Helping Turn "WannabeWELLS" into Wise Consumers

Partnership Encourages Americans to Get Educated During National Wise Consumer Health Month—to Stay Healthy Year-Round

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to a recent study by the "Life…supplemented" consumer wellness initiative, close to half of Americans (44 percent) are "WannabeWELLs"—that is, they want to be healthier and they have good intentions, but they may not know where to start.

In honor of National Wise Consumer Health Month, started by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, two licensed naturopathic doctors, who specialize in an integrative and total body approach to health and nutrition—Douglas MacKay, N.D., vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Mitchell Stargrove, N.D., L.Ac, practicing naturopathic doctor and author of Herb, Nutrient and Drug Interactions: Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Strategies and editor of InteractionsGuide.com—have teamed up to try and help Americans become more educated health consumers.

"As a former practicing licensed naturopathic doctor, I have always found that an educated individual is a healthier individual," said Dr. MacKay, CRN. "I believe it is part of a physician's role to educate and encourage the patient to take responsibility for his or her health. After all, it's the patient, not the doctor, who ultimately creates and accomplishes change and healing in the patient's lifestyle.  This partnership is all about empowering individuals to become more educated about their health. By educating yourself on how various factors, including lifestyle status, age, gender, family history, etc., impact your health, you can take preventative steps to be healthier throughout your life."

For example, Dr. MacKay notes that women of childbearing age—which is any woman capable of becoming pregnant, even if pregnancy is not planned—may not realize that folic acid and iodine are instrumental in helping prevent birth defects in babies. Since more than half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned and the average woman is not getting enough of the recommended amounts of folic acid and iodine, taking a prenatal multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid and 150 micrograms (mcg) of iodine is critically important for all women of childbearing age.  

Other things that individuals may need to think about are drug-induced nutrient depletions, which are nutrient depletions that are caused by prescription drugs. According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2003 to 2006, 47 percent of all Americans reported using a prescription drug in the past month and some may not have realized that some of these drugs can cause essential nutrients to be depleted.

"It is widely known that statin medications, often prescribed for high-cholesterol levels, deplete Coenzyme Q10 from the body, which helps transform energy into activity," said Dr. Stargrove. "Healthcare professionals should discuss these potential depletions with their patients and discuss how patients can avoid these depletions so that they can be as healthy as possible. Our book helps educate healthcare professionals so that they can take this information back to their patients."

To learn more about some of these important health issues and get tips for how you might be able to resolve them or things you should consider asking your own healthcare professional, visit www.crnusa.org/consumerhealth.

For healthcare professionals who would like free access to InteractionsGuide.com web application during February 2010 or to order a copy of Herb, Nutrient and Drug Interactions: Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Strategies by Mitchell Bebel Stargrove N.D., L.Ac., visit: http://www.medicineworks.com.

About the Council for Responsible Nutrition: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.  In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our 70+ manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as CRN's Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org.

About the "Life…supplemented Study: The 2009 "Life...supplemented" My Wellness Scorecard National Study was conducted October 2 through October 9, 2009 by Ipsos Public Affairs. The survey was conducted on-line and included a national sample of 1,172 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos' U.S. on-line panel. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to the Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. For more information, visit www.lifesupplemented.org.

About Duffy MacKay, N.D.:

Douglas "Duffy" MacKay, N.D. is vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, for CRN. Dr. MacKay is a licensed naturopathic doctor and was a co-owner and practitioner in a family-owned New Hampshire complementary and alternative medicine private practice for seven years before joining CRN.

About Mitchell Bebel Stargrove, N.D, L.Ac.:

Mitchell Bebel Stargrove, N.D., L.Ac. earned his BA in history and government from Oberlin College in 1979, his acupuncture diploma from Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 1987 and his naturopathic degree from National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1988. He is licensed as an acupuncturist and naturopathic physician in Oregon and practices with Dr. Lori Beth Stargrove at A WellSpring of Natural Health, Inc. in Beaverton. Since 1990, he has taught History of Medicine at OCOM (to present) and NCNM (1990-1993). He is the editor and co-author of Herb, Nutrient, and Drug Interactions: Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Strategies (MosbyElsevier 2008) and InteractionsGuide.com. He developed Integrative BodyMind Information System (IBIS), the pioneering multidisciplinary electronic encyclopedia for practitioners of integrative medicine and natural therapeutics, and is Editor in Chief of ChoicesForHealth.com. In addition, he is President and Chief Medical Officer of MedicineWorks.com / Health Resources Unlimited, Inc.

2009 "Life…supplemented" My Wellness Scorecard National Study Methodology:  The 2009 "Life…supplemented" My Wellness Scorecard National Study was conducted October 2 through October 9, 2009 by Ipsos Public Affairs. The survey was conducted on-line and included a national sample of 1,172 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos' U.S. on-line panel. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the U.S. adult population according to the Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Ipsos also conducted the 2007-2009 "Life…supplemented" Healthcare Professionals Impact Studies.

SOURCE Council for Responsible Nutrition