I’ve noticed a disturbing trend over the years, one demonstrated even by close personal friends of mine. That trend is the tendency for advocates of Herbalism to also buy into a host of quack therapies indiscriminately based on the viability of certain herbal medicines. They often question, rarely research, but often question the viability of every Western medical procedure and medication they can, but then turn around and pay cold hard cash to have a tube stuffed up their ass, or hot stones placed on their body, or for mystical energy massages from Maori tribesmen, or whatever, without question. It would seem that scientific method and clinical trials are suspicious tools of conspiracy to such people, while methods with little to no medical credibility are happily accepted through belief in magic, as if they can’t be explained because their magical basis is beyond such an Earthly requirement as proof of efficacy.
Firstly, most alternative therapies are not the same as Herbalism. Lets get that straight from the get-go. The thing is, in my experience, too many people put every quack therapy they can think of and Herbalism under the same umbrella. This suits the snake oil vendors because Herbalism holds a level of credibility where their practices do not, but in my opinion, it is essentially damaging the credibility of proper Herbalism. By proper Herbalism, I mean the variety practiced by Herbalists who have devoted many years of study to the application of herbs for medical purposes, as opposed to the fairy chasing brigade who hijack any therapy that they can practice with minimal effort (no need for professional level chemistry, physics or biology) and more importantly without a license.
Herbalism has scientific validity. When somebody introduces certain herbs and plants into the body they have a tangible and explainable effect. Herbalism does not rely on some magical explanation, despite the fluffiness of some of the people who practice the tradition and their assertions to the contrary.
The effect of herbs can be demonstrated in double blind clinical trials if necessary as they have done for some of the herbal preparations which have been fortunate to make it to clinical trials. Elements of the plants or herbs are detectable and identifiable as active compounds, the quantities of which, when varied, provide varying results. The efficacy of various herbal treatments can either be established or dismissed as a form of treatment in double blind medical trials. Most alternative therapies have or would fail miserably in reputable scientific studies. When efficacy of herbal medicines is established in trials, they can replicate the results. Basically, if you can’t replicate results at will, it doesn’t exactly present the basis for a sound medical treatment.
Where Herbalism gets the short end of the stick scientifically, is in the fact that many herbal preparations have not been scientifically tested in controlled clinical trials. As a result preparations which have a history of effectiveness in treating ailments don’t have official scientific verification, not because they have failed scientific testing, but because they haven’t received it. Quacks and other alternative therapists exploit this to make a case for their remedies. This gets worse in the US, as a bill was passed a few years back which means that herbal remedies do not need to prove their efficacy in order to be sold to the public, allowing any manufacturer to market and sell any made-up concoction they chose to the public, without prior clinical testing. The bill is good for legitimate Herbal remedies and reputable herbalists, as it means medicines which are known to work can be sold while awaiting the opportunity to be put to clinical trial and certified, but it also opens the door wide for charlatans and opportunists. Unlike pharmaceuticals which have to prove a certain level of safety and efficacy under FDA guidelines before landing on store shelves (and even then some get withdrawn), herbal remedies can be sold without such testing and need to be proved ineffective or dangerous before they are removed from shelves. As a result bogus therapies are lumped together with viable herbal treatments and enjoy the support of loyal but ill-informed alternative consumers who assume that they are all viable treatments.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a mutual support between Herbalists and alternative therapists of every ilk in a kind of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’ vein, which I don’t fully understand. There is a tendency for consumers of each and every alternative therapy to view Western medicine as a common enemy, so I suspect this is a sentiment which is shared in the professional rungs also. I contacted the American Herbalists Guild, in the hope of gaining some insight into the issue and to establish a better frame of reference regarding Herbalists’ attitude to Homeopathy and other alternative therapies, but they never replied to my inquiry. I can only assume from their lack of critical voice regarding questionable alternative therapies that they don’t want to lose any support from the burgeoning New-Age market of consumer. It is a consumer group that gets very upset about any of their fashion therapies being questioned by any source.
Personally, I believe that legitimate Herbalists need to take a stand and speak out against suspect therapies in an effort to protect consumers and distance their discipline from the quacks. Herbalists should make greater efforts to safe-guard their patients from exploitation rather than just fighting with Western doctors. As an advocate of integrated medicine, I see the constant bickering between much of the Herbalist and Western Medical community as just tiresome and regressive. No avid proponent of Herbal medicine is going to listen to a Western Doctor when they tell them that an alternative therapy is bogus and a waste of money, but they will listen to Herbalists. Herbalists have a responsibility to their patients to protect them from exploitation. As far as consumers go, it is your responsibility to research any medical treatment, alternative or Western, before you hand over a cent. If you’re reading this then you have instant access to a vast amount of information, don’t just buy the line that you’re fed on a single website, look for criticism and see what skeptics have to say too, then draw your own conclusion.
