Hi everyone. As I said, I will try to post something about health, wealth and wisdom. I also hope to publish on a regular basis (once a day, once a week or once a month) but not sure. Please provide suggestions on the frequency of my posts.

Today’s post is about health. For those in the US, I am sure you heard about a former basketball player, Lamar Odom being hospitalized and is now in critical condition. I hope he makes a recovery. But one of the culprits in Mr. Odom’s medical problems was reportedly a dietary supplement which is like an “herbal Viagra”. I am sure Pfizer is not too happy about that comparison. However, this does put the whole issue of dietary supplements under the spotlight. According to an article on Yahoo (https://www.yahoo.com/health/dietary-supplements-send-23000-to-the-hospital-115936324.html) approximately 150 million Americans take dietary supplements. It is a $14.8 billion, yes billion with a “b”, industry. In the US, dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Every year, 23,000 people are hospitalized due to dietary supplements. But the cause for concern is that 21.6% of those cases are children. Obviously, the supplements were not stored properly and were within reach of children. Some of the most popular dietary supplements? You guessed it- weight loss and sexual enhancement. Out of the 23,000 cases, weight loss supplements resulted in 3,339 cases in women and about a third of that in men. On the other hand 567 cases in males were related to sexual enhancement products and 368 cases were attributed to body building products. Corresponding numbers in women were virtually non-existent.

If you are taking or considering taking dietary supplements, please consult your doctor first. If your doctor is okay with it, don’t exceed the recommended dosage hoping for faster results. If possible, do a search on the ingredients, especially the one that is the “active” ingredient. See if any of those ingredients will interact with existing medications that you may be taking. If possible, buy supplements from manufacturers that have been certified by some organization (I am not trying to endorse a particular manufacturer, but I am sure you have seen the commercials).Finally, most importantly, please keep any and all supplements out of reach of young children.