I forwared the link to a lot of my friends who aren't former Wayfers. I know that when I looked up herbal remedies for hot flashes, black cohosh was mentioned in almost every on-line article I read. My sister is a breast cancer survivor, and I have to be very careful about all this stuff. Just because something is herbal or natural doesn't mean it's good for you. (sorry herbiejuan... I don't mean you!)
Your sister should take flax oil. As should all other humans. Flax oil has phytochemicals shown to prevent breast cancer and prostate cancer.
I always take at least 2 tablespoons everyday.
It also moisturizes your skin from the inside out, lubricates the joints, and many menopausal women get wonderful relief from symptoms by using it. It is harmless in ALL cases. There are many types of flax oil combinations at health food stores that are designed for menopausal women. None of them contain black cohosh. But check the labels anyway just in case.
Don't know anything about cohosh until a couple of days ago they had it on the news.
One thing that is really important to know about herbal medicine. Just because they are herbal you really need to check to see if its safe. Also, if your taking medication for something you need to check with your doctor to make sure that it doesn't effect the medication your on. Just a tip, not to scare.
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
I agree with chwester, and would add we should all take Flax seed oil, I use Barleen's it's nutty tasting and adds great flavor to morning oats and as the oil in salad dressing. One thing flaxoil is very unstable and goes bad faster at room temp then refined oils. It's the phytonutrients that make it unstable, it's also expensive, so you only want to use exactly what you are going to take otherwise it's a waste. Now to address one concern flax seed oil is not like the whole seed or the meal, it doesn't make your bowels move like crazy.
Flax seed oil when taken internally is great for these things:
Lower cholesterol
mood support
joint mobility
lubricates heart valves
and as mentioned;
skin
hair
Seth
quote:Originally posted by chwester:
Your sister should take flax oil. As should all other humans. Flax oil has phytochemicals shown to prevent breast cancer and prostate cancer.
I always take at least 2 tablespoons everyday.
It also moisturizes your skin from the inside out, lubricates the joints, and many menopausal women get wonderful relief from symptoms by using it. It is harmless in ALL cases. There are many types of flax oil combinations at health food stores that are designed for menopausal women. None of them contain black cohosh. But check the labels anyway just in case.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." ~~~ Herbert Spencer
Phytochemicals are just chemicals that naturally occur in plants. They help protect the body form various diseases etc. Phyto=plant.
Juice Plus is an excellent supplement. Basically just juiced fruits and veggies in capsule form. More convenient than juicing, but you pay for the convenience.
The U.S. has caught up with Europe as far as herbal medicine is concerned. We only lag behind in the "acceptance" of it. The pharmaceutical companies fight it hard.
Standardized Black Cohosh is available at any health food store.
No health food store sells herbs that are unsafe. Once in a while the media will claim that a certain herb is unsafe, but it is never true. Just BS influence by the drug companies.
Examples:
Ephedra--safe
chaparrel--safe
Kava--safe
comfrey--safe
There are books available that discuss the interaction of certain herbs with certain drugs.
I was referring to if your on medications, mostly.
And I know that there are herbs out there that isn't good for you...like pot, lsd...etc Of course you said natural food stores. Hey, they are out to make a buck too. I'm saying be informed of what your doing and what your taking its a good thing.
I have to laugh, chwester because I was thinking again...
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
Suzanne Somers speaks of BLK cohosh in her book. It has not helped stop the flashes, it is not a natural hormone replacement. It is suppose to help the symptoms of menapause.
She argued with many doctors about HRT and found that Progesterine is the way to go. IT IS A NATURAL REPLACEMENT made from vegtables (rather than premarin which is made from preg. mare urine.)
I got some and I have noticed an immediate difference.
It is called "Happy PMS" from Dr. Lee and HM Enterprises, Inc.
The problem with herbal remedies is that just because a few actually do work, (ephedra, St. John's Wort) the berry-huggers somehow think that justifies all their bizarro drug-company conspiracy theories. Relying on old wives' tales is no method of scientific testing of any substance. Remember the same folklore that gave us echinacea and saw palmetto also tells us:
--Whiskey is a cure for snakebite.
--Tea is good for a belly wound.
