Alternative medicine

Every month, Sydney Ferguson, 40, spends about $70 on specialty vitamins and dietary supplements because she wants to avoid the heart disease and diabetes that run in her family.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS HUNT AND SARAH COX / COX NEWS SERVICE Although she eats well and exercises regularly, she feels like that regimen is an investment in her health.

"My philosophy now is, you either pay for your health up front, which for me is taking vitamins and supplements, or you pay for it in the end, taking medications with a lot of different side effects [and that cost] exorbitant amounts of money," Ferguson says.

As a result, she says, she has more energy, she gets fewer colds and her husband says her memory has improved.

But how much credit the contents of those bottles deserve for her current wellbeing remains a big unknown.

For while dietary supplements are a booming business - as of 2006, the industry was worth almost $23 billion annually ($4.6 billion from herbs and other botanicals), according to the Nutrition Business Journal - we don't have a lot of research about them.

According to 1994's Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, dietary supplements are foods, even though they can be used like drugs. But, unlike drug companies, manufacturers traditionally haven't had to test their formulas or prove the supplements even work.

Even medical studies of supplements often show conflicting results.

"All studies aren't created equal," says Dr. Mark Ebell, associate professor of family medicine at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Ga.

"If the study isn't well-designed ... biases can creep in. A poorly designed study may give you the wrong answers."

Despite those unknowns, many health experts also acknowledge it's possible to find a supplement that benefits you if you do your homework.

"It's kind of empowering when you can make some choices about your own health - if you do it with education, if you do it with some guidance from your health care team," says Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the Mayo Clinic's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program in Rochester, Minn., and editor of "The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine."

Judith Klose, 50, believes that has been the case for her. She didn't like the side effects of her arthritis medicine, so she says she switched to tuna omega-3 oil and blackcurrant seed-oil supplements instead.

"If I couldn't do the traditional [medications], I wanted to try at least the alternative because I knew just ignoring [the pain] wouldn't make it better," she said. After a few weeks of treatment, she says the pain was reduced, although she remains under her rheumatologist's supervision.

How can you tell exactly what's in the supplement you're taking? Manufacturers are responsible for the purity of their products, but it's still difficult to tell how strong a supplement is or how you'll react to it. (As of 2010, the government will require supplement manufacturers to prove their "Good Manufacturing Practices," or GMPs, which refer to purity and accurate labeling.)

You should consult your doctor before you try any supplements. Some plants can interfere with medicines, and some can even be harmful when taken incorrectly.

"It behooves every consumer to do some research. It's hard to just go into a store and pick [a supplement]," says Christine A. Rosenbloom, professor of nutrition at Georgia State University in Atlanta, who recommends finding supplement data on the Web before you shop.

"I think there is merit for some supplements for some people, but it isn't a onesize fits all approach," she says. "For example, people with knee or hip arthritis might want to try supplementing with glucosamine and chondroitin, but they should buy a good-quality supplement - not a discount brand."

And be patient, she adds; in some cases it may take months to know if it works. "It is unlikely you will go ballroom dancing after a week's worth of glucosamine for your arthritis."

Nor should supplements ever be used to replace a healthy diet. "If you are eating on the run and eating poorly and not getting enough sleep," Rosenbloom points out, "a supplement that claims to boost your immune system is unlikely to have any effect."

Before you swallow, take these steps

• Research a supplement before you take it. Web sites such as ConsumerLab, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and HerbMed offer information and data on supplements.

• Look for a high-quality product. Some supplement manufacturers already display certification seals; the seal means the manufacturer voluntarily had its product tested for purity and label accuracy. You also can find out how to read a supplement label from the FDA's Council on Food Safety and Nutrition (www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/ fdsuppla.pdf).

• Ask your doctor about supplements that could interfere with prescription medications. "Anything that's strong enough to lower your cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, obviously is potent enough to have both good effects and bad effects, regardless of whether it comes naturally or not," says author Brent Bauer.

• Don't continue to take a supplement that doesn't seem to be working. Don't take more than the recommended dosage.

• People react differently to supplements. A friend may have great success with a supplement, but that doesn't mean you will. It may not work in the same time frame, either.

• Don't believe all claims. Just because a product is advertised on TV doesn't mean it will be beneficial to you.