2. “The person who takes medicine must
recover twice, once from the disease
andonce from the medicine.”
William Osler, M.D.
Pharmaceutical companies have historically
rejected natural medicines for synthesized drugs
that can be patented and thus highly profitable.
But
synthetic chemicals are inherently flawed, with
side-effects that can be more taxing on the body
than the disease being treated, or worse still, these
adverse reactions may lie undiscovered until the
3. damage to the body is irreparable – this despite
clinical trials testing for safety. The problem with
synthetic drugs is that they are inherently flawed:
proof of this lies in the fact that side-effects are an
expected reality with synthetic drugs, but this is not
the case with natural medicines that have been
used by man for generations.
Public interest in herbal medicine is growing – as
much as half of all medical schools in the U.S.
offer classes in alternative or complimentary
medicine, according to the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA). However, the firmly
established pharmaceutical companies (and their
incentives to doctors) have been quite effective in
constraining or preventing doctors from seeking
and prescribing alternatives to Modern
Pharmaceuticals, and in spreading misinformation
– that natural medicine is obsolete and ineffective.
But not all western countries subscribe to the
narrative that is supported and endorsed in the
U.S. by the pharmaceutical and medical
establishments.
4. Check This Out
The World Health Organization estimates that 80%
of people worldwide rely on herbal medicines for
some part of their primary health care.
In Germany, about 600 – 700 plant based
medicines
are available (and manufactured only by
pharmaceutical companies) and are prescribed by
some 70% of German physicians.
People throughout the world and in all cultures
still use herbal medicine today
And they are using
these herbal medicines to treat, prevent and cure
diseases and conditions.