--Powdered rhino horn is an aphrodisiac.
--Handling frogs gives you warts.
--Friday the 13th is unlucky.
None of which, are, in fact, true.
Remember also that the herbal/chemical dietary-supplement industry has grown into a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS. Yet, to these boneheads, it's perfectly okay to make billions of dollars off of selling straw to the gullible, but immoral to make billions off of scientifically-proven drugs.
Pure propaganda. You can keep your black cohosh, thank you very much.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the Word of God..."
Well, zixar, I wouldn't go that far and say they do no good. You just have to be careful and make sure you know what your doing and why and whatfor. Yes, you can waste money but again, some wives tales are true. Its called getting educated and know which ones are the right ones for you. A lot of times if you just eat right you won't need much if at all.
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
If you smoke you better be taking supplements by the handful.
But then again, you would probably be wasting your money cause you're doomed anyway.
(From a reformed smoker)
I got off the smokes by taking a liquid herbal extract that completely took away the physical cravings. Still had to overcome the mental habit, though.
If anyone is interested, the product was "Avena-Licorice Blend" by Herbpharm. The main ingredients were "Avena Sativa(Oats)" and "Lobelia".
Lobelia occupies the same receptor sites as nicotine, so your body thinks it is receiving nicotine. Other herbs in this blend calm the nerves.
Hey Ginger...c'mon over to the Bluegrass State and give me one of them therapeutaic herbal rubbins...I think that will cure all that ales me!!!! Have a Nice day!
And by the way.....Ginger.....black cohosh ....around here is when the candle blows out in the tent...we camp out in the backyard alot......now please forgive my ignorance,,, but would ya like to go camping......I really do need a rubbin and don't care if'nit's cohish or palmish!
vickles: I didn't say none of them worked, I said that not all of them worked. The problem with "getting educated" is that the sources of this education are heavily invested in the whole herbal craze. They don't make any money if they say that ginseng is useless. They can't sell blackberry leaves or whatever for heartburn if they admit Zantac actually works. Greed and corruption go hand in hand with giga-buck industries, whether its Merck Pharmaceuticals or Organic Grass Clippings in Capsules, Inc.
If you look at the folks who really push the herbal agenda, you'll see that a lot of their rhetoric sounds just like those nutbars who insist the government is keeping the Roswell aliens and their flying saucer at Area 51. The lack of evidence is all due to a far-reaching evil military/industrial conspiracy.
For all we know, Claritin is really just pine cones boiled in balsamic vinegar, but if it comes from a drug company, it's somehow "unnatural". -->
Ever hear of the decongestant Sudafed? Odds are if you're over ten years old you've taken it at least once for a cold. It's been around since the late 60s, where it used to be a prescription drug. Where'd it come from? Chemical analysis of the ma huang plant--we call it the Ephedra plant revealed the active compounds, the ephedra alkaloids called ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is the one that acts as the decongestant, hence, "Sudafed". However, the other alkaloid, ephedrine, acts very similar to amphetamines and cocaine. All those weight loss products that contain this stuff are barely regulated, yet the body builds up a tolerance for the drug, requiring more and more for the same effect and producing withdrawal symptoms when people wise up and stop taking it. Not exactly good for a head cold. Ephedrine has been linked to several deaths from heart arrhythmias and strokes in people with no prior history of cardiovascular disease.
If you're going to take any substance for your health, doesn't it make sense to only take the specific substance to address the problem? Without the research the drug companies did to map out the different alkaloids, the FDA probably would never have approved it. Yet, the "organic" folks just grind up the whole herb, put it in capsules, and sell it over the counter. Real smart, that is. -->
Of course, the drug companies aren't saintly bastions of altruistic science. They're out to make a buck, the same as the weed-eaters. Biggest case in point: Schering-Plough, makers of the allergy medicine Claritin. It's now being sold over-the-counter because of its safety record as a prescription drug. Schering made a mint, charging well over $1 a pill because the stuff worked. So what's the problem? Claritin's generic name is "loratadine". Now that Claritin is being sold over the counter, Schering can't sell it for $60 a bottle, no one would buy it. So what did they do? New drug! Enter "Clarinex". Claritin, Clarinex...wait a second... Clarinex' generic name is "desloratadine". Now, it doesn't take a doctorate in molecular biochemistry to see that there's probably not all that much difference between "loratadine" and "des-loratadine". So now, Schering can charge exorbitant amounts for prescription Clarinex, while selling Claritin to everyone else over the counter. As the old song goes, "My God, how the money rolls in..." Also, the insurance companies won't pay for over the counter Claritin, of course, and they don't want to pay for Clarinex (or the similar drug Allegra) when Claritin is available OTC, so if your doctor prescribes Clarinex, many insurance companies make you pay the highest drug co-payment in order to get the prescription filled.
