What are the dangers of dietary supplements for human health

Every year, billions people  spend several billion on drugs without proven effectiveness - with this money it would be possible to build a modern large hospital with leading specialists. What are the dangers of dietary supplements for human health.

But the money goes into the pockets of manufacturers who do not care too much about the benefits for their customers.

The reasons for this situation are various. On the one hand, our compatriots are accustomed to self-medication, because historically there has been a distrust of official medicine, which in Soviet times really did not have in its arsenal of independent research.

That's why people make diagnoses, ask for advice from relatives, neighbors, Google and a pharmacist at the pharmacy.

You have probably witnessed such dialogues many times, when instead of visiting a doctor, the patient goes straight to the pharmacy to be advised "something from the head".

And pharmacists advise, often not what a person needs, because they are not clinicians and do not have sufficient qualifications to prescribe drugs, in addition, they see a person for the first time, so they cannot visually diagnose and suggest a drug.

Another, no less sad situation is when the doctor makes an adequate appointment of time-tested and research-based original drug, and the pharmacist recommends a replacement.

And often it is not an analogue of another manufacturer (drug), but simply a dietary supplement created by the pharmacy chains themselves, as if with a similar active ingredient, which can have any unpredictable effects.

The patient takes such a substance, has no positive effect, potentially gets side effects. He has the impression that the doctor did a bad job, and the specialist in turn does not understand why the drugs do not work.

Cognitive distortions work in such a way that a person, buying another drug in the pharmacy, but "even better" according to the pharmacist, feels as if he is following the prescriptions, but improves them. Sometimes she may not even inform the specialist about the change.

What, apart from the unpredictable effect, is the problem of substitute drugs (dietary supplements)?

Most of them not only contain another substance, but are not registered medicines.

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Representatives of manufacturing companies in their advertising explain this by trying to reduce the cost of goods, that is, to take care of the buyer, and people like this thesis.

However, it is important to know what is included in the price of the original drug. In particular, it is a large, detailed study of its effectiveness, safety and long-term effects.

During this process, any, even rare, manifestations that coincide in time with medication are studied and recorded.

Therefore, when you hold in your hands a long instruction with a list of side effects, it does not mean that the drug is bad, but indicates a detailed study.

In turn, manufacturers of dietary supplements (dietary supplements) are not required by law to conduct such research and control

They use the argument about the high cost of drug registration, which makes it easier to leave the drug as a dietary supplement. But this should not be taken as a life hack: virtually no control over the production, quality of raw materials and finished products of such drugs are not conducted.

So, if the treatment does not go according to plan, that is, is ineffective or leads to severe side effects, you are unlikely to be able to claim compensation from the company.

Progressive experts do not recommend the use of dietary supplements, because they are substances with unproven effectiveness, and it is impossible to predict their effect on the patient's body.

An important conclusion from the above information: always consult a doctor, and then follow his recommendations.

Do not be manipulated or change the drug arbitrarily, especially medicines with a long-standing reputation for dietary supplements, take care of your health in moderation and with respect for your own body.