Until September of last year, I had rarely been patient. However, I had spent more than two decades inside the health system as a lawyer, consultant and CEO. My job made me cross hospital meeting rooms, regulatory strategy sessions and digital health startups. I thought I understood how health decisions had been made and I was lucky to have collaborated with the best clinicians, decision -makers and managers in the field. Then an supplement triggered a health crisis that I have never seen coming.
At the end of last year, a product made from popular over -the -counter plants left me seriously yellowed, emaciated (losing more than 40 pounds), unable to sleep for days at a time and in bed for months. Blood has shown that my bilirubin – a key marker of liver function – has rushed to 38 times the normal level. At one point, I was assessed for a liver transplant. My kidneys showed signs of tension.
The culprit? Ashwagandha, an additional supplement that I had recently started to take – has sold high -end wellness shops everywhere with grocery shelves and generally considered safe. Marketed as a natural remedy for stress and sleep, it was recommended by friends and colleagues of trust, including doctors.
With the help of a specialist who had seen similar cases, I completely recovered. But experience has exposed serious gaps in our health and regulation systems.
In complete safety until it is proven dangerous
Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, supplements are not required to go through clinical trials or prove safety before hitting the market. As indicated by the FDA under the Act on the Health and Education of Food Supplements (DSHEA), the Agency can only intervene after consumers have been injured. It is not a prevention. It is the control of the damage.
Although the severity of my reaction could have been statistically rare, there are other similar cases. Recent clinical studies and news has noted a significant increase in liver lesions induced by supplements, double in the last decade in the past decade according to data from the network of liver injuries induced by the drug (Dilin) and the National Institutes of Health. As I learned from the first hand, even the standard doses of these common supplements can affect individuals in a very different way.
Half of the supplements are poorly labeled
In my case, I saw several doctors through the disciplines. Few have asked questions about supplements. Even less considered that a over -the -counter capsule could be the deep cause of acute liver insufficiency. The specialist who helped me confirmed that this diagnostic blindness is common.
My hepatologist and one of the country’s main experts on liver injuries indicate that up to 50% of supplements are poorly labeled. This means that what is printed on the bottle may not reflect what is inside, and what is inside may not be safe. Toxins, heavy metals, unlisted loads and variations in power are too common. Without independent and third -party tests to verify what is really in a supplement, consumers must rely on Blind Trust.
Exceed regulators
With more than $ 60 billion spent per year in food supplements in the United States, the rate of growth has far exceeded the development of surveillance mechanisms. The FDA remains fully reactive because it must demonstrate that a supplement presents a “significant or unreasonable risk” before being able to act. Meanwhile, countless products remain on the shelves.
I do not share this to cause fear – but to plead for a more intelligent and safer conversation around health products. We need more strict surveillance, independent third -party tests, more rigorous research and cultural change in the way we think of “natural” remedies, especially since terms such as biohacking and longevity become more common than significant.
The increase in plant-based self-medication-fueled by the marketing of well-being and online disinformation-continues to go beyond clinical advice, leaving many patients at risk and sub-prepare.
I was lucky to have access to leading specialists who finally helped me recover. Most people don’t.
And that’s exactly why this conversation is important.
Photo: Syolacan, Getty Images
Avaneernaveen Kathuria is a health executive and a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in conducting innovation at the intersection of technology, regulations and the provision of care. He was CEO and held management positions in health care companies supported by investors, bringing new technologies on the market and guiding organizations through complex regulatory landscapes. At the end of 2024, a largely available plant -based supplement made him undergo an acute hepatic insufficiency – an experience that reshaped his vision of the well -being industry and catalyzed his plea for more solid security standards. Now completely recovered, he writes and talks about gaps in consumer protection – and how we can create a more responsible future for health and well -being.
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