Debunking Dumbthink About Herbal Remedies
Harriet Hall writes at Science Based Medicine:
Arguments in favor of herbal remedies include:•They're natural. (So what? Strychnine is natural.)•They're safer than prescription drugs. (Maybe some are, some aren't; how would you know?)
•They're milder than prescription drugs. (That would depend on the dosage of active ingredient.)
•They're less likely to cause side effects. (When they have been as well studied as prescription drugs, they may turn out to have just as many or more side effects. All effective drugs have side effects, and if an herbal medicine has fewer side effects it might have fewer therapeutic effects too. Formal systems for reporting adverse effects have long been in place for prescription drugs; not so for herbal remedies.)
•They're different from prescription drugs. (Some are identical to prescription drugs, like red yeast rice which contains the same ingredient as prescription lovastatin; and some herbal products have been found contaminated with prescription drugs.)
•They're less expensive. (True, but is a cheaper, inferior product a good bargain?)
•They're easier to obtain. (True, you don't have to make an appointment with a doctor; but that means you don't get the benefit of a doctor's knowledge.)
•The mixture of ingredients in a plant can have synergistic effects. (This is widely claimed but almost never substantiated. The other ingredients are just as likely to counteract the desired effect or to cause unwanted adverse effects.)
•For every disease, God has provided a natural remedy. (Perhaps this is a comforting thought for believers, but it is not based on any evidence and is not convincing to atheists and agnostics. And it doesn't help us find that natural remedy.)
•Even when an herbal remedy works, finding a safe and reliable source is problematic.
Horror stories abound:
•Contaminants (such as heavy metals, pesticides, carcinogens, toxic herbs, and insect parts).•Wild variation in content (from no active ingredient to many times the amount on the label).
•Mislabeled products that contain an entirely different herb.
The idea that because something is natural means it's good is called "the naturalistic fallacy," and sure, there's plenty wrong in modern medicine, starting with all the doctors who have been making their patients fat and sick and dead in the name of health by telling them to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet. At least, however, medicine starts from the premise that there should be evidence -- as opposed to "Ancient Chinese Secret!"
And a major herbal remedy in the news today is... marijuana!
Are we casting the same critical eye on it as, say, gingko biloba?
No. Screw everybody, just get high. Right?
Radwaste at March 23, 2011 2:50 AM
As you might have guessed from the social tsunami which followed the real one, all sorts of claims are being made in the wake of Japan's disaster...
Radwaste at March 23, 2011 2:52 AM
Tobacco - bad
Marijuana - good.
Why?
brian at March 23, 2011 6:14 AM
Actually I can tout the herbal effectiveness of tobacco. When I started smoking cigars I started getting tonsillitis less to practically done.
See see it works! Maybe if I can get a few more anecdotal cures and stories we can finally put tobacco on the road to redemption. Just think I could smoke at restaurants and just say sorry I am taking my medicine it's for my throat or for my health.
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh - I love this one. Thru I believe in the big guy but this one is just incredulous. You can have so much fun with this.
"For every disease, God has provided a natural remedy. "
So where is the cure for male pattern baldness. Wooo Woo what about alcoholism I hear that is a disease. Let me guess. Really what about just normal every day problems and tragedies did God also provide us with a secret ingredient to help us. God it almost makes like in to a game of Zelda or Mario Brothers. Ya I found this special mushroom that will let me fly and also a raccoon tail for some reason?
They are easier to obtain! Yes in this day and age of modern shipping and transportation and packaging and so on yes it is easier. But umm could not the same be said for modern medicine. Okay Okay some herbs can be grown or found in many environments but what about those that are not. What about the poor Swedish person that needs the energy and vitality provided by some Korean Gold Ginseng. Do they have to travel. Oh you can buy it their but um they can also buy a Coffee from Starbucks too.
Less expensive! Hah. Take a look at the prices at any Herbalife/MLM catalog, Naturopath store, hell website and sometimes the prices can be expensive for some little bit of dried up herb. I mean it's like taking some thyme fromthe supermarket and then marking the price up 5000 percent, chopping it an putting it into a capsule and packaging it up with a nice bottle and promises of sunshine, rainbows and unicorn farts. Now I will admit some drugs can downright expensive to oh my God you want how much! (Fucking Raul my smack keeps going up each month). Here is the major difference the medicine usually works! Tada! The Herbs and Spices usually do not work! Thump Thump Crash! Which do you want to buy a TV that was made in North Korean that gets one channel and uses some weird electrical plugin or a TV made in Taiwan that can show a thousand channels and in HDTV but maybe fritz out or explode. The game is one soon better make a choice.
Once again the herbal remedies and that are the nice looking friendly and wonderful child of the wonderful world of healing power of Mother Nature and everyone always ignores the bastard ugly child of this non scientific fantasy world of - animal cruelty, endangered animals and use of animal parts. I have ranted on this on other threads. So stopping there.
So anybody itching for a fight! Any believers in St John's Wart. Any partakers and believers of Goju Berry juice and clean colons or whatever is promised to be cleansed.
John Paulson at March 23, 2011 8:19 AM
Often there are very different standards in the US and abroad. For instance, I've used the nutritional supplement SAMe and it has been very effective in treating depression. No physician here recommends it and few even know about it. However, in some countries, like Germany, it is a regularly prescribed drug for depression.
As for your 3 bullet points under "horrors abound" - you can avoid these 3 horrors (contaminants, variation in content, mislabeling) simply by buying from reputable brands.
Snoopy at March 23, 2011 8:24 AM
The main advantage of using herbs for me is not having to deal with doctors. I recently went for a full physical -- the first time I'd seen anyone but a gynecologist (and a brief ER visit) since I was seeing a pediatrician. I have health insurance. I just never get sick enough to need a doctor. I hate the idea of having to convince someone else that I need some help for minor medical issues that respond well to herbs.
MonicaP at March 23, 2011 10:31 AM
So whats the naturalremidy for womens lower libido
lujlp at March 23, 2011 12:26 PM
So whats the naturalremidy for womens lower libido
Beer. Lots and lots of beer.
MonicaP at March 23, 2011 1:11 PM
Also
Tobacco - bad
Marijuana - good.
Why?
Posted by: brian
Marijuana - bad.
Ground Willow Bark - good.
Why?
lujlp at March 23, 2011 7:30 PM
Penn and Teller did an episode of their show Bullshit! about alternative medicine. It was as funny as the recycling episode, but they really surprise me in their shows by giving fact-based evidence. The bit about the reflexologist was the best part of the show. I'm extremely skeptical of any practitioner who claims to cure all that ails by tickling the feet of sufferers. We had a funny posted in a doctor office where I used to work. It went something like this:
1,000 BC: Eat this root, you feel like new man!
1750 AD: Root's no good, pray for cure!
1925 AD: Prayer is ok, but take this pill, you will feel like a new man! Just ignore the headache and stomach upset that goes with it!
Present day: A higher power is not scientifically proven to exist and that pill is nothing but chemicals. Here, eat this root!
Jessica at March 23, 2011 11:19 PM
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