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An Introduction to Natural and Alternative Types of Medicine
Because pharmaceutical companies are unable to patent herbal remedies, the wide spread use of natural and alternative types of medicine would basically put them out of business. These companies wouldn't be able to corner the market and charge ridiculous prices for prescription medications if herbal remedies were too popular. They need to create synthetic medicines in order to remain profitable. In order to keep selling their prescription medications, the pharmaceutical companies must discredit the use of natural health products as alternative medicines. The fact is, herbal and alternative medicines have been used for centuries. In fact, there has been evidence showing that herbal remedies have been around since the Neanderthal period about 60,000 years ago. Other evidence of the use of herbs for medicinal purposes has appeared in cave paintings estimated to have been made between 13,000 and 25,000 BC. Most of the synthetic prescription drugs made today are based on naturally occurring substances and capabilities found in plants. There is a common misconception among consumers that because herbal remedies are "natural", then they must automatically be safe to take. On the contrary, many of nature's plant species are poisonous. The Rhubarb plant for example, is a nutritious vegetable, but the leaves from the Rhubarb plant, if eaten as either a food or medicine, could cause someone to go into convulsions or possibly even die. This emphasizes the importance of self-education when it comes to knowing which herbs are good or bad for you. Herbs can also interact negatively with other herbs or prescription medications. Taking a herbal supplement that boosts your energy for example, such as Ginseng or ephedra in large amounts could cause heart palpitations. Also, taking these herbs while consuming large amounts of caffeine could also induce heart palpitations. Heart palpitations can lead to much more serious problems and even a heart attack. It's quite common to see a lot of media coverage when using herbal remedies causes someone problems. The truth of the matter is that there are many more cases of side effects and severe health related problems associated with "approved" prescription drugs than there are with alternative natural remedies. As the general public becomes increasingly more educated about this topic, the popularity of natural and alternative types of medicine will continue to grow. In summary, with the dramatic increase in the cost of prescription medicine and the rising number of reports about the dangers and side effects associated with prescription drugs, many consumers are now seeking alternatives, and thankfully there are many.
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Many
people argue about the validity of natural and alternative types of medicine
as effective medicines mainly due to the lack of scientific research performed
to prove or disprove their effectiveness. Herbal medicine specialists
(Herbalists) feel that money is the main motivation for attempting to
discredit herbal products.