Meanwhile, you can still get a box of generic Sudafed for under five bucks...which will still stop your runny nose without emptying your wallet or making your heart seize up.
In short, don't buy the whole bill of goods from any extremists, be it an herbalist, a drug company, or some preacher in an Ohio cornfield. They dangle a little bit of truth in front of you, but for the most part, it's just to cover up another money-making scheme.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the Word of God..."
For all the whining and moaning going on in the freeze-dried granola community about the evils of the food supply and the drug companies, we're STILL today living dramatically longer and better than anyone at any time in history.
For all the talk about how fat we are (and we most definitely are), how little exercise we get , and how horrible the food is that we eat, our life expectancy rate is STILL increasing and the quality of life is STILL improving well into what used to be our "dead" years.
And how much of this improvement is due to the increased consumption of herbal remedies? Damned little I would guess.
Just what is it about "herbs" that immediately grabs the attention of some folks? "Well they've been around for years!" "The ancient Chinese used them!"
To which I would respond, "So?"
What is it about ancient Chinese practices that connotes some sort of impenetrable wisdom? "Well, they're, uh, ... Ancient! and ...
I have always taken Allegra-D for seasonal allergies. It works better for me than anything else. Sudafed makes me too hyper, Zyrtec puts me to sleep and Claratin just plain didn't work.
This year, when my I started sneezing again, I called to refill my Rx for Allegra-D. My pharmacist told me I had to try the over-the-counter Claritin first by order of my HMO!!! Now wait a sec - I tried Claratin when it was an Rx drug and it didn't do anything - I already knew that and told my pharmacist. Sorry, he said, he couldn't fill my Allergra Rx. I had to go to my allergy doctor and get an "over-ride".
Now, for years, all I've had to do is call my allergy dr. and get my Rx renewed. Sometimes, I don't even have to do that if the Rx is still current, which was the case this year. Not that I don't like my allergy dr. - he's the best! But I was wasting both his and my time going there.
But I did - and told him what was going on. He told me that he had literally hundreds of patients in the same boat as me. The big problem wasn't giving me the over-ride for Allegra, it was getting through to the insurance company! They had ONE line for Rx over-rides which, of course, was constantly busy. He said he had to hire one girl in his office just to make the calls every day. His frustration level was pretty high when it came to that subject.
He loaded me up with enough samples for at least a month and told me they would give me a call when they finally got through to the HMO. It took a little over 2 weeks. I got my prescription - but I had to fight for it! Oh, and BTW, the co-pay had gone up from $15 to $30 - about the same cost as over-the-counter Claratin would have cost me.
(Remember, those of us with a prescription card pay a low co-pay for our medication. Why should the insurance companies pay for our Rx when we can buy something over-the-counter. It costs us more, but the insurance companies much less.)
Don't get me going on Health Insurance or HMO's... it's a soap-box I tend to stand on for a long time!
What some of you people don't seem to understand is that an insurance company is nothing but a glorified casino, not a buyer's club for discounted health care, and not a government welfare program. It is a business, the odds must favor the house or the house would not exist, and nobody at all would get to "win."
Insurance companies bet (with statistics, very scientifically) on your health, and you bet against it. Depending on how you see a half-full/empty glass of water, you'll win, or lose, either way. Stay well, you're out the money, but have your health. Get sick, you're out your health, but you don't go broke.
