The natural products industry doesn’t have enough oversight. The FDA expects voluntary compliance with the rules and regulations, but there is no organization tasked with checking supplement quality or reviewing marketing materials.
They took action recently against supplement companies making false claims and spreading misinformation around Alzheimer’s disease products.
I think that “practitioners”, pseudo-experts, and supplement companies that invoke Alzheimer’s in their marketing, especially claiming cures, treatment, or regression of symptoms are the lowest of the low.
There is little protection against bad information, claims, and false hope. Your best weapon for Alzheimer’s prevention is awareness.
Where to get real information on Alzheimer’s
- The Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org
- Local support groups that are sanctioned by the Alzheimer’s Association. There’s a chance you could get caught up in the wrong group who are peddling products or misinformation. Be aware!
- Your physician will be air traffic control in lining you up with your local or regional experts in Alzheimer’s care. Your doc is stop #1 to ensure you are managing your risks.
- Neurologists are the experts here and will help with diagnosis and treatment.
Don’t accept information at face value. Check and re-check with actual experts to get a clearer picture of what is real.
Just trying to keep it real…
Neal Smoller, PharmD
Owner, Pharmacist, Big Mouth
