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Herb Safety

Question:

"You hear so much about herbal remedies not being FDA regulated and therefore not totally safe. Are there any tests on what you sent me to prove their effectiveness/safety?"

Answer:

That's a big question - and a whole debate in itself.

Generally only large pharmaceutical companies can afford the sort of "rigorous testing" that gets FDA approval for the treatment of a limited and specific symptom set with a specific and patented chemical compound.

Yes, there are some studies that show herb safety and effectiveness, but more importantly there is an entire history of thousands of years of using herbs effectively and safely. But there is not anything that absolutely proves their safety or effectiveness. Nor is there with anything that does have FDA approval.

Herbs may cause side effects. Not all herbs are safe. And not all herbs are appropriate in certain conditions for certain people. You need to be educated and aware of what herb to take and when and how to take it - or work with a knowledgeable and experienced herbal practitioner.

But it is a shocking fact that approximately 100,000 Americans die annually from taking FDA approved prescription drugs.  Up to 11% of hospital admissions are the result of "drug induced suffering" and more than a quarter of US inpatients have adverse reactions to the drugs they are given in the hospital. Researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimate that deaths from prescription medicines may be the fourth leading cause of mortality in the United States. Every year prescription drugs cause 1 million injuries so severe they require hospitalization, and another 2 million drug-related injuries occur during hospital care. Long term use of just one class of over-the-counter drugs - anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and the rest - causes an estimated 70,000 hospitalization every year. So "approval" by the FDA is no guarantee of safety.

In the end, it is a choice that really comes down to what is your preferred way of addressing your health care.

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