Over the past few weeks at the co-op, I have found myself scrambling to try and keep up with the Dr. Oz show. Raspberry ketones, forskolin, 7-Keto, caraway seeds, coconut palm sugar, pu-erh tea, bacopa…to name just a few of the most requested Oz recommended supplements. It’s quite a dizzying and incredible phenomenon! People are hungry for Oz niche products, and while we do offer some of them on the shelf, we do not carry them all. Furthermore, although we can often order the products, it sometimes takes a while to get them into the store (due to distributor and manufacturer out-of-stocks; the demand for these products is unprecedented in our industry!), which is no doubt frustrating for some.
After pondering different aspects of the Dr. Oz phenomenon, I decided to jot down some ideas and considerations on successfully surviving, and thriving from it.
Recently, Dr. Oz spoke about how forskolin, a compound in the herb Coleus forskohlii, has successfully been used to burn belly fat. Yet coleus has also traditionally been used for high blood pressure; so people who are currently on blood pressure medication may not want to take it; also people with hypotension would likely want to avoid an herb with this property. One thing that fails to come through on a show where time is limited is that herbs have many actions in the body, and every body is different.
The coleus example also illustrates the importance of working with your health care practitionerwhen adding a supplement to your daily regiment. It is important to get a second opinion from someone who is familiar with you and your bodily constitution, and also who is familiar with contraindications between herbs and pharmaceuticals and other health conditions.
Owning a reliable herb book is another helpful resource for the self-care enthusiast. The dose of forskolin that Dr. Oz suggested was much higher than any traditional suggested dose I could find, which concerned me. A book that lists traditional dosages is an essential reference to double check suggested dosages from the show, examine other actions of the herb that may affect you, and also to get a sense of the rich, lengthy history and artistry of herbalism.
Herbs can be taken in many ways: capsules, liquid extract, tea, topically, to name several. One way is not necessarily better than another, with some exceptions, of course. It may seem obvious, but when someone in the store cannot make a decision between capsules or tea, I generally suggest that person go with their initial instinct.
One last hope of mine in relation to the Dr. Oz show is that it will start to incorporate a more sustainable perspective. While exotic, tropical herbs and fruits can be fun and healthful dietary additions, it’s not necessarily realistic in the long term to expect constant access to these foods. Also, we have medicine cabinets growing in our backyards! Chickweed tea was recently recommended on the show…and it is growing all over the place, right now…
So, in short, kudos to Dr. Oz for bringing positive attention to alternative medicine and for empowering folks to take charge of their health. That is truly a powerful and beautiful thing. I just want to add that his show and suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg of alternative medicine and often deserve further investigation.
[originally published on tumblr - March 21, 2012]
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