The reason costs are going up, and service is going down, is that insurance has become a health "maintenance" business. The maintenance concept is becoming more and more pervasive. We're all taking something to feel better, not to be "cured," and we want insurance to pay. We also believe it should entitle us to a blank check for any and all medical care. Maybe that's why premiums are rising?
Insurance was once for catastrophic health coverage. They didn't always pay for our stuffy noses. Now that they do, there's a cost. If you think the government can do better, just look at the Canadian system. Would you want to wait 5 weeks for surgery you desparately need now?
The government has no magic wand for health care. It produces no wealth to pay for it. Whatever it gives you, it must first take from you, or from someone else. What will that do to our taxes? What will that do to our economy? Same thing socialism does to any economy - cripples it.
In at least one respect, insurance companies are the same as government. They cannot pay out what they do not take in, except they must compete for your business. They cannot tax you without your consent. Yes, they invest the money they receive and use their profits to underwrite their expenses. (Market down, premiums up. Market up, premiums back down.) But they are not managing your money. They are managing their money.
The more dependent we become on head-to-foot, womb-to-tomb health care, the more it will expand and absorb every last dollar we earn. Maybe that's why Hillary Clinton was so eager to create a national health care system.
Socialism always looks good from the outside. The comparison to our own system suffers from the inside. Our press gives little notice to the doctor strikes in Canada (they were protesting low wages and long hours) that make our own recent "doctor strikes" (they were protesting high malpractice insurance rates) insignificant. Why the virtual silence? Could it be the left-leaning media would rather we didn't hear about it?
Taking the "whole herb" is always much safer than taking one isolated chemical from the herb.
"Mother Nature" put all those chemicals together for a reason. Certain ones balance out the effects of the others.
When "man" isolates a chemical that chemical is taken out of its natural environment and will no longer function the way it was meant to function. It no longer acts in conjunction with all the other chemicals in the herb.
"Isolating" chemicals is what causes side effects.
"Isolating" ephedrine from the ephedra plant is a dangerous thing to do. Ephedrine also acts as a natural decongestant. The reason the OTC drug companies use pseudoephedrine is because it is not as stimulating as ephedrine. But taking the whole herb is the safest way to take it. Ephedra herb is completely safe. Has been used in Chinese medicine for 10,000 years. The only people who have any problems with it are people who take way too much(such as the amounts in weight loss products). Those weight loss products are not and never have been a part of herbal medicine. Herbal medicine prescribes much much lower doses of ephedra for nasal congestion and for asthma. Ephedra, when used correctly, is a valuable and very safe natural medicine.
Many drugs are simply the "active constituent" of a plant that is isolated and concentrated. It is the "isolating" of this chemical that causes all the problems. Mankind are idiots. Herbs and other natural medicines are fine until mankind screws with them.
Natural medicines cannot be patented, so the drug companies cannot make huge profits off them.
As far as modern medicine being responsible for people living longer lives--this is not true. The reason the average lifespan "appears" to be longer is because less babies and children are dying due to unsanitary conditions. Modern medicine has definitely saved the lives of many babies and children also. This impacts the average lifespan dramatically. The majority of the people who make it into their eighties and beyond have an awful "quality" of life. Most are on drugs with debilitating side effects. Yeah, they are alive alright, but they are not enjoying life at all. Make a trip to your local nursing home and you will see what I mean. That is not "living".
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Hope R.
Thanks QQ...
I forwared the link to a lot of my friends who aren't former Wayfers. I know that when I looked up herbal remedies for hot flashes, black cohosh was mentioned in almost every on-line article I read. My sister is a breast cancer survivor, and I have to be very careful about all this stuff. Just because something is herbal or natural doesn't mean it's good for you. (sorry herbiejuan... I don't mean you!)
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chwester
Black cohosh is natural estrogen replacement. Too much estrogen can promote breast cancer or cause existing breast cancer to spread.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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chwester
Your sister should take flax oil. As should all other humans. Flax oil has phytochemicals shown to prevent breast cancer and prostate cancer.
I always take at least 2 tablespoons everyday.
It also moisturizes your skin from the inside out, lubricates the joints, and many menopausal women get wonderful relief from symptoms by using it. It is harmless in ALL cases. There are many types of flax oil combinations at health food stores that are designed for menopausal women. None of them contain black cohosh. But check the labels anyway just in case.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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vickles
Don't know anything about cohosh until a couple of days ago they had it on the news.
