April 6th, 2009

Reports the New York Times:

It was a nasty head cold that sent Kerry Parham to Cinagro’s, a health-food store in suburban Cleveland, for an $8 bottle of herbal supplements.

“If I had a job with health insurance, I probably would have gone to see a doctor by now,” said Ms. Parham, 39, who lost her clerical job at American Greetings a while back. “But instead, I’m here buying echinacea. I hope it works.”

In flusher times, Ms. Parham said, she spent $50 a month on prescriptions for her asthma, allergies and other chronic problems. Now, she pays $6 a month for over-the-counter protein supplements and oregano oil capsules. “That’s an important savings for me,” she said. “It means I can rent a movie or make the kids food that they actually like.”

A lot of consumers seem to be doing the same math. Sales of vitamins and nutritional supplements, which have grown consistently for years, have surged in recent months, rising as the stock market has fallen. People are clearly cutting back on many items, from bread and milk to designer jeans and flat-screen televisions, but they are stocking up on pills that they think can spare them expensive doctor visits.

…

At the Vitamin Shoppe, a national chain with 414 stores, customers have been expressing alarm over health care costs and the high unemployment rate, said Tom Tolworthy, the company chairman. “The reduction of benefits associated with prescription drugs is sending people to prevention and alternative health care,” he said.

…

Doctors caution against putting too much faith in supplements, and recent studies have cast doubt on the long-term effectiveness of products like multivitamins and vitamin E for certain cancers and heart disease. Dr. Edward L. Langston, a former chairman of the board of the American Medical Association, said he counseled his patients to take limited doses of vitamin C, but said supplements were no “panacea,” nor a substitute for traditional health care.

Read more at the NYT.