IS EXTREMELY POOR.
A NEW STUDY
REINFORCES WHAT MANY
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
SAY.
JUST BECAUSE IT IS
LABELED HERBAL OR
NATURAL DOESN'T MEAN IT
IS SAFE.
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE
CONTROL ESTIMATES $F
,000 VISIT -- 23,000
EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS
CAN INVOLVE HERBAL
SUPPLEMENTS.
MANY
PAYMENTS CAMPAIGNED
OF HEART
PALPITATION PALPITATIONS
AND CHEST PAIN.
THIS IS A VERY BIG
PROBLEM.
WE BROUGHT IN AN EXPERT
TO WALK US THROUGH THIS.
WELCOME.
THANK YOU.
THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
HERBAL SUPPLEMENT, WE'RE
TALKING
ABOUT ENERGY
DRINKS TO THE HERBAL
VIAGRA THAT LAMAR ODOM
TOOK TO THE SUPPLEMENTS
THAT
KEEP YOU AWAKE.
HERBAL SUP LETS ARE NOT
REGULATED.
BASICALLY EVERYTHING
THAT YOU BUY IN A HEALTH
FOOD STORE, ANY
SUPPLEMENT DOESN'T
NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE
WHAT THEY SAY IT IS.
THERE'S NO REGULATION.
WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT
THE HERBAL VIAGRA, FOR
INSTANCE, HAD SOME
VIAGRA
IN IT.
I WORK WITH ATHLETES WHO
TAKE SUPPLEMENTS FOR
MUSCLE BUILDING.
IT HAS STEROIDS IN IT.
THEY DON'T KNOW THAT.
IT IS NOT
REGULATEED.
THEY ARE PLAYING THE
RUSSIAN ROULETTE.
YOU THINK YOU ARE
BUYING AN HERBAL
VERSION.
YOU MIGHT BE BUYING THE
ACTUAL PRODUCT.
ATHLETES ARE FAILING
DRUG TESTS.
WHAT HAPPENED TO LAMAR
ODOM IS A HORRIBLE
STORY.
PEOPLE ARE BUYING HERBAL
SUPPLEMENTS THINKING
THAT, WELL, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS NOT VIAGRA.
THIS IS HERBAL.
HERBAL MEANS IT COMING
OUT OF THE GROUND.
THE CHINESE AND GERMANS
HAVE BEEN USING
SUPPLEMENTS FOR
THOUSANDS OF
YEARS.
VERY POWERFUL.
DEBORAH: I WENT TO A MAJOR
PHARMACY YESTERDAY.
THERE WAS A WHOLE
AISLE
JUST ON HERBAL
SUPPLEMENTS.
ARE YOU SAYING DON'T USE
THEM?
ARE YOU SAYING USE THEM
WITH CAUTION?
USE THEM AND CONSULT
WERE PHYSICIAN?
ALL THREE.
FIRST OF
ALL, YOU SHOULD
ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR
PHYSICIAN BEFORE YOU
START TAKING HERBAL
SUPPLEMENTS BECAUSE THEY
ARE SO POWERFUL.
REMEMBER THE PITCHER FOR
THE BALTIMORE
ORIOLES,
HE DIED OF A HEART
ATTACK BY TAKING
EPHEDRINE, A DRUG TO
KEEP YOU AWAKE WHILE
LOSING WEIGHT.
VERY POWERFUL.
ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR
DOCTOR AND DO YOUR
HOMEWORK.
DON'T
THINK JUST BECAUSE
IT IS ON A SHELF IN A
PHARMACY, IT IS SAFE.
DOCTORS WILL MAKE YOU
LIST THAT AS A DRUG THAT
YOU ARE TAKING WHEN YOU
ARE
GETTING SURGERY OR
GOING IN.
IT IS THAT POWERFUL.
PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT
JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS
HERBAL DOESN'T MEAN THAT
IT IS SAFE.
THAT'S NUMBER
ONE.
BECAUSE OF THE FACT THEY
ARE NOT REGULATED.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE
TAKING
IT FOR.
THEY HAVE ONES TO WAKE
YOU UP, PUT YOU TO
SLEEP, ENHANCE YOUR SEX
LIFE, BUILD MUSCLES,
GIVE YOU ENERGY, AND WE
BUY INTO
THAT BECAUSE IT
IS SUCH A BIG INDUSTRY.
THE ASSUMPTION IS WE'RE
PROTECTED.
WE'RE NOT.
DEBORAH: THERE'S THE
SAFETY
ASPECT, HOW ABOUT THE ADDICTIVE
ASPECTS?
MANY OF THEM.
CERTAINLY THE MUSCLE
SUPPLEMENTS AND ENERGY
DRINKS, EXTREMELY
ADDICTIVE BECAUSE
PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND
PHYSICALLY, YOU ARE
GOING TO GET THE SAME
DEPENDENCE.
THE KEY HERE IS CHECK
WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN AND
DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE KIDS
DOING IT AND SENIORS
DOING IT.
EVERYONE IS
BUYING THIS.
AS YOU SAID, IT IS RIGHT
ON THE COUNTER.
WE THINK IT IS SAFE.
IT IS NOT
ALWAYS SAFE.
DEBORAH: YOU CAME IN WITH
SOMETHING TODAY.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT
THE IMAGE.
I CAME IN WITH
--
BASICALLY YOU BROUGHT ME
A SYRINGE.
I SAID THANKS, MIKE.
YOU
REALIZED OR I
REALIZED IT IS NOT A
SYRINGE.
IT IS THE HALLOWEEN
PRODUCT.
IT IS ACTUALLY A PEN.
I WAS ACTUALLY IN
TARGET.
I LOOKED IN THE
HALLOWEEN SECTION.
THEY ARE SELL THE
SYRINGE PEN.
IT
SAYS SYRINGE PEN.
IT WAS CRAZY.
WE'RE
TEACHING KIDS TO
NOT PICK UP DIRTY
NEEDLES, STAY AWAY FROM
HEROIN, STAY
AWAY FROM
NEEDLES, AND WE'RE
SELLING THEM AS A
HALLOWEEN -- I DON'T
KNOW IF IT IS A PRANK OR
JUST A TOY OR WHAT.
DEFORMING
--
DEBORAH: THE NEXT STEP IS CANDY
CIGARETTES.
EXACTLY.
I WANT PARENTS TO KNOW
ABOUT
IT.
IT IS SITTING OUT WITH
THE HALLOWEEN ITEMS.