Personal Injury Law

TOTAL BODY FORMULA LAWSUITS FILED

By M. Brandon Smith

If you have ever taken TOTAL BODY FORMULA or TOTAL BODY MEGA FORMULA, a self proclaimed vitamin supplement, you should be aware of recent findings that caused a recall of the popular liquid supplement. After dozens of unexplained events causing hair loss, fingernail loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea and other very serious conditions, the Food and Drug Administration found TOTAL BODY FORMULA contained hazardous amounts of the mineral selenium which is a trace mineral that is essential to good health but required only in small amounts. The FDA stated the amount of selenium contained in TOTAL BODY FORMULA and TOTAL BODY MEGA FORMULA was 200 times the amount listed on the products label. Too much selenium in the body can cause a condition called selenosis and can be life threatening. To date more than 197 documented cases involving injury and sickness have been reported after using TOTAL BODY FORMULA and/or TOTAL BODY MEGA FORMULA. Of those 197 cases, more than 53 of these reported cases have occurred in the State of Georgia alone. Other sources indicate the number of those affected by ingestion of TOTAL BODY FORMULA and selenium are more prevalent than the numbers currently being reported.

According to Allison Young of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

On March 27, the FDA issued the first of three warnings, advising consumers not to use Total Body Formula in tropical orange and peach nectar flavors and Total Body Mega Formula in orange/tangerine flavor.

Tests by the FDA found the supplement contained high amounts of selenium as well as levels of chromium that were 17 times higher than recommended. Total Body recalled 1,484 bottles of the product from the market. The symptoms users experienced are signs of selenium toxicity, the FDA said.

"Some people have been pretty debilitated by this," said Paul Melstrom, a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer assigned to the Georgia Division of Public Health.

Felicia Blasingame's situation is very common among those who have taken either TOTAL BODY FORMULA or TOTAL BODY MEGA FORMULA according to our investigation and findings at Childers, Buck, Schlueter, LLP. When Childers, Buck, & Schlueter, LLP filed Felicia Blasingame's TOTAL BODY FORMULA lawsuit along with others we have filed for other clients in Georgia and elsewhere, we knew this was a very serious problem which necessitated prompt legal action in order to protect our client's health, safety, and legal rights.

As further pointed out by the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

There's no treatment for selenium or chromium poisoning, federal health officials said, and symptoms are expected to go away on their own over time. But recovery will vary depending on how much of the product a person consumed and their underlying health problems.

These factors along with others wherein the manufactures of dietary and vitamin supplements only have to report serious life threatening or deadly events raise grave concerns and issues for those who have in the past or continue to take supplements on a daily basis.

Products covered by the recall, announced in March:

• Total Body Tropical Orange - lot nos. 4016801, 4024801 and 4031801

• Total Body Peach Nectar - lot nos. 4016802 and 4031802

• Total Body Mega Orange/Tangerine - lot no. 4031803

Consumers should stop taking these products and consult a health professional if they've experienced adverse reactions.

For those who have sustained serious injuries and/or sickness after taking TOTAL BODY FORMULA or TOTAL BODY MEGA FORMULA you may want to contact the attorneys at Childers, Buck, and Schlueter to see how we can help protect your legal rights. Regardless of the case, it is of the utmost importance that you stop taking the above products and follow up with your medical provider if you experience any of the aforementioned conditions or medical problems.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on August 18, 2008 (boomark / email).