A client visits her health care practitioner for her annual physical. She questions the office staff regarding the use of an herbal supplement that she saw advertised on television for weight loss. What information can the health care practitioner share with her client?

The FDA stands for the Food and Drug Administration, which is a federally maintained department responsible for public health care by overseeing the production and distribution of medicines, foods, vaccines, and other products throughout the country. Areas supervised by the FDA must submit to the department the entire process of production, purpose and distribution of their product, so that the FDA assesses whether this product can be manufactured and distributed or not. In the case of medications, none should be purchased and taken without regularization by the FDA. For this reason, when the patient informed the doctor that she wanted to buy an herbal supplement to help her lose weight, the doctor should warn her that herbal production is not regulated by the FDA.