A Warning To Anyone Who Takes Vitamins
Nowadays, it seems as though there’s a supplement for everything.
Want beautiful hair and stronger nails? There’s a vitamin for that called Biotin.
Are you a vegetarian? Why not take an Iron supplement?
Want to ward off the flu or common cold? Vitamin C is your go-to — or is it?
Humans have become programmed to believe they need to take supplements to maintain their health.
But there’s something dangerous about the vitamins you’re taking you may not know about.
For some reason, a lot of people seem to have this unwavering trust that what’s on the label of over the counter supplements is exactly what they’re ingesting.
However, if you turn the supplement over, you’ll notice all supplements come with a disclaimer that says the FDA has not evaluated the supplement and that the vitamin should not be used to “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
Yikes! So how do you know what’s really inside the bottle of your favorite vitamin?
You don’t.
In truth, the supplement could act as a placebo which is not harmful or they could kill you.
Wait, what?
Pretty scary, right?
Think about it. If one supplement is supposed to have 100 percent of your daily Iron intake but instead it has 1000 percent of your daily amount, over time this could lead to a build-up of Iron in your body — which could be fatal.
Despite the FDA’s disclaimer, there is no shortage of people flocking to the supplement aisle — myself included. It’s worth noting that the only time the FDA evaluates an over-the-counter supplement is when someone falls ill after ingesting the vitamin — or worse after someone dies.
A few months ago I began having some unusual symptoms such as dizziness, weight gain, and numbness in my hand. I also felt exhausted — all the time.
I had been taking an over-the-counter Iron supplement and a vitamin D supplement.
Rather than go to the doctor, I channeled my inner google doctor and after some research, I concluded that I needed more Vitamin K, Selenium, and Coq10 in my diet.
I ordered these supplements on Amazon and started taking them a few days later.
However, my symptoms didn’t improve. In fact, I started to feel worse as time went on.
At that point, it was time to go to the doctor.
After some blood work, it was determined that I had a severe Vitamin D deficiency — even though I had been taking an over-the-counter Vitamin D supplement. Also, there were some other issues with my blood work, such as a high white blood cell count and high platelets.
My doctor prescribed me a high dose of Vitamin D, and so far so good.
After seeing the doctor, I stopped taking all of the over-the-counter supplements and went back for a blood draw the following week.
My white counts and platelets had returned to normal, thankfully.
People who suffer from certain health conditions may need to take a vitamin, but rather than taking an over-the-counter supplement, ask your doctor for a prescription as RX’s are regulated by the FDA.
Here are also some foods or other ways you can get your daily recommended dose of popular vitamins.
Vitamin A: Carrots and leafy greens
Vitamin B 12: Fish, chicken, and fortified cereal
Vitamin C: Fruit, apples, oranges, etc
Vitamin D: Milk and also sunlight
Vitamin E: Avocado, almonds, olives, and tomatoes
Vitamin K: Leafy greens
Iron: Meats, Spinach, and Tofu
QCWriter is a journalist who is fueled by espresso and motivated by determination. She specializes in pop culture, country music, and news content. You can follow her on Twitter by clicking here: @QCWriter.
