Most doctor-prescribed medicine is flushed down the toilet; less than 50 per cent is taken, even for serious conditions; and I see many patients who refuse all medications. But if you call the medicine ‘a vitamin’, some seem very eager to take them, even if they are proved not to work. This is what I call vitamin loyalty. There is no proven benefit to the non-diseased person; in fact, the evidence so far suggests taking vitamin supplements regularly, especially in large amounts, has risks.
