Steve GannAlternative Medicine Goes Mainstream
June 7th 2009 17:47
In an era of out of control health care costs along with consumers looking more toward preventable approaches than curative treatments, many are looking at herbal therapies.
The problem with this thinking is that the FDA doesn't regulate herbal medicines the way they do prescription medications. Some people believe that over-the-counter equals safety. Many of the prescription drugs we have today mimic the effects of herbal medications, but have undergone several trials to test their safety and efficiency. Even with this level of testing sometimes drugs still have to be retested and many have been taking off the market after gaining initial approval.
What astonishes me is that people mistrust pharmaceutical companies but will take anything that promises an herbal approach to their symptoms. Many of these herbal products are produced by large companies under the guise of a holistic safe alternative.
Remember when St. John's Wort was promoted as a poor man's Prozac? Many people took it in addition to their prescription meds. It is now well documented that it has serious interactions with certain drugs.
When I worked in retail pharmacy, we made sure to ask about any vitamins or herbal medications that our patients were taking to check for interactions.
Just remember that these herbal products can promise a lot without facing FDA scrutiny.
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