Great supplement article [“Storm warning” by Bob Condor, Jan. 19]. Very thorough. I was pleased to see the cautions throughout. I agree “someone must take charge.” I’ve wondered why the American Dietetic Association isn’t more involved in supplement info. It’s difficult to find anything other than food topics from the ADA.
Too many people are wasting their dough. Last year some very sensible 70ish friends of mine were talked into a bag of supplements from their doctor. They felt pressured to buy. All over-the-counter stuff but very expensive.
A 30-tablet multi was over $60, out of pocket, as was noted in the article is the case. Doc had gone to a seminar put on by the manufacturer. I’m sure info was more marketing than nutrition. He has since stopped selling supplements.
–Kevin Lipps, Sugar Grove
I am heartened by the support for more oversight of the supplement industry. I agree with [Condor’s] concerns.
He correctly states that few physicians are knowledgeable about herbal and other supplements. Chiropractors, health-food store workers and naturopaths are all possibilities, as are pharmacists.
The problem is that none of these fields engages in a true scientific (versus folkloric) study of the interactions of chemicals with the body. There is a field of study that specifically studies the effects of substances on the body. This field is pharmacology. Pharmacists and physicians may have taken a course in pharmacology; pharmacologists make a career of it. If you desire further specialization, there is the subspecialty of pharmacognosy, which specifically studies the effects of plant-derived substances on the body.
These are your experts. These are the ones who should provide the public with reliable information. It should be noted that for every pharmacologist who works for a drug company and wants to prove all supplements are worthless, there are many others who work in academia or the National Institutes of Health who would love to win the Noble Prize for proving that vitamin C cures everything.
Put your faith in those who train a lifetime to ferret out the truth.
–Len Farber, Oak Park
Sometimes people don’t take supplements because they are afraid of the unknown or are unsure if they should be taking a certain supplements. The article gave them enough information so that they could go talk to their physician about it.
–Rizwana Ashfaq, chiropractic physician, Elk Grove Village
I’m hip
I had to don a hip stocking cap my great-aunt made me 20 years ago after a haircut Friday afternoon (“From nerdy to inexplicably hip,” Jan. 12, by Ross Werland).
Because I wanted to look nice for a Saturday morning talk to the Lake Forest Fathers Group, I told the young hairstylist to cut my hair a little shorter than usual. He saw the shocked look on my face after he’d shaved off half the hair on the top of my head in a few seconds. He was very apologetic–and didn’t charge me anything. My mane hadn’t been that short since December of 1968, when I was in Army basic training at Ft. Dix, N.J.
I’ve assured my colleagues that I’m actually aspiring to be another Vin Diesel type. And I don’t have to worry about having “hat hair” when I put on my great-aunt’s stocking caps. It’s nice to know I’m part of the hip crowd.
–Bill Hetland, Kenosha
Blowin’ smoke
I couldn’t agree more with the first part of the piece on smoking in bars [“A cool air about idiot smokers” by John Cook, Jan. 19] and couldn’t disagree more with how [Cook] finished it. Yes, smoking is idiotic, but it is increasingly uncool in the social world.
Case in point: my friend Jackie. She’s cute, single and it’s impossible to set her up with any of my male friends because she smokes. No one wants to kiss an ashtray anymore, regardless of how seductive it may have looked 50 years ago.
As for the rock and roll set, the musicians can’t wait to perform in smoke-free bars. Just ask them! My brother-in-law, who plays the blues here in NYC, can’t wait for our ban to take effect. He’s hoping his persistent cough will ease up a bit. He may have to switch music genres though.
–Dan Klotz, New York, N.Y.
