Welcome to Natural Medicine - with Caution!

We all should remember to tell our doctor and pharmacist when taking even natural drugs. Very informative piece.

Great read. I guess we can't assume that all natural remedies are better than synthetic brands. I did try St. John's Wort in college when I was stressed out about exams and it gave me a weird buzzed feeling in the back of my head. It wasn't horrible, but definitely not a familiar feeling.

Good read, Michael! (^;^) I agree, but in reality it is not the medicine that heals, but the body and mind itself. Natural treatments and therapies as well as conventional Western medicine can only play a complimentary role in speeding up the body's own healing processes. While conventional treatments or natural remedies can both be deemed either therapeutic or harmful, I agree the best "natural medicine" we all possess is using good common sense. Unfortunately, the older I get, the more I realize that good common sense isn't all that common anymore.

Very good clarification on whether a medicine has effects at all.

Good information. It's wise to remember that anything you take may have side effects whether it's herbs or prescription drugs.

Great list!!!

I agree with Smorg. Not everything can be cured with natural medicines and not everything can be cured by the more conventional methods. And yes, before using natural medicine it is advisable to ask a professional first.:) Great article, thanks.:)

Sensible advices indeed. It's good to keep a level perspectives when investigating 'cures'. My mom always told me... even water can kill you if you drink too much of it too fast.

I'm a firm believer in some natural cures. (many of the patented medicine comes from home remedies.) I agree with you, not all types of medicine works for all ailments. If I have cancer, I'd rather use nutritional methods of curing it than undergo chemo. An infection however, calls for antibiotics...since I'm allergic to most, what ever the newest designer drug is. There's room for everyone and as soon as the AMA learns that, the better we all will be.

Thanks for this informative and helpful info. I really liked your metaphores at the beginning of the article. Made it interesting. Good writing!