Herbal and Natural Medicines
A recent article I found on Yahoo! got me wondering: How do I really know what natural and herbal medicines are safe to use? The article, "Natural Cures Pack Dangerous Chemicals," reports about a study completed by Boston University that found dangerous levels of chemicals in some well known "natural cures."
The cures they studied are part of the Ayurveda tradition from India. The article wrote:
As you may have suspected, the study was not cited and I can't find it online! But it does help to raise the bar to the level of awareness that we should all have when buying and using natural medicines.
Some critics of the article say the study used unreliable sources that were purchased from online companies only. They also point out the fact that there are reputable brands that sell Ayurveda solutions.
The very makeup of the Ayurveda tradition makes me question the fanatics on both sides. First, the Ayurveda tradition of natural medicine uses a combination of herbs, metals and gems to develop tailored mixtures for each person. The intake of metals along is enough to make me question who is selling this to me and what is the source of these ingredients.
The key to buying herbal and natural medicines is to research, learn and ask questions. There are naturalistic practitioners, such as Dr. Darrell Misak of Pittsburgh Alternative Health who spoke at the Farm to Table conference last year, that can help guide you through this process if you are hesitant to trust information you find for yourself.
Ironically, Dr. Misak's recent newsletter was talking about this same issue. Dr. Misak recommended the Consumer Lab web site to research the supplements you are using. He also warns that in times of slow economy, people should not sacrifice the quality of health supplements and food they intake.
Dr. Misak states:
This is advice that we can take to the bank! The best advice I can give is to talk to someone who you can trust. I like to contact local experts that I can really relate to and whose advice is not a sales gimmick or lost in translation.
You can find local practitioners in the yellow pages or online directories.
A note about conducting medical research online
There are many sites on the web that cater to expert and non-expert medical knowledge. You must be aware of a few things when taking into account the information that you find.
Medicinenet.com provides a list of questions that you should ask about each site before placing your trust in the content they provide.
Read the article here.
The cures they studied are part of the Ayurveda tradition from India. The article wrote:
A team from Boston University found that more than 20 percent of nearly 200 samples of various ayurvedic cures contained dangerous amounts of lead, arsenic and mercury. Sometimes the presence of metals was a result of sloppy manufacturing; other times the metals were added deliberately as part of the cure.
As you may have suspected, the study was not cited and I can't find it online! But it does help to raise the bar to the level of awareness that we should all have when buying and using natural medicines.
Some critics of the article say the study used unreliable sources that were purchased from online companies only. They also point out the fact that there are reputable brands that sell Ayurveda solutions.
The very makeup of the Ayurveda tradition makes me question the fanatics on both sides. First, the Ayurveda tradition of natural medicine uses a combination of herbs, metals and gems to develop tailored mixtures for each person. The intake of metals along is enough to make me question who is selling this to me and what is the source of these ingredients.
The key to buying herbal and natural medicines is to research, learn and ask questions. There are naturalistic practitioners, such as Dr. Darrell Misak of Pittsburgh Alternative Health who spoke at the Farm to Table conference last year, that can help guide you through this process if you are hesitant to trust information you find for yourself.
Ironically, Dr. Misak's recent newsletter was talking about this same issue. Dr. Misak recommended the Consumer Lab web site to research the supplements you are using. He also warns that in times of slow economy, people should not sacrifice the quality of health supplements and food they intake.
Dr. Misak states:
I have told you that your body is composed of water, protein, fat, carbohydrates and nutrients. Unfortunately, every molecule you consume or absorb through some body orifice must be broken down and either become supportive or a burden to your body. We are bio-accumulators! Your body has and continues to store multiple chemicals and environmental toxins as proven within the article found in October 2006 National Geographic magazine. So why would you want to take supplements that possibly add to your toxin load or don't actually have enough nutrients in them to accomplish what you are taking them for?
This is advice that we can take to the bank! The best advice I can give is to talk to someone who you can trust. I like to contact local experts that I can really relate to and whose advice is not a sales gimmick or lost in translation.
You can find local practitioners in the yellow pages or online directories.
A note about conducting medical research online
There are many sites on the web that cater to expert and non-expert medical knowledge. You must be aware of a few things when taking into account the information that you find.
Medicinenet.com provides a list of questions that you should ask about each site before placing your trust in the content they provide.
Read the article here.
posted by Wellness at
9/11/2008
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home