One thing that is really important to know about herbal medicine. Just because they are herbal you really need to check to see if its safe. Also, if your taking medication for something you need to check with your doctor to make sure that it doesn't effect the medication your on. Just a tip, not to scare.
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
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lindyhopper
hey Chwester,
Can you tell me what "phytochemicals" are?
My mom is taking "juice plus" and they claim to have phytochemicals but do not specify what they are.
I'm guessing "green chemicals"? isn't that more or less what "phyto" means?
It don't mean a thing if it ain't PFAL. Doo-wat doo-wah doo-wat doo-wah la-shanta la-shanta
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Seth
I agree with chwester, and would add we should all take Flax seed oil, I use Barleen's it's nutty tasting and adds great flavor to morning oats and as the oil in salad dressing. One thing flaxoil is very unstable and goes bad faster at room temp then refined oils. It's the phytonutrients that make it unstable, it's also expensive, so you only want to use exactly what you are going to take otherwise it's a waste. Now to address one concern flax seed oil is not like the whole seed or the meal, it doesn't make your bowels move like crazy.
Flax seed oil when taken internally is great for these things:
Lower cholesterol
mood support
joint mobility
lubricates heart valves
and as mentioned;
skin
hair
Seth
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." ~~~ Herbert Spencer
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chwester
Lindy-
Phytochemicals are just chemicals that naturally occur in plants. They help protect the body form various diseases etc. Phyto=plant.
Juice Plus is an excellent supplement. Basically just juiced fruits and veggies in capsule form. More convenient than juicing, but you pay for the convenience.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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chwester
The U.S. has caught up with Europe as far as herbal medicine is concerned. We only lag behind in the "acceptance" of it. The pharmaceutical companies fight it hard.
Standardized Black Cohosh is available at any health food store.
No health food store sells herbs that are unsafe. Once in a while the media will claim that a certain herb is unsafe, but it is never true. Just BS influence by the drug companies.
Examples:
Ephedra--safe
chaparrel--safe
Kava--safe
comfrey--safe
There are books available that discuss the interaction of certain herbs with certain drugs.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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vickles
I was referring to if your on medications, mostly.
And I know that there are herbs out there that isn't good for you...like pot, lsd...etc Of course you said natural food stores. Hey, they are out to make a buck too. I'm saying be informed of what your doing and what your taking its a good thing.
I have to laugh, chwester because I was thinking again...
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
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chwester
Vickles-
LOL!
You're fun to tease.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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Dot Matrix
Suzanne Somers speaks of BLK cohosh in her book. It has not helped stop the flashes, it is not a natural hormone replacement. It is suppose to help the symptoms of menapause.
She argued with many doctors about HRT and found that Progesterine is the way to go. IT IS A NATURAL REPLACEMENT made from vegtables (rather than premarin which is made from preg. mare urine.)
I got some and I have noticed an immediate difference.
It is called "Happy PMS" from Dr. Lee and HM Enterprises, Inc.
Dot Matrix
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Zixar
The problem with herbal remedies is that just because a few actually do work, (ephedra, St. John's Wort) the berry-huggers somehow think that justifies all their bizarro drug-company conspiracy theories. Relying on old wives' tales is no method of scientific testing of any substance. Remember the same folklore that gave us echinacea and saw palmetto also tells us:
--Whiskey is a cure for snakebite.
--Tea is good for a belly wound.
--Powdered rhino horn is an aphrodisiac.
--Handling frogs gives you warts.
--Friday the 13th is unlucky.
None of which, are, in fact, true.
Remember also that the herbal/chemical dietary-supplement industry has grown into a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS. Yet, to these boneheads, it's perfectly okay to make billions of dollars off of selling straw to the gullible, but immoral to make billions off of scientifically-proven drugs.
Pure propaganda. You can keep your black cohosh, thank you very much.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the Word of God..."