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I really enjoyed reading it.
I for one want to specialize in Herbalism
=]
Change is eminent lets face it the world is in for a serious awakening
Very nice. I try to emphasize that it's important to check for the safety of products you can buy in GNC, but few people listen.
There was a guy in Israel, though, that managed to make a vaccine out of a cinnamon extract that helps fight off the bird flu, and has the potential to fight off others as well. I believe it's going into clinical trials now...
~C
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Also, it's harder for bacteria to become as resistant to an herb. The chemicals we currently use to kill bacteria in a person leave resistant strains within the body, which spread and make it near impossible to kill with the current technology.
Doctors don't cure diseases, they mearly try and fend them off for another couple of years. There's too much money in antibiotics as we need new ones every couple of years.
Nicholas Aden
Also, it's harder for bacteria to become as resistant to an herb.
How? I've never heard that argument before. Many medications we have now also come from herbs. They're just manufactured on a large scale, instead of destroying plants to get the medication. Though that claim does make some sense, since apparently cranberry juice has some good antibacterial properties, but people don't complain about it going inert on them.
Doctors don't cure diseases, they merely try and fend them off for another couple of years.
Depends what the 'disease' you're talking about is. Heart disease, diabetes, etc are all diseases that can be 'cured' by having a healthy lifestyle. Cancer can be 'cured' in some cases, though it is mostly breast cancer that is cured merely because it is removed from the body. Cancers like liver cancer can't be cured, and so the symptoms of that cancer are treated to make the patient's life easier. Chicken pox can pretty much be 'cured', in that people usually only get it once in their lives, and that's it.
But yes, a number of diseases involving microorganisms (and viruses) can't be cured. HIV, HPV, the flu, the common cold, perhaps even meningitis, TB, etc, all fight against our best efforts to eliminate them.
I'm personally interested in probiotics. It's such a neat concept :-)
~C
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The last disease that any doctor cured was Polio. No one gets polio anymore, not because it isn't there, it's because we've all become too resistant to it because of all the fun drugs we get pumped into us on a semi-regular basis.
Look at AIDS. We have the technology to cure it, we have to. I mean, how hard can it really be? We as humans have cured lots of diseases that used to be terrible plagues. To tell me that the best we can do for someone with AIDS is to put them on $1000 drugs is ridiculous.
Cancer is caused by a malignant, mutated cell that replicates over and over and over and over again. The causes for the mutation are widespead and can be anything from enhaling certain chemicals to being exposed to a bacteria/virus.
The reasoning being the "harder for bacteria to become as resistant to an herb" argument is that the herb changes just as the bacteria do. They all evolve, and so long as certain chemical signals remain encoded, the bacteria are repelled.
Nicholas Aden
Um. No. Polio isn't cured. There's still plenty of people in the Asia/Africa region that get it because they refuse to get the vaccines for it. http://www.polioeradication.org/ Nice try, though.
They're developing vaccines for HIV. I've seen a lot of headlines on that lately, but HIV doesn't really interest me all that much. But I can find articles for you if you really want them.
Yes, I'm fully aware what cancer is caused by. And despite all the drugs we pump into our bodies, people that have had cancer can now be completely cancer free, thanks to our technology. That's something that didn't happen 100 years ago. I'd say that's a pretty good cure.
That reasoning makes sense.
~C
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"it's harder for bacteria to become as resistant to an herb."
Back it up, or back off of it.
Most herbs don't even bother most bacteria to begin with. The resistance is already there. Which just illustrates that by generalization you have made it impossible for your statement to be true.
Antibiotics, which are the type of chemical you are refering to are mostly derived from biological sources (penicillin from mold), just like your herbs. No natural vs man made difference. Both have specific properties that have been discovered rather than invented.
A fact is always better than an ideal
"Antibiotics, which are the type of chemical you are refering to are mostly derived from biological sources (penicillin from mold), just like your herbs. No natural vs man made difference. Both have specific properties that have been discovered rather than invented."
Spot on. As I said I am a supporter of intergrated medicine. Anti-biotics are villified by too many people for the wrong reasons. One of the most common reasons, that bacteria become resistant to anti-biotics, doesn't happen because it's bad medicine, but because it's given to ill-informed or irresponsible patients. These patients don't actually take the full course of anti-biotics prescribed to them, choosing instead to end their intake as soon as they feel better, this gives the bacteria a chance to regroup and form a resistance. Like so many pharmaceutical medicines, too many people focus on improper prescription and abuse of the medications instead of focusing on proper use and application. This unfortunately leaves many people under the impression that they are of no benefit, which is a dangerously regressive belief to hold.
People who are all out against anti-biotics also like to hold that there is only a tiny number of anti-biotics and that no new ones have been discovered. This was true for a 40 year period and was of some concern, but new ones have now been developed, so that's an outdated stance.
