One of my scholarly articles I plan on using for WP#3 came
from the PubMed.gov. Normally a “.gov” website would be deemed just credible,
but this website provides studies, articles and all sorts of texts related to
the health field so it more so depends on what you have found while searching
on their website.
The article I chose is titled, “Juice Plus of Toxicity
Plus”. It was published in The American Journal of Medicine and it was a “study”
conducted by three different doctors at The University of Texas MD Anderson
cancer center in Houston, Texas. This article is more directed at the fact that
sometimes natural or alternative medicine can have unforeseen side effects,
especially with those taking prescription medication whilst getting treated for
cancer. An elderly woman with endometrial cancer (uterine cancer) and was
referred to the MD Anderson hospital for treatment. Her initial assessment
showed normal liver function and just days prior to her clinical trials she had
started taking Juice Plus. During her trials, the doctors noticed chronic
inflammation and hepatotoxicity of the liver; they found the effects on the
liver reversible after discontinuing the woman’s use of Juice Plus.
Overall this article does convey a good message. However,
this is based on one woman in one clinical trial at one cancer center. There is
not a whole lot of research on the subject, but this is certainly a start that
might be a real effect of Juice Plus and certainly I will look for more
articles on the subject or related topics for backup.
Have any of you ever taken Juice Plus? If you have, have you
noticed any differences in your health?
I agree that a larger sample size would be nice. However, it's good that the article points out the risks associated with natural remedies. While I definitely think that natural alternatives should be considered and even emphasize more by doctors, it's important to realize that "natural" doesn't necessarily equal "harmless." For example, my Dad, who is used to taking supplements and maintaining a healthy diet, recently found out that fish oil was actually causing some problems for him since it acts as a blood thinner and was interacting with medications and other supplements that he was taking.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Thanks for the reply!
Delete