Dietary Supplements



TABLE OF CONTENT

ABSTRACT3

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PHARMACIST4

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND THE ROLE OF THE US5

LABELING6

SAFETY9

DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS AND OTHER IMPORTANT US FEDERAL AGENCIES10

HEALTH CARE AGENCIES11

A KEY ECONOMIC AGENCY: THE FTC14

THE COMMON COLD14

THE COMMON COLD DEFINED15

DEFINING THE COMMON COLD BASED ON PATHOGEN16

DEFINING THE COMMON COLD BASED ON SYMPTOMATOLOGY19

READILY AVAILABLE DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, THE PRIMARY LITERATURE, AND A SYNTHESIS OF EXPERT OPINION FROM GOVERNMENT SOURCES20

ZINC, VITAMIN C, ECHINACEA AND GINSENG: A SYNTHESIS OF EXPERT OPINION21

CONCLUSION22

REFERENCES24

Abstract

Herbal preparations are sold as dietary supplements in the United States and are subject to the rules and regulations of various health care and economic government agencies that monitor the sale of these products. One approach to assessing the usefulness of these substances is to focus on one particular disease state and then review both the primary literature and expert opinion. The common cold is an important illness due to its recurring nature, the number of people it afflicts, and its economic impact on patients. Dietary supplements have been shown to decrease the duration, the severity, and the frequency of symptoms of the common cold. The most commonly available supplements are zinc, ginseng, echinacea, and vitamin C. Data from expert opinion suggested that certain supplements are more beneficial than others to maintain one's health during episodes of the common cold. Expert opinion regarding the use of dietary supplements in other related infectious respiratory illnesses, such as the flu, when aggregated with expert opinion findings regarding the common cold were not contradictory. The primary literature provided insights into specific dosages and compounds that may be used in practice.

“Should Dietary Supplements be Regulated?”

Dietary Supplements and the Importance of the Pharmacist

Pharmacists are the most important health care professionals that patients, providers, industry, and government stakeholders rely on to provide knowledge regarding preparations that have a beneficial effect on human health. Dietary supplements are preparations that conceptually fall into an in-between category that lies somewhere between food and drugs. In many cases, the line between a dietary supplement and a drug is not distinct, and only through a thorough understanding of the rules and regulations that govern the sale of these preparations can pharmacists impact their most important beneficiary, the patient, in the most significant manner. Because dietary supplements go by many names in the lay press, such as herbs, nutritional, herbal remedies, and others, it is through this understanding of how they are regulated that the pharmacist can convey their benefits and the areas where they may be used best (Hadfield, et al., 1995, 61-73). The pharmacist should also have readily available resources to recommend to a patient, should the patient desire further insight into the appropriate use of these preparations.

Furthermore, the modern day pharmacist will often need to keep up-to-date with how human health is impacted by illness and how human illness is defined (Pratter, 2006, 72-74). In this context, infectious respiratory illnesses, both overlap in terms of the symptoms that they present with and also differ in how they present themselves. In the case of the common ...