Nutritional supplements can come in all different shapes and sizes - many different nutritional supplements can make a huge difference in your life. Nutritional supplements are exactly what they imply; they are the vitamins and minerals and other nutrients that your body needs to be healthy.

Reading of someone else’s loss of a loved one or pet as a result of a product contamination may not raise one’s anger. But, for those who knew and loved the nineteen people who died as a result of the heparin problem, it is an unforgivable situation. Our government has not properly addressed this because the food and drug lobby is powerful enough to keep effective controls out of their business. As consumers and citizens we must demand that our government implement effective monitoring of all products, including nutritional supplements, critical to our health.

The drug Heparin, is a pharmaceutical drug manufactured by Baxter International. It was this pharmaceutical drug, regulated by the FDA, that was found to be contaminatied - not a dietary supplement.

Further, the compound contaminating the drug - as you point out - is not the chondroitin sulfate found in supplements, but a hypersulfinated form of chondroitin, which is not taken as a supplement for joint pain.

So - you write about a contaminated pharmaceutical drug, which is not a dietary supplement, but a regulated, prescribed medical blood thinner. Then you point out that the contaminate is not, in fact, a substance that is used in dietary supplements.

Finally, you draw a conclusion that has no connection, logical or factual, to the supporting facts of your blog. The fact that Heparin was found to be contaminated simply shows that even government regulation cannot prevent all contamination.

Having illuminated that egregious flaw in your thinking, I will, nonetheless, agree with your unsupported proposition. One must be educated regarding supplements. As with any other product - including regualted pharmaceutical drugs - there are the good and the not-so-good.

Research the supplements you plan to purchase and use. Advise your physicians of your intentions. Purchase quality products from reputable manufacturers that adhere to the government’s Good Manufacturing Practices.

You can find an herbal data base at http://www.theorganicaffair.com to obtain objective information on herbals and dietary supplements. You can also read about high quality products there that are not the subject of lawsuits, government regulation and product recalls.

Thanks for allowing me to clarify your blog.

Jim@theorganicaffair.com