Herbal remedies have their uses and are effective in treating a host of ailments and provide an alternative to chemical intervention. But that is not to say that it can be applied as an effective medication for everything.
Modern Western medicine has provided us with so much, that so many people are stubbornly ungrateful for until the shit hits the fan, then they are more than happy to use the surgical equipment and procedures developed by people who are accused of ruining medicine by the ill-informed.
Modern Western medicine is what they are crying out for in the very countries from which many alternative therapies have sprung, because they realise that it will save their lives from illnesses that trendy alternatives can not. Yet in the West, too many people seem to think that Western medicine has spoiled some golden era of medicine that existed a thousand years ago, despite the fact that the life expectancy around the times when many alternative medicines flourished was a fraction of what it is today.
Herbalism has it's place, it is effective in treating many ailments effectively and demonstratively. I've seen first hand the effectiveness of Herbal prepartion over Western medicine in one incident where a friend of mine lost his voice and had it back within weeks of starting a Chinese herbal preparation. He'd spent 2 years without his voice, only able to manage a raspy whisper, he had been to several specialists and tried various drugs to no avail. But for every story like that, there's thousands where Western medicine has succeeded where herbal disciplines have failed.
Herbalism should be incorporated with Western medicine, because it is effective, not simply because it's popular and the consumer wants it, as is the worrying case with a lot of unproven alternative remedies which are being introduced into places like the Beth Israel hospital. It is frightening that reputable medical establishments are offering quack therapies like Homeopathy and Colonic Hydro Therapy, when these treatments have failed to prove their efficacy.
It is frightening because by allowing them into reputable hospitals, it gives consumer the impression that the doctors who run these institutions actually validate them, which they will admit they don't. It's all about the money and not losing patients, give the people what they want even if it doesn't work, as long as they're paying. This of course is at it's most fervent in the US, where medicine isn't really medicine, it's like most things in the US, it's big business, it's a good market, a good dollar.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
Has anyone ever seen a product statement that HAS been approved by the FDA? For crying out loud, what do these federal employees do all day? Natural herbs have many merits, but tobacco is also natural and full of cancer agents. Not everything that grows is good for you. I think its time for us to follow the German model and get some regulation. Wow- I can't believe I'm advocating bigger government!
I am a medical herbalist and pediatric nurse practitioner. I turned to herbs and other modalities for myself and to keep my practice meaningful in the blitz of pharmaceuticals and disease-oriented medicine. I too find that many people do not differentiate between herbalism, homeopathy , naturopathy, etc. It's all lumped into "natural medicine." I find that I am a teacher as well as a clinician when it comes to herbal medicine.
I also value what tradition has given to us along with science in the realm of herbs. Traditional herbalists trusted their senses, powers of observation and intimate relationship with plants and people to best use their medicine in a context of matching thre right herb to the right person. What is true and of value will stand the test of time.
In the marketplace, there will always be scams and scam artists, even in the realm of herbs. Those looking for a quick fix will likely find something to accomodate them. Sometimes those people are desperate for something out of the mainstream and are startng their journey for better health and wellness. If they are sincere they will learn and grow and find what is real and true, perhaps after a few lessons in the marketplace.
We can continue to teach and learn from others who are sincerely choosing herbs as a tool for wellness.
LB
Medical herbalist
JAZZMAN
I agree. You are so right. There are many conditions for which traditional western medicine offers little hope., especially with chronic conditions On the other hand, there are a lot of fakes out there that prey on desperate folks.
Of course, medicine is big business. Big Pharma is a multi billion dollar industry. The Natural/Herbalist etc types are a multi million dollar industry.
Patents are usually issued for man-made substances or processes, not naturally occuring substances. For example, one can patent Vioxx but not bananas.
Therefore, it is highly profitable to try to either invent an entirely synthetic substance for which your company hold exclusive rights and patents, or, at the very least, isolate a nutrally occurring substance and try to synthesize it or patent the process that does so. Selling what mother nature made is significantly less profitable but less risky. the question we need answered is, is it as effective?
The FDA side steps the issue by declaring most herbs, supplements, etc. foods and therefore not subject to the same scrutiny as drugs. Therefore, despite all our tax dollars, the research that is desparately needed to separate the facts from the hype is not done - or not done adequately.
The average doctor sidesteps the issue by claiming not enough is "known about the herb or natural substance in question or the possible drug - herb interaction" The patient who is discouraged from trying "unknown natural methods" may be the one who most desparately needs them.
I really think that the potential hero of this quandry is going to prove to be the HMO.
Yes, the HMO. OK. I admit, this seems like an unlikely scenario.
But think about it. HMOs are always trying to keep costs down. HMOs are big into preventive medicine. All it would take would be one HMO to save one major corporation, like Wal-Mart, a ton of money on health care.
