How much do you trust pharmaceutical companies with your health?

Admittedly, I have lost some trust in the world in general. Divorce and some dark days with my son took their toll. I read a lot of history books, especially anything to do with Abraham LincoIn and the Civil War era, but further back to the early civilizations. It's not encouraging to see that civilizations rise and crumble over two common factors, power and money. Nothing much changes from one nation to another but the players and the favored commodity.

Years ago, while living just outside Richmond, VA, I visited the Richmond State Penitentiary once a week to meet with a select group of inmates. I was there to lead a group in the study of The Search For God material, part of the Cayce readings, as local representative for the ARE (Ass'n for Research and Enlightenment). Trust did not come easily to these guys, and I learned pretty quickly not to trust their smooth talk, sadly. It was definitely an act of faith to offer my naive beliefs, knowing that somewhere along the line trust had become a dirty word to each of them.

I understood it more clearly much later, when I saw the changes in my son after divorce. We, his parents, broke his trust. He eventually went into a deep, dark hole called drug addiction in his teen years, and after much struggling with his demons, found a way to trust himself again through many human angels and his 12-Step Program. Trust is no small thing.

So why do we give it so freely? When it comes to the food we eat, the water we drink, why don't we require more before giving the gift of our trust to corporations? Maybe it's because we've been so fortunate in the U.S., if you don't count tragic stories like the Love Canal in New York, or the water contamination in Woburn, Massachusetts resulting from toxic waste dumping by two corporations.

I met a woman recently who said that she woke up each day loving life...I'm not there but I'm climbing back up. Life's not always easy, but I have been passionate about a few things in my life...art, teaching, my Shaklee business, advocating for those whose voices are not heard. I am passionate about parenting, as a privilege and a responsibility.

So when I heard a story on NPR about a woman who had lost her sense of smell (and connected sense of taste) after using Zicam, I thought again about the unquestioned trust the public places in companies and the products they market. She shared the emotional consequences of losing the ability to smell, the feeling of disconnection she experienced in general. Every part of her life lost luster, was reduced and diminished, including her relationships. You could say that the color was lost, life became gray. I heard it in her voice as she told her story, and the surprise of it all...how could this have happened?

We've all read stories about people who have some life-transforming experience and come out the other side with a renewed sense of gratitude. Personally, I'd rather learn from the experience of others than face a traumatic event, when possible. Life hasn't always been that accommodating, but what we learn, we teach. In the case of this woman, the lesson was clear...question the safety of the drugs you use. Do the research and then decide.

I know that there are no options for some drug treatments, having grown up with two siblings with Type 1 Diabetes. However, pharmaceuticals are often made available to the public for use without having sufficient clinical testing to support their safety. The vitamin and herb supplements on retail shelves are not regulated by the FDA before marketing, so the consumer has to rely on instances of adverse effects to bring faulty products to the attention of the FDA. Unfortunately, the majority of consumers aren't aware that FDA has limited regulatory ability for vitamin and herb supplements, so very few report adverse effects.

Companies whose products create imbalance in the body, whose focus is the bottom line despite possible risks, I do not trust. Over the years, many of my Shaklee customers have asked what I think about 'product X'. It's really not about what I think; I'm not a nutritionist or physician. I tell them I trust Shaklee to ensure that our products are safe in addition to being effective. I tell them to ask "product X' what clinical studies they have published to ensure that their product is safe and effective. If you consider that the majority of vitamins on retail shelves are manufactured by a handful of companies, whose names are the only difference, it's not surprising that 'product X' cannot produce the clinical studies.

I've learned to trust Shaklee, common sense, and the body's ability to heal itself with the right tools. Attitude, emotional health, healthy food and water, and Shaklee nutritional insurance are what I trust.

It costs a lot of money to conduct clinical studies, and it is rare that a company will commit to them. It's even more rare that a company will publish peer-reviewed studies on a topic. If you aren't concerned about safety in the products you put in your body, or on it for that matter, then don't worry. Just keep an eye out for recalled products. If you are concerned, take a look at Shaklee. Your trust is valuable, and Shaklee has earned it.