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chwester
Boy are you ever out of touch.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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vickles
Well, zixar, I wouldn't go that far and say they do no good. You just have to be careful and make sure you know what your doing and why and whatfor. Yes, you can waste money but again, some wives tales are true. Its called getting educated and know which ones are the right ones for you. A lot of times if you just eat right you won't need much if at all.
Ok!! I will not try to be a nice person...ok? I will not!!
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chwester
I dont know anyone who eats right.
Eating healthy:
Meat with no hormones.
Cattle fed grass, not grain.
Only organic produce.
Meat not full of antibiotics.
Free range chicken.
Free range chicken eggs.
100% whole grain bread.
No margarine.
Only raw milk. Not pasteurized.
Completely avoiding partially hydrogenated oils.
Avoiding highly processed and refined foods.
No sugar.
A potent multivitamin, green drink, and flax oil, and a good probiotic(acidophilus) are necessities.
It's available to eat like this, but who does?
If you eat any produce that is not certified organic, then you are ingesting lots of bug poison.
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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chwester
If you smoke you better be taking supplements by the handful.
But then again, you would probably be wasting your money cause you're doomed anyway.
(From a reformed smoker)
I got off the smokes by taking a liquid herbal extract that completely took away the physical cravings. Still had to overcome the mental habit, though.
If anyone is interested, the product was "Avena-Licorice Blend" by Herbpharm. The main ingredients were "Avena Sativa(Oats)" and "Lobelia".
Lobelia occupies the same receptor sites as nicotine, so your body thinks it is receiving nicotine. Other herbs in this blend calm the nerves.
Gaia Herbs also has a good "stop smoking blend".
www.pullingdownstrongholds.com
www.bluestarbase.org
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Littlehawk
Hey Ginger...c'mon over to the Bluegrass State and give me one of them therapeutaic herbal rubbins...I think that will cure all that ales me!!!! Have a Nice day!
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Littlehawk
And by the way.....Ginger.....black cohosh ....around here is when the candle blows out in the tent...we camp out in the backyard alot......now please forgive my ignorance,,, but would ya like to go camping......I really do need a rubbin and don't care if'nit's cohish or palmish!
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Zixar
vickles: I didn't say none of them worked, I said that not all of them worked. The problem with "getting educated" is that the sources of this education are heavily invested in the whole herbal craze. They don't make any money if they say that ginseng is useless. They can't sell blackberry leaves or whatever for heartburn if they admit Zantac actually works. Greed and corruption go hand in hand with giga-buck industries, whether its Merck Pharmaceuticals or Organic Grass Clippings in Capsules, Inc.
If you look at the folks who really push the herbal agenda, you'll see that a lot of their rhetoric sounds just like those nutbars who insist the government is keeping the Roswell aliens and their flying saucer at Area 51. The lack of evidence is all due to a far-reaching evil military/industrial conspiracy.
For all we know, Claritin is really just pine cones boiled in balsamic vinegar, but if it comes from a drug company, it's somehow "unnatural".
-->
Ever hear of the decongestant Sudafed? Odds are if you're over ten years old you've taken it at least once for a cold. It's been around since the late 60s, where it used to be a prescription drug. Where'd it come from? Chemical analysis of the ma huang plant--we call it the Ephedra plant revealed the active compounds, the ephedra alkaloids called ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is the one that acts as the decongestant, hence, "Sudafed". However, the other alkaloid, ephedrine, acts very similar to amphetamines and cocaine. All those weight loss products that contain this stuff are barely regulated, yet the body builds up a tolerance for the drug, requiring more and more for the same effect and producing withdrawal symptoms when people wise up and stop taking it. Not exactly good for a head cold. Ephedrine has been linked to several deaths from heart arrhythmias and strokes in people with no prior history of cardiovascular disease.
If you're going to take any substance for your health, doesn't it make sense to only take the specific substance to address the problem? Without the research the drug companies did to map out the different alkaloids, the FDA probably would never have approved it. Yet, the "organic" folks just grind up the whole herb, put it in capsules, and sell it over the counter. Real smart, that is.
