Jenni Williams
Research
Section I-a: Introduction to Nutritional Supplements
Section I-b: Keywords
Section II: UNC Libraries Resources
Section III: Electronic Index and Database Resources
Section IV: Web Sources
Section V: Clean up the Clutter: Junk E-mail on the Internet
A lot of controversy surrounds the use and regulation of herbal supplements. Their benefits have not been
proven, but they have become almost mainstream as part of today’s trend toward healthy lifestyles. Health food stores offer amazing varieties of different herbs in pill form, and herbal supplements are being added to all kinds of foods and drinks. One popular way of getting these herbal supplements is through soft drinks and smoothies, but they are offered in a variety of products.
Are these herbal supplements really all they are said to be? Do they boost your energy, immunity, mood, and everything
else they promise to do? No one can really know for sure, and experimentation is difficult. Do we imagine that we are more energetic after consuming a smoothie with ginseng, or does it really energize us? More importantly, is it even being absorbed into our bodies? Many vitamins and herbal supplements flush right through the body, providing no benefit.
Another pressing issue is the safety of these herbs. Are there limits to how many different herbs you should take?
Should you limit the amount of each herb taken? For those herbs that are actually absorbed by your body, you need to be careful that you do not allow them to reach toxic levels. Which herbs are dangerous to consume in large quantities, and which are not?
Anyone taking, or considering taking, herbal supplements should be interested in this information. These supplements are costly, and if they are providing no real benefit (or even causing harm), people should not waste their money. Some people only take herbal supplements casually, while others take them regularly. All should be informed about the various benefits, both proven and not proven, and the risks that are associated with these supplements. This information would likely be offered in news magazines and publications such as Shape and Fitness, which focus on mind and body health. The audience would most likely have a majority of females, since they are more likely to be consumers of herbal supplements, but many men take them as well. This knowledge is something that should be widely disseminated to help people remain aware of the risks and benefits associated with herbal supplements.Lexis-Nexis Academic
“herbal supplements”
“herbal supplements” risksWeb search engine: Google
“herbal supplements” risks
“herbal supplements” benefitsBrody, Jane E., Denise Grady, and the reporters of the New York Times. New York Times Guide to Alternative Health: A Consumer Reference. New York: Times Books/Henry Holt, 2001. UL R733.N49 2001.Tatro, David S., ed. Drug Interaction Facts: Herbal Supplements and Food. St. Louis: Facts and Comparisons, 2002. HSL Reference QV38 D79434.Non-Print Resource
Nutritional Supplements: What’s Hot and What’s Fact, videocassette, 60 min., Network for Continuing Medical Education, Secaucus, NJ, 1997. HSL Educational Media NCME#711.
Carey, John. 2003. Herbal Remedies: A $4 Billion Enigma. In Academic Search Elite [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. [updated 28 April; cited 26 May]. Accession no. 9586221. From Business Week, Issue 3830.
Duke, James A. 2001. Death by Pharmaceuticals? In Infotrac [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. New York: PRIMEDIA Intertec [updated 1 June 2001; cited 26 May]. From Better Nutrition, vol. 63, issue 6.
Ernst, E. 2000. Herbal Medicines: Where is the Evidence? In Academic Search Elite [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. London, England: British Medical Journal Publishing [updated 12 August; cited 26 May 2003]. Accession no. 3425256.
Falcone, Lauren Beckham. 2003. Remedy or risk? Experts caution use of natural antidotes until they’re proven safe. In LexisNexis Academic [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. Boston: Boston Herald, Inc. [updated 1 April; cited 26 May].
Groopman, Jerome. 2003. Herbal Overdose. In Academic Search Elite [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. New York: Wall Street Journal [updated 11 March; cited 26 May]. Accession no. 9322656.Hunter, Beatrice Trum. 2001. Buyer, Beware. In Infotrac [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. Washington, D.C.: Consumers’ Research, Inc. [updated March; cited 26 May 2003]. From Consumers’ Research Magazine, vol. 84, issue 3.
Title of Web page: Herbal Supplements: What’s Really in the Bottle? by Sophia Cariati
Web address: http://www.womens-health.org/press/NewsService/herbalsup.htm
Brief description: Gives information about the new risks discovered related to herbal supplements. This page includes a discussion of the new methods for making these supplements safer.
Source of Web site: Society for Women’s Health Research
Title of Web page: Herbal Supplements: Buyer Beware
Web address: http://library.lp.findlaw.com/articles/file/00946/001539/title/subject/topic/consumer%20law_
consumer%20protection/filename/consumerlaw_1_392
Brief description: Discusses various risks associated with the use of herbal supplements, focusing on the controversial drug ephedra. Also gives basic details about laws and regulations regarding herbal supplements.
