To Go or Not to Go Herbal, that is the Question…

Many people nowadays are turning to “organics” and “naturals”
otherwise known as herbals. The rising popularity of herbal
supplements has created a new fad if not a new health lifestyle.

But before you join the bandwagon, here are some things you need
to know about this mean, “green” dietary supplementing machine.

What is the difference between a drug and a dietary supplement?

According to the definition set by food and drug administrations
in different countries, drugs are chemicals that can prevent,
prolong the life, treat other effects of a health condition,
improve the quality of life, and/or cure ailments and diseases,
or alter the function of any part or chemicals inside the body.

These drugs have approved therapeutic claims. For example,
paracetamol is a drug given to bring down the body temperature
in fever. Ascorbic acid is indicated for the treatment of scurvy.

Iron supplements are given to treat mild cases of anemia.

Herbal supplements are not classified as drugs but as dietary
supplements. The main difference is that they do not have approved
therapeutic claims unlike in the case of drugs. Moreover, dietary
supplements could either contain vitamins, minerals, herbals, or
amino acids, all aimed to add to or supplement the diet of an
individual.

They are not intended to be taken alone as a substitute to any
food or medicine.

Most of the manufactured medicines we now have once came from
animals and plants. Through the years, chemists isolated the
life-saving or life-curing components and separated them from the
harmful ones.

This lead to the further drug research and drug development that
lead to the production of a different variety of drugs for many
ailments and conditions from synthetic sources. But still we have
semi-synthetic drugs, as well as drug that more or less approximate
more natural composition.

Since herbal supplements are made from a mixture of crude herbs
reduced into powder or gel form, and later on packaged as tablets
and capsules, there is a possibility that life-threatening or at
least body chemistry-altering components are still present, thus
the expression of concern from the medical community.

Is there a growing concern with the use of herbal supplements?

Yes. With the rising popularity of using and consuming anything
herbal or organic is the proliferation of fake herbal supplements
that threaten to endanger lives.

If that’s the case, then why are herbal supplements given drug
administration approvals? One way of ensuring the safety of the
people is to have all candidate drugs, food, drinks, and dietary
supplements registered with the proper authority.

Otherwise, they would pose more risk with these things being sold
in the black market for a hefty sum. We could ensure the quality
and safety of herbal supplements if they get proper classification
with the food and drug administration.

Moreover, people may be able to file the proper complaints in the
event a worsening of health condition is proven to be linked to the
use of a particular herbal supplement.

Is using herbal supplements worth the risk?

Yes. It cannot be discounted that many who have tried herbal supplements
experienced an improvement in their health—whether this is due to the
herbals themselves or due to a placebo effect, as long as they do not
worsen the condition of an individual, then using them is worth the
risk.

But of course, certain things must be considered before taking those
herbal supplements:

Your doctor knows best.

First of all, clear your condition with your doctor. Ask him/her if
taking a particular herbal supplement is safe given your health
condition.

People with heart, liver, or kidney trouble or malfunction, are usually
not advised to take these, or at the minimum is to take these herbals
in minimum amounts.

All substances pass through the liver and kidney to be processed and
filtered respectively.

Kava, which is used to relieve people from stress, has been pulled out
from the Canadian, Singaporean, and German markets because it contains
substances that cause liver damage. Certain herbals such as Ephedra used
for losing weight, contains chemicals with heart-inducing effects that
can increase heart rate, which in turn can exhaust the heart and cause
heart attacks in several documented cases by the American Medical
Association.

Follow the directions for use.

Never take more herbal supplements than what is directed by the doctor
or as instructed on the bottle.

Each individual reacts differently to the components of herbal supplements.

While it is perfectly safe for one individual to take in a supplement of
primrose oil capsules, another person may be allergic to it.

So, do not even think about downing one bottle of It has no approved curative
effect.

No matter how the product pamphlet or the label of the bottle sounds about
how it has been found to be helpful in certain health conditions, these
herbal supplements are not therapeutic. So do not substitute these for the
medications prescribed by your doctor for the treatment of certain diseases,
or for the maintenance of blood pressure, lowering of blood sugar and
cholesterol, and fight off infections.

HOW-NATURAL-MEDICINE-CAN-HELP-YOU

5000 Year-Old Medical Secret Unearthed!

When you get sick, you go to the doctor. And the doctor will, of course, prescribe medicines. You will go and buy medicines. You take them, and hopefully, you get well.

This is how the health profession goes on nowadays – a cycle of diagnosis and prescription.

If anyone were to give you herbs for medicine, you would probably say that that person was a quack.

But nowadays, studies are being conducted to see if there are really is any merit to what is called natural medicine.

Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.

Many categories of the healing methods fall under natural medicine. Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine.

Usually, natural medicine refers to medical practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine.

This includes herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, which is prevalent in Chinese, Ayurvedic(or Indian), and Greek medicine.

Upon the advent of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was forgotten.

For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have their roots in traditional medicine.

Natural medicine can be considered as a lost art. This does not mean that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is actually better than modern medicine. This leads some doctors to seriously consider and study the possible uses of natural medicine

Before we continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural remedies are legitimate. It would help to only try those remedies which have been thoroughly studied and are relatively risk free.

Take herbal medicine for example. There are many well-documented and studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with minor ailments such as cough, colds, fever, skin rashes, and its ilk are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine. This is because herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.

Currently there are numerous organizations that study the effects and advocacy of natural medicine – among which is herbal medicine. Some governments and health agencies openly advocate the use of natural methods since they are inexpensive and relatively risk-free.

As their studies compile, more herbs and treatments are added to the list of accepted medicines. However, many herbs and treatments have been proven to be bogus medicine. This represents a challenge for both the user and the agencies because they have to ascertain that the treatments they either use or advocate are legitimate.

There exist today many alternative medical treatments that fall under natural medicine. However, not all of them have been proven to be effective. You could mention homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and other alternative medical treatments. It would pay to consult the experts as to the legitimacy of these treatments.

Natural medicine should also be thought of as an accompanying medicine. Right now, the current collective medical thought suggests that natural medicine be used only to supplement accepted modern medical practices. In that case of minor ailments your expert we actually advise you to take natural therapies instead.

The practice of modern medicine revolves around diagnosing an illness and prescribing treatments for such. Natural medicine is helpful because it suggests that treatment be not necessarily given only when sick. Natural medicine strives to make each patient practice good health habits. These habits include good diet, healthy living, and the regular natural treatment.

It is this same line of thought that leads our parents to tell us to eat our vegetables. Yes, a healthy lifestyle and will do no harm to our well-being. And this is the foundation of natural medicine – may it be massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or others.

It is funny but true that science, in its quest for excellence, is studying the knowledge of sages past. This, surprisingly, leads us back to the remedies nature offers. The possibilities of finding remedies to everyday illnesses in natural medicine are encouraging. So staying tuned to studying these remedies is worthwhile until we can verify that these therapies are truly helpful to our health and our society.