One thing you can be sure of in this life: What's good for one person isn't necessarily good for another.
Take niacin for example.The over-the-counter medication has been used for years to improve circulation near the surface of the skin and in the extremities - to treat cold hands, cold feet.
Although first-time use frequently produces some temporary flushing, few serious complications have been seen among users.
Until now.
This week several area hospitals reported a startling number of niacin users being admitted to emergency rooms. Most apparently were using the medication to reduce cholesterol and had an allergic reaction to it.
"They weren't having any difficulty breathing but had hives and were flushed with a hot and burning feeling. They weren't in life-threatening situations, but they could have become such," said Kelly Wood, night nurse in charge of the emergency room at Lakeview Hospital in Bountiful.
Allergic reaction to the medication, Wood said, causes swelling, which could make it difficult to breathe. So medical attention has been necessary in the patients he has seen.
Most patients have been treated with benadryl, an antihistamine used to treat allergic disorders.
Most were released soon after treatment - with this caution: Check with a pharmacist or a physician before using niacin.
Wood said while most people taking the drug are under a doctor's supervision, many others are responding to hype in the lay press that niacin reduces cholesterol, the culprit in the blood that clogs arteries.
According to officials of the National Cholesterol Education Program, heart disease is the nation's No. 1 killer disease, claiming the lives of about 500,000 Americans each year.
Because heart disease is associated with high levels of cholesterol in the blood, Americans have become groupies of diets and medications thought to reduce both fat and cholesterol.
"If they read in Better Homes and Gardens that niacin can reduce cholesterol, they might take it (without consulting a doctor) and have problems," Wood said.
Even people taking time-release niacin under a doctor's supervision for cholesterol-reduction should be cautious and closely adhere to the dosage prescribed, warns the Utah Pharmaceutical Association.
According to association President C. Neil Jensen, too many Utahns apparently are suffering from the "if one is good, two is better" syndrome.
People using too much could have an allergic reaction, he said.
Others taking the vitamin-B supplement may not need it, and illness could be caused from an "overdose" of niacin.
Unquestionably, niacin plays an essential role in the activities of various enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. Additionally, it is important for the functioning of the nervous and digestive systems, the manufacture of sex hormones and the maintenance of healthy skin.