Emily Coker's Career Portfolio

Dietary Supplement Term Paper

Skill Area:  General Nutrition

Assignment Title:  Safety in the Use of Kava Kava as a Treatment for Anxiety and Depression

What I learned:  In this assignment I learned to evaluate research data to better understand the effects of a non-traditional or holistic dietary supplement on a patient, and whether the supplement could potentially be useful in the treatment of a patient’s disease state.

Reflection:  By studying different articles and peer-reviewed journals for this research project, I learned to evaluate the validity of sources by assessing various details such as adherence to approved methodology, sample size, and equal distribution of age, ethnicity, gender and general health of the different subject groups. I also learned to compare results from multiple studies to be able to accurately evaluate information and come to a conclusion.

Relevance:  A career in a health-related will likely involve treating patients who either use or are interested in using herbal supplements. As a healthcare provider, the ability to research and evaluate studies on dietary supplements and scrutinize their reliability is a crucial part of helping a patient make intelligent decisions about their health.