Consumer's Guide to Dietary Supplements and Alternative Medicines: Servings of Hope Book

• Foreword (Larry Walker)
• Preface
• The New Therapeutic Scene
• Acknowledgments
• Reviewer’s Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Author’s Note
• Chapter 1. Introduction: A Cautionary Tale from Hollywood
• PART I: Basic Scientific Principles of Using Natural Products to Maintain and Improve Health
• Chapter 2. Do We Really Want Scientific Medicine, or Do We Want Magic?
• Magic or Medicine? Supernatural or Scientific?
• Fundamental Scientific Concepts: What Is Scientific?
• Clinical Research Aspects
• Scientific Validation of Efficacy: The “Gold Standard”
• The Use of Placebo Control Groups in Human Research
• Meta-Analyses of Clinical Pharmacologic Interventions: Useful but Not Perfect
• Biases of Medical-Related Professionals
• Conflict of Interest
• Pharmaceutical Producers Live in Glass Houses
• The Problem of Delayed Effects: Examples of Long-Term Toxicity Issues
• Chapter 3. The Uncertainty Principle in Medicine
• When the Gold Standard Cannot Be Met
• The Problem of Validating Delayed Effects of Long-Term Therapy
• The Significance of It All
• What Is a Dietary Supplement?
• Chapter 4. Who’s a Quack? Conflict on the Current Health Care Scene
• What Approaches Are Legitimate?
• If It Quacks Like a Duck, What Is It?
• Conventional Medicine and Therapies
• Unconventional Medicine and Therapies
• Why Complementary and Alternative Medicine Now?
• Another Viewpoint: Afternoon of Alternative Medicine
• Dietary Supplement Regulation
• The Consequences of DSHEA
• The Freedom to Pursue Better Health: At What Cost?
• Chapter 5. Historical Natural Remedies
• How Did We Get to Where We Are Now?
• Botanical Marvels: “Miracle Drugs” from Long Ago
• Development of Scientific Medicine
• PART II: Major Myths and Misconceptions
• Chapter 6. Botanical Supplements As Foods
• Pain Relievers As Foods?
• What Does Nutritional Science Say?
• Chapter 7. Natural Botanical Supplements
• Toxicity Problems of Modern Pharmaceuticals
• Ignorance Is Dangerous—Not Blissful!
• Traditional “Herbal Remedy” May Contain Animal Surprises
• Familiarity Should Not Breed Contempt
• Conclusion
• Chapter 8. FDA Regulations
• Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer Beware)!
• Ma Huang
• The Ban on Ephedra Products
• A Less Notorious Agent
• Chapter 9. Botanicals and Prescription Drugs
• Altered Drug Responses and St. John’s Wort
• Serotonin Syndrome and St. John’s Wort
• Risk of Bleeding from Use of Botanicals Before Surgery
• Other Interaction Examples
• Chapter 10. Supplement Labels
• Unreliable Label Data
• Helping the Supplements Along—Illegally
• Ephedrine
• Unreliability of Some Nutritionals’ Labels
• Chapter 11. If a Little Is Good for You, a Lot Will Be Better!
• Licorice Root Extract
• Magnesium
• Fruit and Fruit Juices: Helpful but Not Harmless
• Another Hazard from Good Juice Turned Bad
• PART III: Questionable Supplement Marvels
• Chapter 12. CAM: Hope, Help, or Hazard?
• A New Plague: Hepatitis C Virus
• The Drinker’s Deadly Destiny: Alcoholic Cirrhosis
• A Recurring Tragedy: Amanita Mushroom Poisoning
• Unwise Self-Prescribed “Liver Cleansing”
• More About SAMe and the Liver
• Botanicals Containing Hepatotoxic Constituents
• Conclusion
• Chapter 13. Hormonal Supplements: Fountain of Youth Formulas?
• Basic Concepts
• Endocrinology and Aging
• Gonadal Hormone Replacement Therapies for Women
• Androgen Replacement for Men
• DHEA
• Melatonin
• Conclusions
• Chapter 14. Antioxidant Supplements: Fountain of Youth Formulas?
• Basic Science
• Antioxidants and Cancer
• Antioxidants and Dementias
• A Metabolite Useful for Failing Memory
• Antioxidants versus Kidney Disease
• Antioxidants for “Mystery Maladies”
• Functional Foods That May Fight Aging
• Good Eating for a Good Intake of Antioxidants
• Nonsupplemental Approaches to Fight Aging
• Conclusion
• Chapter 15. The Soya Saga: Are Soy Products Safe and Effective?
