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Defective Product Makes Health Enthusiasts Sick

By Eddie Farah

An Athens, Georgia couple who wanted to be fit, instead got sick. They took the product called Total Body Formula which, along with the Total Body Mega Formula, have been recalled. It may still be on store shelves, or you may have some at home.

76-year old Virginia Crawford, was an active member of her community. Now she is frail, has thinning hair, scars all over her body, her fingers ache and she has brown streaks on her nails. Her 81-year-old husband, Ed isn't doing too well either.

For several weeks in January and February they took Total Body Formula hoping to rejuvenate with added vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. Now their doctor confirms they are sick and have high amounts of selenium in their system.

An FDA analysis on Total Body Formula and Mega Formula products found they contained hazardous amount of chromium and selenium, trace minerals you're your body needs very little of. The samples contained up to 17 times the recommended intake.

What a coincidence - excessive selenium can cause hair loss, blotchy nails and mild nerve damage and gastrointestinal problems. Excessive chromium causes those symptoms as well as hyperactivity, hypoglycemia, renal failure and liver toxicity. And chromium can interfere with any medications you are taking.

The Crawfords are just two of the 201 individuals reported from Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia who've called the FDA with adverse reactions.

Remember if you have any adverse reactions, you can call the FDA's MedWatch Program at 1-800-FDA-1088. You can also go online and contact them at www.fda.gov/medwatch/how.htm.

For more information on chromium and selenium see the CDC and a page on toxic substances at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Selenium is a mineral found in rocks and soil. It's used in the electronics industry, nutritional supplements, added to poultry feed, pesticides and dandruff shampoo. Low doses are good for health, but high doses are not.

Chromium is a naturally occurring element in rocks, animals, plants and soil, in high forms it can cause cancer. It is an essential nutrient that helps the body use sugar, protein, and fat. It's also an industrial chemical.

The FDA does not regulate supplements, so buyer beware.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on July 31, 2008 (boomark / email).