We spend the summer weekends on a barrier island off the southern coast of New Jersey. Our eighteen-mile long island is extremely vulnerable to the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes. Thus, this weekend we kept a close eye on Charley, wondering if the hurricane would re-energize as it swept northward.
As we checked the weather forecast on 1010WINS.com and other sites, we came across this advertisement:
Reduce Storm Anxiety
Try Tranquil-Ezzz formula to reduce anxiety over stormy weather & more
http://www.vivagen.net
So let me get this straight. This product is claiming to have the power to calm us down about the possibility of massive storm hitting us and sweeping our oceanfront home out to sea? Right. (Would anyone really buy this product to deal with their fear of a storm? Probably.)
We at ACSH have long been aware that vitamin and supplement preparations are protected from the strict FDA safety and efficacy standards that apply to pharmaceuticals, so supplements-makers can make a broad and absurd array of health claims. But this really pushes the envelope and draws attention to the stark regulatory distinction between pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements.
Pharmaceuticals must meet strict FDA standards for both safety and efficacy. Supplements, sold in "health food" stores and elsewhere, can promise hair replacement, enhanced sexual performance, improved memory, weight loss, and now, apparently, "reduced storm anxiety" -- without any evidence that they are either safe or effective.
As critics (including Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine) now bear down on the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, accusing them of spending too much on advertising, we hope similar critics begin to focus on the so-called "natural" vitamin and mineral industry, which clearly is out of control. They need to be reined in and held responsible for the meritless claims that they regularly make.
Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, Sc.D., M.P.H., is president of the American Council on Science and Health.