Natural Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine

The FDA defines a drug as anything that “diagnoses, cures, mitigates, treats, or prevents a disease.” However, there are numerous natural substances and compounds scientific studies have argued to be an effective and safer alternative to drugs, but the FDA has not taken the time to look at them. A few examples being Black Seed Oil and Turmeric. Nevertheless, the FDA has the final say-so as to whether a compound can officially be a drug and prescribed by doctors, but as stated in a previous article, it takes billions of dollars for the average drug to become approved by the FDA. Therefore, since there is no chance for a high return in natural medicine, these compounds never see the FDA.

Also, it is paramount to note the view that natural medicine is not alternative medicine. A long, long time ago, today’s natural medicine was only medicine, and this belief became tarnished when the drug and pharmaceutical companies came into the picture.

After the Declaration of Independence was instituted, Congress declared that natural substances, e.g., salt or water, were God’s gift to humankind, and therefore, products of nature should be limited in their patent protection. While this decision by Congress had good intentions, it has been used backward because it has forced pharmaceutical companies to create unnatural, synthetic substances, e.g., GMOs and drug compounds, so they can claim a patent on their concoction. Also, since the pharmaceutical corporations have a corporate structure, they are legally required to some degree to make a profit, which further perpetuates this malicious circle.

Consequently, instead of choosing medicines logically, because they work, are safe, are accessible, funding goes in the opposite direction, and companies spend billions of dollars formulating unnatural substances which are perpetually unsafe and less effective.

Lately, the FDA has been extending its regulatory power into the realm of homeopathic medicine. In a statement last year, the FDA said, “FDA proposing a new, risk-based enforcement approach to homeopathic drug products that have the greatest potential to cause risk to patients” [2]. Not surprisingly, the FDA has chosen a small number of unsubstantiated accounts of adverse events which they claim to be related with homeopathic medicine to justify them extending their arms and furthering the overregulation of the natural medicine industry. Now, the homeopathic industry generally agrees that a uniform standard of safety is required, but having the FDA oversee it is not the way to go.

Further, with the mentality of conventional medicine, the body is inherently faulty and has to be monitored and treated with chemical formulations and surgical interventions, and under this thought, if you chose to not listen to the industry’s recommendations, you should prepare for disaster. Contrary, following natural medicine ideology, there is a balance between one’s body and nature, and there is a purpose nature plays with one’s health. For example, if someone has an acute infection illness, e.g., runny nose, a cough, night sweats, or colon problems, this could be seen as a way of detox which is sometimes needed. Natural scientists are continually discovering new information and truths about our microbiome, the microorganisms within our body, and with this further information, some natural scientists believe some illness is merely a reverberating activation of internal microorganisms when detox and recalibration are needed.

These two beliefs, conventional medicine and natural medicine, have very different approaches to health: one has a combatant mentality, and one has a peacekeeping one, but one is healthier than the other.

 

References:

[1] http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/why-law-forbids-medicinal-use-natural-s...

[2] http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/fda-trying-ban-over-counter-homeopathy

[3] http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/holistic-medicine-life-without-fear

[4] http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/why-natural-medicine-not-alternative