Special blog from our friend and Integrative Medical Practitioner Danna Park, MD, FAAP, FACP

The experience of buying supplements in a health food store can be daunting!  Multiple companies sell similar or identical vitamins, herbs and other supplements, and choosing one can seem like a Herculean task if you don’t come armed with some specific information.  When I prescribe or recommend supplements, I give patients very detailed information on exactly what to buy, often including a few specific brand names that provide the quality and dose I recommend but are more flexible in price.

Labeling requirements for companies that make vitamins, herbs and supplements are regulated by the U.S. government, in the form of the Dietary Supplements and Health Education (DSHEA) Act of 1994, and overseen by the FDA.  Companies are not allowed to make explicit claims about how the contents in the bottle may play a role in preventing or treating a medical condition.  They can, however, put information on a bottle about the function of a product in the body (ie: “helps maintain healthy intestinal flora”) or how it may affect the structure of the body (“assists in lubricating joints”).  These are called “structure/function claims”.  The Federal Drug Administration is responsible for stepping in and enforcing the DSHEA rules if a company strays from the requirements.

Despite these rules, what is advertised on the front of the label may not necessarily be the whole truth for what is truly in the bottle.  I was reminded of this the other day when looking at a calcium supplement bottle brought in by a patient.  The front of the label advertised this as a calcium/magnesium supplement; the Supplement Facts label on the back told a different story!  Included in the product were turmeric, ginger, horsetail, spirulina and willow bark.  While these unexpected additions may be fine for some people, they could potentially increase the possibility of bleeding risk in other patients on certain medications.  Of note, there was no warning on the bottle for consumers about potential herb/drug/supplement interaction risks.

While the DSHEA rule protects our very important freedom to obtain herbs, vitamins and supplements “over the counter” and without a doctor’s prescription, it also heightens the responsibility of the consumer to make sure what they decide to buy/take is both safe and appropriate for their individual medical condition(s) and needs.  Just because something is “natural” does not mean it is safe or won’t interact with medications. In my practice, I check for both supplement/herb/vitamin and drug interactions as well as have detailed knowledge and information about potential interactions with medical conditions.  Always “play it safe” and check with your healthcare professional and/or pharmacist before starting any type of supplements.  

Danna Park, MD

Danna Park, MD, FAAP, FACP
Mountain Integrative Medicine, PLLC
138 Charlotte Street, Suite 203
Asheville, NC 28801
Ph: 828-333-3339
Fax: 828-254-3114
Practice email: mountainintegrative@outlook.com
Personal email: dolphindanna@hotmail.com
Website: www.mountainintegrative.com

Veggies and fruits that contain the color purple have so many nutritious bits for our bodies.  They contain phytochemicals, indoles, and antioxidants that are proven to support better health and are a great addition in your healthy kitchen.  As are other colors, but let’s think of purple goodness; eggplant, purple cabbage, blackberries, grapes, raisins, purple cauliflower, rainbow chard, purple Belgian endive, purple potatoes and the list goes on….BEAUTIFUL colors of nature that nurture our bodies.

Last night “Food for Healing” featured a cooking demonstration and 3 course meal.  Our meal was colorful as I served up a healthy dose of purple foods to 9 beautiful women.  We started the evening with a tour of the Anderson farmer’s market where we picked up vibrant and organic produce to sample and incorporate into dinner.  We found farm fresh goat cheese, purple/red baby tomatoes, purple onion and a purple tone wild edible green called lambsquarters.

All of that was added to an organic salad made with 8 varieties of purple and green lettuce, purple streaked dragon’s tongue bush bean, purple amaranth, purple streaked sorrel, lemon cucumbers, raisins, and the stem of purple Swiss chard.  You can imagine the color and texture in our giant bowl of salad and our excitement when each veggie was added.  We tossed all of that beautiful color with a purple balsamic and apple cider vinegar dressing. 

The funny thing is that I didn’t plan on making purple the prominent color of this meal, nor did I really notice it until after the first course salad was served.  That’s when Sara, (a 28 year old daughter of a cancer survivor) raised her hand and said, “I have to tell you that this is SO good, and I CAN’T believe it.  I have never eaten anything purple.  All of my life I have avoided anything that is naturally purple.  And I just ate all of this salad and really loved it.  I tried to push aside all the purple but there was purple everywhere.  And I REALLY loved it, it’s REALLY good “Turns out that Sara has type 2 diabetes that she controls with diet but before the class she had decided that she probably wouldn’t like anything and made plans to stop for dinner after class. Skeptical but willing.

Not only did she love the purple salad, she also loved the main course of organic quinoa with sautéed summer squash, purple onion, and Swiss chard tossed with purple olives, walnuts and fresh feta from the farmer’s market.  Her excitement about how good healthy foods can actually taste was infectious.   We all shared in her excitement and joked that she in now a “convert”   The best news about getting excited about healthy food is that YOU can have a whole new attitude towards eating well that will impact feeling well. Sara will have a whole new outlook as she continues to manage her illness with good food and I can predict that her meals will include the color purple.

“Food for Healing” is a workshop designed to teach cancer survivors, caregivers and anyone interested in better nutrition about a rainbow of colorful healing foods.  The workshop is free of charge for all who attend and is sponsored by Wind River Cancer Wellness Retreats to promote whole body wellbeing.  We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at The Kitchen Emporium in Anderson and the third Tuesday of the month at Earth Fare in Greenville from 5 – 7pm.  During our next meeting, we will serve HEALTHY cookies and sample teas from around the world.  For more information or to join a workshop, contact Cheryl LeCroy at Cheryl@creativejuicesconsulting.com