The Pharmaceutical Industry

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by morethanpretty

I think part of the problem with herbal remedies used by the general population is that they are also "self-diagnosing" and don't have a professional opinion as to what is their issue is.

Nailed it.

Remember the coca plant? Now used to make cocaine...yeah cocaine was the 'improvement' of the effects of the coca plant.

So...not all bad then :P


[eta]
I don't have complete trust in the Pharm companies either. But...speaking as someone whose family was fleeced for £££££s during my childhood follwing various homecure blind alleys (homeopathy, healthfood diets, allergy regimes, even fucking faith healers) I can say that I don't much trust them either. There are natural remedies which are effective. Of ocurse there are, else we'd never have developed modern medicine. But sometimes an effective natural remedy isn;t as effective as the equivalent prescribed drug. And of course vice versa.

Pharm companies may not be the best people to trust ... but y'know there are a lot of universities researching this stuff as well. If it's effective and can be proved empirically then I am happy. But I've been stung by both...and of the two I'd say I have had waay more success with prescribed medicines.

[sugarpop]

Just a few herbs and supplements I have used that have worked for me:

Valarian, Scullcap, Mugwort help me sleep, as does melatonin.

Chamomile and Kava Kava calm the nerves. Kava Kava should not be taken all the time though, because it can be dangerous if taken over long periods of time. Rescue Remedy (Bach flowers) works too.

St John's Wort helps with depression.

Goldenseal and Echinacea help colds and flu go away (or help you to not get sick) when taken at the first signs of illness. Should not be taken long term.

Ginko, Ginsing and DMAE help with memory and brain function.

Ginsing also helps with energy. So do B vitamins.

NAC, Malic Acid, Magnesium help with pain and sleep in people with fibromyalgia.

Black Cohash and Dong Quai help with perimenopause and menopause symptoms.

Probiotics help keep your gut healthy and keep you regular.

These are just few, that I can think of off the top of my head.

[Clodfobble]

Oh word up on the cranberry for UTIs. I had chronic recurring infections that got me referred all the way up to a urologist, and the only thing that stopped them was when I began taking daily cranberry concentrate pills (recommended by the urologist.)

[kerosene]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Oh word up on the cranberry for UTIs. I had chronic recurring infections that got me referred all the way up to a urologist, and the only thing that stopped them was when I began taking daily cranberry concentrate pills (recommended by the urologist.)

Ditto. I swear by these. And drinking ocean spray doesn't come close to helping, BTW.

[Clodfobble]

Plus it tastes nasty.

[kerosene]

that too

[Flint]

Ocean Spray is just sugar water. The purest, 100% juice they make is a juice "blend" i.e. not 100% cranberry juice. Whole foods has some actual, real cranberry juice. It works by not letting the bacteria or whatever bind to the lining of your tinkle tank.

[kerosene]

Originally Posted by Flint

Ocean Spray is just sugar water. The purest, 100% juice they make is a juice "blend" i.e. not 100% cranberry juice. Whole foods has some actual, real cranberry juice. It works by not letting the bacteria or whatever bind to the lining of your tinkle tank.

Oh, I know. Cranberry juice tastes bad, no matter if it is fake kind or real kind. The real kind is even worse than the fake, to me, so I take the concentrated pills.

[Flint]

I used to get the real stuff and put shots of it in sparkling mineral water.

[skysidhe]

I've been treating my body likes it's 30. Not so much what I am doing to it than what I am depriving it of so I chose a good multivitamin/mineral. I can already tell the difference in my hair of all places. I hope the rest of my body is just as happy.

In the past I've used goldenseal and red clover and I think they need to be administered by a natropathic doctor. My experience is the goldenseal can mask but not cure a serious problem. I am not sure if overuse of the redclover burn't out my thyroid or it was going anyway.I try not to dwell on it but it did work for menopause symptom of hot flashes.

That said I still think natural cures are wonderful. I have used and still use licorice tea for respirtory health. Don't use it if you have high blood pressure though. I use a bunch of other teas too when I need them but I was so impressed with the way the licorice healed me even more so than the inhailers which gave be the worst side effects ever. I don't use but one of two and then very very rarely only in a have to situation. Oh and Ecuapyptus oil is yummy good too.( for putting on your chest or burner )

[morethanpretty]

Hmm...anyone know if oatmeal bath will help with chigger bites? I know it does for poison ivy and other rashes.

[Shawnee123]

Try a Cocoa Puff bath. If it doesn't stop the itchies, you can still enjoy it.

[jinx]

“to allow such an article (vit B6) to be marketed as a dietary supplement would not be fair to the pharmaceutical company that brought, or intends to bring, the drug to market.”

According to the FDA, when cherry companies disseminate this peer-reviewed scientific information, the cherries become “unapproved new drugs” and are subject to seizure. The FDA warned that if those involved in “cherry trafficking” continue to inform consumers about these scientific studies, criminal prosecutions would ensue.

FDA stated that based on the claims made, Cheerios is now an unapproved drug, and must go through FDA new drug approval process.

For years, the FDA barred health claims about the benefits of fish oil for heart, cancer, depression, body pain, and various other conditions until a drug company paid a great deal of money to go through the approval process. This type of enforcement effectively censors scientific information and greatly restricts consumer access to scientific studies that provide valuable information.

In the case of pyridoxamine (B6), the FDA did not act out of concern for public safety. This is about money, and about a profit-seeking corporation taking advantage of what is supposed to be a public health organization in order to save their skins.

(link)

[Flint]

Please note that nowhere in the FDA’s response letter is anything said about safety concerns. In fact, the FDA’s letter specifically says that “to allow such an article to be marketed as a dietary supplement would not be fair to the pharmaceutical company that brought, or intends to bring, the drug to market.” Fair to the pharmaceutical companies? What about fairness to consumers, some of whom rely on affordable pyridozxamine supplements to provide the levels of vitamin B-6 required for their survival? Is it fair to force those consumers to pay for expensive prescription drugs and doctors’ visits to supply their B-6 needs when they could get the exact same thing for a fraction of the cost in the form of a supplement? Isn’t this why our health care system is so ineffective?

Good question.

[busterb]

Thread drift. I started eating dried cherry's each day for gout. Works for me, so far