Lina Mohamed-Assignment 4
Lina Mohamed October 24th, 2016
MHC 20301- Paper Assignment 4 Professor Glen Kowach
Continued Search for Alternative Medicine: Herbal Medicine
Herbal Medicine is ancient and has been used in so many cultures all over the world for years. Herbal medicine utilizes herbs and natural ingredients to treat many minor and major illnesses and diseases such as premenstrual syndrome, indigestion, insomnia, liver problems and even heart disease. Herbal medicine is pretty harmless which makes it superb for self-treating. Sales for pain killers are just going up and this is good for business but bad for the health of the United States citizens. Alternative medicine is never advertised and its rarely ever taught or practiced. If people learned of this alternative medicine, sales of pills would go down drastically. Over time, our bodies get so used to taking these prescription pills and they become ineffective as they develop resistance to them. However, herbal medicines is a safer way to combat symptoms for many illnesses and cure them in a way that is not damaging to the body because that is what pills do.
Today, about 25% of drugs are still derived from trees, shrubs, or herbs. For the most part, modern medicine has veered away from using natural elements in drugs because of the patent issue and economic reasons. However, before the 1970s, people were being conditioned to rely on synthetic, man-made drugs to provide quick relief without worrying about side effects or the actual problem. Herbal medicine and natural alternatives are beginning to make quite a comeback as concerns arise about the side effects of all these excessive pharmaceutical drugs. As organic food and raw lifestyles become more popular, natural medicine should follow these new health-conscious trends. If herbs have been used since the beginning of civilization, why not use them now in our daily lives?
Around the world, herbal medicine is much more prevalent especially in developing countries. Herbal medicine began to be eliminated from drugs, not because of their ineffectiveness, but because there was not much data to back up the effects of herbs. However, even in Europe, herbal medicine is much more readily accepted for methods of treatment. There is nothing concrete prohibiting the use of herbal medicine. “The result is that many herbal medicines are outside of the “system”.” (Alternative Medicine, p. g. 255). This further proves that our pharmaceutical companies in the United States are simply looking for economic prosperity rather than the health of the people.
Herbal medicine can easily replace so many prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs. However, will this be advertised in the United States anytime soon? Probably not. People have remedies for the common cold, flu, anxiety, stress, bronchitis, some allergies, PMS, and other conditions normally treated by prescription drugs. For example, types of hepatitis and cirrhosis can be treated with milk thistle seed extract, hawthorn as a heart tonic (stimulant/refresher), chamomile, passionflower, lavender, green teas for anxiety/stress and this list goes on and on. Natural medicines are effective and hopefully people recognize this and begin incorporating them into their lives to lead healthier lives. Holistic medicine is the future.
-Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide (2nd Edition)– June 6, 2002 Retrieved from Google Scholars: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OyrhatOdk9gC&oi=fnd&pg=PA270&dq=natural+alternatives+to+painkillers&ots=68fhOAE58y&sig=-malo2jqTO8ylS5N_CVlAN-PFSo#v=onepage&q=natural%20alternatives%20to%20painkillers&f=false
-(Dahlgreen, 2015) Many believe Alternatives are effective. YouGovUK. Retrieved from:
https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/03/06/many-believe-alternative-medicine-effective/
-(2011) Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the US. CDC. Retreived from:
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/painkilleroverdoses/
-(J.E. Chrubasik, B.D. Roufogalis, S. Chrubasik, 2007) Evidence of effectiveness of herbal anti inflammatory drugs in the treatment of painful osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved from:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.2142/abstract
-(Ullman, 1988) Homeopathy Medicine For The 21st Century. The Futurist. Retrieved from:
