We’ve all seen the commercials and all the hype….

New natural remedies promising an end to erectile dysfunction, an end to hair loss or an end to whatever medical problem you have….whether it’s diabetes, cancer, heart disease or thyroid disease. 

Now I don’t dispute that some natural remedies may work.  Growing up whenever I had a cold or the sniffles, my mom would make me a bowl of chicken soup and make sure I was taking my vitamins and even gave me an extra large glass of orange juice for breakfast.  And I still do make sure I take my vitamins on a daily basis.

The research for natural remedies, if research even exists, doesn’t always prove or support that these remedies can help cure or prevent certain diseases.  You can scour the medical literature all you want but you won’t find guidelines that recommend the use of vitamin C at the first sign of a cold.  Now I’ve looked for the articles myself and can’t find a concensus that shows you can significantly decrease your chances of getting a cold with high doses of vitamin C or that high doses of vitamin C can shorten your course of a cold. 

Despite the medical literature to support it, generations of mothers have been giving their children extra O.J. for years now to keep colds at bay…..my mother included.   

Our wish to find more natural and less synthetic ways to treat our health problems have led to the boom in the supplement and natural remedies industry—a multibillion dollar industry.

What separates prescription drugs from supplements is the research…the supporting data….the safety and efficacy profile of the drug and the monitoring and oversight process of the Food and Drug Administration.  When you are prescribed a drug by your healthcare provider, that drug has gone through a series of trials and tests to make sure that the drug does what the label says it does and that it’s safe.  If there ever comes a time when a drug is found to be unsafe, the FDA steps in and pulls the drug off the market….remember Vioxx?

But natural remedies found at the grocery store, natural food market or convenience store don’t have that level of supporting evidence or level of safety monitoring.  The labels can say whatever they want, the companies can promise you the world and not deliver and no one can stop them.   And as the Health and Wellness Queen I’m hear to tell you that if want proven ways to treat your medical problem, seek the advice of your healthcare professional.  Discuss with them your desire to get healthy and ask them for any recommended alternatives to medications, if they exist.  As a healthcare professional myself, I want you to be informed about your health and get the treatment and medical advice that you need.   

As always, you should first consult with your healthcare professional to discuss your health condition and your treatment options.

Dedicated to giving you the information you need.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 20th, 2007 at 11:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.