Source of Web site: FindLaw for Legal Professionals
Title of Web page: Herbal Supplements and Health
Web address: http://www.nutritional-supplement-guide.com/html/herbal_supplements.html
Brief description: Provides a basic list of popular herbs, with descriptions of their purported benefits and risks as well as common side effects and warnings for their use.
Source of Web site: Nutritional Supplement Guide
Title of Web page: Dangerous Combinations: Understanding the Risks of Mixing Herbal Products and Drugs
Web address: http://www.nurseweek.com/features/00-04/herbs.html
Brief description: Discusses the interactions between herbal supplements and synthetic drugs, including an overview of FDA regulations.
Source of Web site: Nurseweek/HealthweekTitle of Web page: Using Herbal Supplements
Web address: http://www.pharmacyandyou.org/healthinfo/herbal.html
Brief description: Gives statistics on the use of herbal medicines, as well as tips for choosing the right ones for you and advice on where to go for help.
Source of Web site: American Pharmaceutical AssociationClean up the Clutter: Junk E-mail on the Internet
Spam is increasingly becoming more annoying and costly to businesses and Internet service providers. The backlash against it is also becoming more forceful. As anti-spam technology develops, spammers find new ways to get around it, creating a never-ending cycle. The volume of spam has increased dramatically in just four years, from 1 billion messages sent daily in 1999 to an estimated 7.3 billion in 2003 (3). About 40 percent of all e-mail traffic in the United States is spam, up from 8 percent in late 2001 and nearly doubling in the last six months (1). Spam is soon going to be out of control if it is not curbed soon.
Spam is incredibly cheap to produce, yet costly to businesses that must attempt to block it. Spam will cost U.S. organizations an estimated $10 billion next year (2). This includes lost productivity and additional equipment required to screen against spam. This cost is a new issue for many companies, due to the recent skyrocketing of spam, and many are having trouble absorbing it in today’s economy.
One response to the increasing volume of spam is the proliferation of technology created to block it. Brightmail, the biggest anti-spam software company in the United States, operates a “probe network” made up of over 1 million e-mail addresses for which it monitors and filters spam (3). In March alone, Brightmail experts uncovered 6.7 million “spam attacks,” each containing anywhere from thousands to millions of messages (3). Companies such as Brightmail use the ever-adapting anti-spam technology to keep up with the spammers as they change their methods of sending messages. This technology-based method of fighting spam is considered to be the most effective by many, because it is easier to adjust software than to pass, revise and enforce spam laws (2).
However, despite the slower nature of legislation, anti-spam activists are still attempting to gain headway in the government. Currently there are only state laws protecting against spam, but federal legislation is currently being considered. Various bills have been proposed in Congress, and the Federal Trade Commission recently held a “spam summit” to discuss the issue (3). Anti-spam groups are getting more attention from the federal government, mainly due to the increasing problems associated with spam.
Perhaps the biggest problem with spam is its sheer volume. The average Internet user receives 110 unwanted e-mails per week (3). Many suggest that the only way to combat spam is to enforce an outright ban, similar to the ban of junk faxes in 1991 (1). However, some argue that a ban on spam would violate the free speech provisions in the U.S. Constitution (1). This conflict will most likely continue for some time, while spam becomes an increasing hindrance to companies, ISPs and web users alike. However, through a combination of anti-spam technology and legislative support, spam may perhaps be reduced in the near future to a more moderate level.
Sources:(1) Krim, Jonathan. 2003. Spam’s Cost to Business Escalates. In LexisNexis Academic [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. Vienna, VA: Post-Newsweek Business Information, Inc. [updated 13 March; cited 27 May].
(2) Preston, Rob. 2003. How to Contain Spam. In Academic Search Elite [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. Manhasset, NY: Network Computing [updated 15 May; cited 27 May]. Accession no. 9805343.
(3) Swartz, Jon and Paul Davidson. 2003. Spam thrives despite effort to screen it out. In LexisNexis Academic [database online] http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/. McLean, VA: Gannett Company, Inc. [updated 8 May; cited 27 May]. From USA Today.
Web sites:Title of Web page: Fight Spam on the Internet!
Web address: http://spam.abuse.net
Brief description: Provides information about spam and links with resources for eradicating it. Includes a comprehensive list of articles with the latest news about the efforts against spam.
Source of Web page: Scott Hazen Mueller and a group of “Internetters” with a “collective century of experience.”
Title of Web page: Spamcop.net
Web address: http://spamcop.net
Brief description: The premier spam reporting service, recognized by search engines, ISPs and the press. It also provides resources for those accused of producing spam, and answers to basic questions about spam.
Source of Web page: Julian Haight, who created the site in 1998.
Title of Web page: Spam Laws
Web address: http://www.spamlaws.com
Brief description: This site is a basic compilation of the spam laws in the United States, Europe and ten other countries, organized into links. It also provides links to information about spam legal cases and various articles on the subject.
Source of Web page: David E. Sorkin, an associate professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois.