For the record - July 17, 2013

Dietary supplements: A July 7 Op-Ed article about alternative medications misstated the name of a 1994 law; it is the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Law, not the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Law. The article said that the FDA does not regulate dietary supplements. Manufacturers do not need FDA approval to bring dietary supplements to market, but the agency has established safety, labeling and manufacturing rules for supplements. The Op-Ed said only 170 supplements have documented safety tests; only 170 have submitted safety documentation to the FDA under a rule governing supplements marketed after 1994. The Op-Ed said the American Assn. of Poison Control Centers’ reported 1.3 million adverse reactions to vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements between 1983 and 2004; in that period, the association reported 1.3 million exposures, which don’t necessarily involve adverse reactions.