Naturopathic medicine
Has anyone here received alternative, natural/herbal medicine. Does it work, what sort of tests do they perform. Just curious.
Forum Discussion
There has been a great deal of discussion about this over the years. Much of it centers on a supposed reluctance by 'big pharma' and western medicine to embrace remedies that don't rake in millions of dollars. That is bunkum and can sometimes descend to conspiracy based charlatan behaviour that is cruel and exploitative.
I've worked with cancer researchers since 2008, reviewing grant applications for significant funding streams. Those researchers are not all purely motivated by financial gain. They genuinely want to find a cure for the disease.
The rigor applied to research that leads to development of concept, testing and eventually clinical trials is extraordinary. I've yet to see an approved trial of natural medicines gauging their effectiveness against what we view as 'chemical' remedies as a frontline. They don't pass the pub test and no ethical organisation will participate in research that is likely to encourage participants to forgo proven treatments. Brutal and unpleasant as they may be.
If there was a proven natural remedy, it would have become mainstream by now.
Do I believe that there are lessons to be learned from traditional medicines and practices? Certainly. Many of our modern medicines are based on traditional remedies. But there is a big difference between chewing on slippery elm bark and taking an Asprin tablet. That's science and drug development in action.
Sorry, I don't mean to lecture, but I have seen some truly tragic outcomes where people have decided that an unqualified enterprise delivering an unproven remedy (never acting without re-imbursement) knows best. Maybe those people would have died anyway. Maybe they started their 'treatment' too late or stopped paying too soon. I don't know. But please, take care.
I've worked with cancer researchers since 2008, reviewing grant applications for significant funding streams. Those researchers are not all purely motivated by financial gain. They genuinely want to find a cure for the disease.
The rigor applied to research that leads to development of concept, testing and eventually clinical trials is extraordinary. I've yet to see an approved trial of natural medicines gauging their effectiveness against what we view as 'chemical' remedies as a frontline. They don't pass the pub test and no ethical organisation will participate in research that is likely to encourage participants to forgo proven treatments. Brutal and unpleasant as they may be.
If there was a proven natural remedy, it would have become mainstream by now.
Do I believe that there are lessons to be learned from traditional medicines and practices? Certainly. Many of our modern medicines are based on traditional remedies. But there is a big difference between chewing on slippery elm bark and taking an Asprin tablet. That's science and drug development in action.
Sorry, I don't mean to lecture, but I have seen some truly tragic outcomes where people have decided that an unqualified enterprise delivering an unproven remedy (never acting without re-imbursement) knows best. Maybe those people would have died anyway. Maybe they started their 'treatment' too late or stopped paying too soon. I don't know. But please, take care.