-->
Of course, the drug companies aren't saintly bastions of altruistic science. They're out to make a buck, the same as the weed-eaters. Biggest case in point: Schering-Plough, makers of the allergy medicine Claritin. It's now being sold over-the-counter because of its safety record as a prescription drug. Schering made a mint, charging well over $1 a pill because the stuff worked. So what's the problem? Claritin's generic name is "loratadine". Now that Claritin is being sold over the counter, Schering can't sell it for $60 a bottle, no one would buy it. So what did they do? New drug! Enter "Clarinex". Claritin, Clarinex...wait a second... Clarinex' generic name is "desloratadine". Now, it doesn't take a doctorate in molecular biochemistry to see that there's probably not all that much difference between "loratadine" and "des-loratadine". So now, Schering can charge exorbitant amounts for prescription Clarinex, while selling Claritin to everyone else over the counter. As the old song goes, "My God, how the money rolls in..." Also, the insurance companies won't pay for over the counter Claritin, of course, and they don't want to pay for Clarinex (or the similar drug Allegra) when Claritin is available OTC, so if your doctor prescribes Clarinex, many insurance companies make you pay the highest drug co-payment in order to get the prescription filled.
Meanwhile, you can still get a box of generic Sudafed for under five bucks...which will still stop your runny nose without emptying your wallet or making your heart seize up.
In short, don't buy the whole bill of goods from any extremists, be it an herbalist, a drug company, or some preacher in an Ohio cornfield. They dangle a little bit of truth in front of you, but for the most part, it's just to cover up another money-making scheme.
The fool hath said in his heart, "PFAL is the Word of God..."
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George Aar
OhmyGawd,
It's a new dawn! Zixar and I are in complete agreement on this one (sorry Zix).
Looks like we may actually get some improvement on the snake-oil front. Take a look at this (item #2):
http://www.aps.org/WN/WN03/wn062703.html
For all the whining and moaning going on in the freeze-dried granola community about the evils of the food supply and the drug companies, we're STILL today living dramatically longer and better than anyone at any time in history.
For all the talk about how fat we are (and we most definitely are), how little exercise we get , and how horrible the food is that we eat, our life expectancy rate is STILL increasing and the quality of life is STILL improving well into what used to be our "dead" years.
And how much of this improvement is due to the increased consumption of herbal remedies? Damned little I would guess.
Just what is it about "herbs" that immediately grabs the attention of some folks? "Well they've been around for years!" "The ancient Chinese used them!"
To which I would respond, "So?"
What is it about ancient Chinese practices that connotes some sort of impenetrable wisdom? "Well, they're, uh, ... Ancient! and ...
Chinese!"
I think I need my dose of snake-bite elixir...
geo.
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George Aar
Oh, and in case you didn't follow the link, also see:
http://www.aps.org/WN/WN02/wn082302.html#3
(item #3)
geo.
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Hope R.
I have always taken Allegra-D for seasonal allergies. It works better for me than anything else. Sudafed makes me too hyper, Zyrtec puts me to sleep and Claratin just plain didn't work.
This year, when my I started sneezing again, I called to refill my Rx for Allegra-D. My pharmacist told me I had to try the over-the-counter Claritin first by order of my HMO!!! Now wait a sec - I tried Claratin when it was an Rx drug and it didn't do anything - I already knew that and told my pharmacist. Sorry, he said, he couldn't fill my Allergra Rx. I had to go to my allergy doctor and get an "over-ride".
Now, for years, all I've had to do is call my allergy dr. and get my Rx renewed. Sometimes, I don't even have to do that if the Rx is still current, which was the case this year. Not that I don't like my allergy dr. - he's the best! But I was wasting both his and my time going there.
But I did - and told him what was going on. He told me that he had literally hundreds of patients in the same boat as me. The big problem wasn't giving me the over-ride for Allegra, it was getting through to the insurance company! They had ONE line for Rx over-rides which, of course, was constantly busy. He said he had to hire one girl in his office just to make the calls every day. His frustration level was pretty high when it came to that subject.
He loaded me up with enough samples for at least a month and told me they would give me a call when they finally got through to the HMO. It took a little over 2 weeks. I got my prescription - but I had to fight for it! Oh, and BTW, the co-pay had gone up from $15 to $30 - about the same cost as over-the-counter Claratin would have cost me.