Why Wal-Mart? Well, it's been in the news for sidestepping paying health care benefits by keeping mostly part-time employees. If they would be forced by law to provide these benefits, they would be large enough to self-insure. Wal-mart is also mamoth enough to control its lines of supply. (It would force very good deals from herb/vitamin manufacturers.) A company like Wal-mart would be in a wonderful position to offer health care that promoted natural cures and to fund a lot of the research to separate the wheat from the chaff. If this saved a lot of money, other huge corporations would follow suit.
In addition, I think our patent laws need revisiting. When it comes to medicine, perhaps patents shouldn't be so generous. Or perhaps, certain herbals which are not easy to come becasue of their rarity, could be legally patented if they laws changed. Perhaps the profit motive in the patent laws is a bit too motivating. We all hear horror stories about drugs that were rushed to market without being adequately tested first. No one wants another Celebrex or Vioxx debacle. Money corrupts. Perhaps there is just too much money at stake.
And finally, it would be nice if more medical schools would incorporate courses about other healing methods such as nutrition, herbs, etc. A doctor can only help a patient with what he knows. He knows what he has been taught. I believe most doctors would do anything in their power to make their patients well.
In the fianl analysis, it may take a combination of mother nature and drugs to effect some cures. I once had a stubborn nail fungal infection, It took a round of Diflucan but also daily soaking in boric acid as well as better attention to overall diet and supplements like Vitamin C that boast overall immunity. This way the infection went away quickly and stayed away. would it have done so using only the Diflucan? Ah, if I had some research dollars, I'd be able to let you know about that.
when it comes to this issue, common sense is in short supply and greatly needed.
"In addition, I think our patent laws need revisiting. When it comes to medicine, perhaps patents shouldn't be so generous."
Unfortunately, patent laws have to be so generous in order to attract the money hungry business men who fund medical research in the name of profit, largely because the government has more important things to spend tax dollars on, like weapons. I would really have hoped that at this point in history countries would be more interested in bragging about how they could cure another country's entire population of a disease, than bragging how they could reduce every human in an other country to ashes with the push of a button. But it seems the ability to kill millions is far more impressive to people than the ability to heal millions. In countries like India, you can see a massive military force, huge 'defence' spending and millions of people who are living in filthy conditions with little or no medical care.
"Money corrupts. Perhaps there is just too much money at stake."
Which is the result of there not being enough of the right money being put at stake.
"And finally, it would be nice if more medical schools would incorporate courses about other healing methods such as nutrition, herbs, etc."
I agree, but it's an unfortunate fact that the average patient in a Doctor's waiting room doesn't want to hear about nutrition, unless it involves popping nutritional supplements from a jar. When Doctors tell patients to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, highlighting them as the best natural source of vitamins and minerals, to cut down on fatty foods and increase their level of exercise, the average patient just goes 'yeah, yeah yeah, whatever. What kind of supplements are the best to take, so I don't have to do all that?".
They then go out and buy a lifestyle magazine and see some fad exercise regime endorsed by some celebrity and act like the concept of exercise is a revelation, and give credit to some money grubbing celebrity for telling them about fruit and vegetables. I think what Doctors need to employ these days is 'Entertainment Medicine', where the doctor performs standard medical procedures and the like as part of a kind of magic show. These days everything in Western culture has to have an entertainment factor, maybe that's this century's spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down.
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I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
I'm a firm believer in herbal medicines. They've worked wonders on my muscle problems. I hyperextended my knee about 4 years ago and never stayed off it long enough to heal. As a result, my ligaments and tendons are stretched out farther then they're supposed to be which causes pain time to time. I visited the local herbal store and they gave me this cream. It's amazing.
Lavender Oil is also does a great job healing cuts. I had a really bad scrape from sliding on the softball field. This pic is about a week old.
I used lavender oil for about a month and the scarring is so minimal, that most people don't even notice it.
http://www.progressiveu.org/user/bamers
I learned alot from your blog thanks buddy!!!
Herbalism has increased its reputation due to outstanding results against traditional medical treatments that have no results in some cases. Check this herbal based treatment and tell me what you think: http://vitanetonline.com/description/NR0266/vitamins/Immublast/
Remember that medicine is really no different from any other food. you put it into your body to serve a specific purpose.
When I get a cold, I take Vit. C and Zinc, as well as eating more raw garlic cloves (and normally some Ginger Root to help with the stomach issues that garlic can cause)
the medications you get are little more than natural (or artifically made) combinations of chemicals that match what is found in nature in any single or combination of compounds.
I go to the doctor, as they know alot more about medicine than I do, and I would never suggest NOT going to a doctor...
but going to the doctor doesn't mean that you can't augment things naturally either.
Just be sure to tell your doc about any natural things you take.... they can indeed conflict with medication.