If a drug or supplement or treatment actually works, it will carry risks as well as benefits.
Thats why FDA-approved drugs carry inserts listing their side effects, for example.
But sketchy wellness treatments rarely have any such thing.
Most homeopathic remedies, includingnearly all cold medicines meant for toddlers,are just plain old water.
One of the salespeople atthe Goop summithad a theory about health products benefits.
(Goop-endorsed products areoverhyped and often useless or harmful.)
Your body takes what it needs and leaves the rest, she explained.
If something doesnt apply to you, you just dont get that benefit.
She brushed off the idea that a supplement might be harmful.
It didnt fit with the Goop philosophy of trying everything to see what might work for you.
I get them shots because the benefits outweigh the risks.
I dont just inject everything I find into my kids bloodstreams and see what happens.
Real drugs and treatments arent necessarilydangerous, of course.
Sometimes the side effects are minor, like the sore arm.
Other times there is a risk that is rare or that only affects people with certain other conditions.
For example, over-the-counter drugs likeTylenolandibuprofenhave minor risks.
We still take them.
But you could read all about them on the package insert.
These drugs are worthwhile in spite of their side effects, for most people most of the time.
(Huge amounts can causenausea and more.)
