is so easy just to pop a tablet and who really knows what goes into that tablet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think most people realize that supplements/vitamins are just that… SUPPLEMENTS! They are not meant to substitute for REAL FOOD. People have a tendency of choosing false narratives to suit their wants rather than their needs. Better health starts with better HONESTY in one’s actions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My functional medicine doctor has me on a handful of supplements based on my blood work. And the proof is in the pudding! Everything that was low (vitamin D, magnesium, etc) has dramatically improved. As for Paul Offit, all I can do is shake my head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Each of us has different needs. We pursue different jobs and/or careers, we choose different style residents, we choose families with and without children and we choose different approaches to living life. It only makes sense we would have different physical and mental needs as well.
A functional approach to health deals with our individual uniqueness. When we “feel” improvement it incentivizes us to follow a newly discovered path. “FEELING” better, however, should NOT be the only basis of why we choose change.
We change oil in our cars at certain intervals. There are NO SYMPTOMS when we PAY for this service and the car performs in a similar manner after the oil change as it did prior to the servicing. None the less, we do this to PREVENT damage to our vehicles. This SAME concept can and should be applied to our bodies. We should “do things” to prevent harm and support function to maximize our physical and mental performance. It makes sense, however, many seem to VALUE their vehicles greater than their bodies and minds! The funny thing is we can trade out our cars; we can’t do the same for our bodies!
LikeLiked by 1 person