So much news is made of the occurrence and prevalence of diseases such as cancer and AIDS; and of viruses such as Bird Flu and SARS that one could be easily be mistaken in thinking that humans are a species at risk. Although some of these possible pandemics are a sobering thought, you may take solace in the fact that we have a smaller chance of getting, and a better chance of beating, a damning diagnosis than ever before. In part, this has been achieved through the dual advance of the pharmaceutical and nutritional sciences: we have an arsenal of both nutraceuticals and drugs for prevention, treatment and cure.

At the last big count, 7.5% of Americans aged 18 to 44 take 3 or more prescribed drugs, this rises to a huge 47.6% in those aged 65 or over. At the same time over a third of the US population uses dietary supplements daily and over 20% have used some form of natural product in the past 12 months. When these statistics are put together it would be safe to assume that many people are on at least one drug and at least one nutraceuticals at the same time. A recent study also estimated that 70% of patients fail to tell their doctor they are undergoing alternative treatment for their problems. Problems like depression, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, flu and high blood pressure are now so well characterized and supported by drugs that physicians may feel less inclined to investigate the condition, or the person, further.

Side effects of drugs are well known with huge legal cases such as Vioxx bringing the industry and the regulation process into the spotlight. Drug-drug interactions are also well documented and millions of dollars are spent on research and testing to find out exactly what can, and can