(Remember, those of us with a prescription card pay a low co-pay for our medication. Why should the insurance companies pay for our Rx when we can buy something over-the-counter. It costs us more, but the insurance companies much less.)
Don't get me going on Health Insurance or HMO's... it's a soap-box I tend to stand on for a long time!
Hey Zix - good post - and I agree as well.
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QamiQazi
What some of you people don't seem to understand is that an insurance company is nothing but a glorified casino, not a buyer's club for discounted health care, and not a government welfare program. It is a business, the odds must favor the house or the house would not exist, and nobody at all would get to "win."
Insurance companies bet (with statistics, very scientifically) on your health, and you bet against it. Depending on how you see a half-full/empty glass of water, you'll win, or lose, either way. Stay well, you're out the money, but have your health. Get sick, you're out your health, but you don't go broke.
The reason costs are going up, and service is going down, is that insurance has become a health "maintenance" business. The maintenance concept is becoming more and more pervasive. We're all taking something to feel better, not to be "cured," and we want insurance to pay. We also believe it should entitle us to a blank check for any and all medical care. Maybe that's why premiums are rising?
Insurance was once for catastrophic health coverage. They didn't always pay for our stuffy noses. Now that they do, there's a cost. If you think the government can do better, just look at the Canadian system. Would you want to wait 5 weeks for surgery you desparately need now?
The government has no magic wand for health care. It produces no wealth to pay for it. Whatever it gives you, it must first take from you, or from someone else. What will that do to our taxes? What will that do to our economy? Same thing socialism does to any economy - cripples it.
In at least one respect, insurance companies are the same as government. They cannot pay out what they do not take in, except they must compete for your business. They cannot tax you without your consent. Yes, they invest the money they receive and use their profits to underwrite their expenses. (Market down, premiums up. Market up, premiums back down.) But they are not managing your money. They are managing their money.
The more dependent we become on head-to-foot, womb-to-tomb health care, the more it will expand and absorb every last dollar we earn. Maybe that's why Hillary Clinton was so eager to create a national health care system.
Socialism always looks good from the outside. The comparison to our own system suffers from the inside. Our press gives little notice to the doctor strikes in Canada (they were protesting low wages and long hours) that make our own recent "doctor strikes" (they were protesting high malpractice insurance rates) insignificant. Why the virtual silence? Could it be the left-leaning media would rather we didn't hear about it?
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chwester
Zix-
Taking the "whole herb" is always much safer than taking one isolated chemical from the herb.
"Mother Nature" put all those chemicals together for a reason. Certain ones balance out the effects of the others.
When "man" isolates a chemical that chemical is taken out of its natural environment and will no longer function the way it was meant to function. It no longer acts in conjunction with all the other chemicals in the herb.
"Isolating" chemicals is what causes side effects.
"Isolating" ephedrine from the ephedra plant is a dangerous thing to do. Ephedrine also acts as a natural decongestant. The reason the OTC drug companies use pseudoephedrine is because it is not as stimulating as ephedrine. But taking the whole herb is the safest way to take it. Ephedra herb is completely safe. Has been used in Chinese medicine for 10,000 years. The only people who have any problems with it are people who take way too much(such as the amounts in weight loss products). Those weight loss products are not and never have been a part of herbal medicine. Herbal medicine prescribes much much lower doses of ephedra for nasal congestion and for asthma. Ephedra, when used correctly, is a valuable and very safe natural medicine.
Many drugs are simply the "active constituent" of a plant that is isolated and concentrated. It is the "isolating" of this chemical that causes all the problems. Mankind are idiots. Herbs and other natural medicines are fine until mankind screws with them.
Natural medicines cannot be patented, so the drug companies cannot make huge profits off them.
As far as modern medicine being responsible for people living longer lives--this is not true. The reason the average lifespan "appears" to be longer is because less babies and children are dying due to unsanitary conditions. Modern medicine has definitely saved the lives of many babies and children also. This impacts the average lifespan dramatically. The majority of the people who make it into their eighties and beyond have an awful "quality" of life. Most are on drugs with debilitating side effects. Yeah, they are alive alright, but they are not enjoying life at all. Make a trip to your local nursing home and you will see what I mean. That is not "living".
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