Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs. Robinson
Whew! A little testy . . .
|
No, not at all. Just laying out the facts.
If there was a "natural" or "herbal" cure that was just as effective as a manufactured pharmaceutical, I'd be the first one in line to buy it. Unfortunately, there is a huge difference in efficacy. A lot of patients get sold on the idea of a "natural" product---sounds good, seems safe. But many of the synthesized drugs are the same, just purified and concentrated versions of the active ingredient. TV ads listing 50 horrible "side effects" and lawyer ads for class action suits don't help the general perception either. I always told patients just report to me anything you think is an adverse effect and we'll deal with it---the reason for prescribing the drug is not the 2% side effects, it's the 94% EFFECT.
Meanwhile, there are millions of potential botanical and aquatic "cures" that we haven't even discovered yet. But when we do, I'm sure the active compound will be isolated and synthesized. I once saw an ad for a Chinese herb that was supposed to keep you disease free and add 40 years to your life. Realistically, if such an herb existed, how long do you think it would take (greedy) Big Pharma to synthesize that ingredient??? Do you think it would sell? For a big price??? You betcha.