• Health Problems with Soy Foods
• Biological Quality of Soy Protein
• Soy As a Protein Concentrate Source
• The Phytoestrogen Aspect
• Nonestrogenic Adverse Responses to Soy
• Soy As a Phytoestrogen
• Conclusion
• Chapter 16. Supplements and Superior Sex
• Basic Science
• Impotence and the Viagra Era
• Impotence and the Placebo Effect
• The Viagra-Substitute Era
• Erotic Enhancement for Women
• Fatal Pursuit of Eros (Death by Aphrodisiac)
• Chapter 17. Good Fat and Bad Fat
• Importance of Serum Cholesterol Levels and Dietary Fats
• Antioxidants, Fats, and Heart Disease
• Physiological and Therapeutic Roles of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Chapter 18. Cancer Cures: Are They Believable?
• A Brief View of Conventional Therapies
• The Nature of the Challenge
• Current Status of Unconventional Therapies
• Examples of Unconventional Therapies
• The Toxicity Factor in Conventional Therapy
• Personal Choices
• Chapter 19. Immunoenhancing Supplements: Are They Effective?
• Introduction
• Botanical Supplements and Immunonutrition
• Overview Conference on Immunonutrition (1999)
• Can Nutrient Supplements Aid the Immune System?
• Micronutrients and the Immune System
• Prebiotics and Probiotics for Immune System Benefits
• Polysaccharide Products for Immunoenhancement
• Dietary Sources for Critical Immunonutrient Factors
• Chapter 20. What Is the Price of Globalism? Heavy Metals, Heavy Risks
• Chuifong Toukuwan
• Metropolitan Market for Dangerous Ethnic Remedies
• Conclusion
• PART IV: More Certain Supplement Marvels
• Chapter 21. Marvelous Micronutrients: The Vitamins
• Basic Foundations
• The Two Subgroups of Vitamins
• How Much Vitamin Is Enough?
• Who Needs to Supplement Vitamin Intake?
• Vitamins for Prevention of Chronic Diseases
• Important Features of the Individual Vitamins
• Vitamin Toxicology
• Conclusions
• Chapter 22. Marvelous Micronutrients: Essential Minerals
• Introduction
• Vital Mineral Elements
• Chapter 23. Marvelous Metabolites: Amino Acids, New Biochemicals, and New Health Benefits
• Combined Amino Acids As Supplements
• Essential Amino Acids
• Nonessential Amino Acids
• Coenzyme Q10
• Alpha-Lipoic Acid (Thioctic Acid)
• The SAMe Story
• Chapter 24. Bioflavonoid Benefits: Chemoprevention of Cancer
• Chemopreventive Candidates
• Bioflavonoids
• Specific Flavonoids
• Resveratrol (Red Wine Extract)
• Prostate Cancer
• Nonflavonoid Chemopreventive Agents
• Chapter 25. The Pharmacology of Ascorbate
• The Feared, Unappreciated Tomato
• Basics on Ascorbic Acid
• Ascorbate and the Cardiovascular System
• Ascorbate in Treatment of Cancer
• Ascorbate and Pancreatitis
• Questions About Ascorbate’s Safety
• Conclusions
• Chapter 26. Marvelous Aloe Vera
• Background
• The Nature and Contents of Aloe Vera
• Oral Aloe Vera Gel
• Protective Aloe Vera Polysaccharides
• Lifelong Oral Aloe Vera Ingestion
• Chapter 27. Eye Health
• Phototoxicity
• Risks for Age-Related Macular Degeneration
• Dietary Role in Eye Health and Disease
• Nondietary Lifestyle Risk Factors for AMD or Cataract
• Clinical Applications
• Concern About Adverse Effects of Some Natural Products
• Conclusion
• Chapter 28. Functional Fruits
• Background
• More Details
• Conclusions
• PART V: Most Certain Supplement Marvels
• Chapter 29. Botanical Mistaken Identity
• Background
• More Cases
• Chapter 30. The L-Tryptophan Disaster
• A History
• The Sequel: 5-Hydroxy-L-Tryptophan
• Chapter 31. Miracles Promised, Not Delivered: False Hopes, Failed Hopes
• Some Miracle Cures Examined
• Self-Chosen Therapies for Diabetes
• PART VI: The Future of Dietary Supplements
• Chapter 32. Accreditation, Validation, Standardization, Assimilation, and Attrition
• Validation of Dietary Supplements’ Therapeutic Abilities
• More Thoughts on Validation
• Accreditation: Who Is Looking After John/Jane Q. Public?
• An Alternative Route for Alternative Remedies?
• Legislation Requiring Standardization
• Globalization Effects on the Dietary Supplement Scene
• Chapter 33. Would You Bet Your Life on Good Advice?
• Adverse Reactions
• How Can the Buyer Beware?
• Can We Eat Our Way to Better Health?
• Personal Advice to Consumers of Dietary Supplements
• Laughter Is The Best Medicine
• Where Are Medicine and Health Care Going?
• Final Thoughts
• Chapter 34. Epilogue: Spiritual Aspects of Health and Healing
• The Nature of Us All
• Maintaining Health: Things We Need To Avoid
• Healings: From Illness to Recovery
• Conclusion
• Appendix. Book-Length Resources
• Notes
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index
• Reference Notes Included