quote:

Originally posted by Marine5711:
In dealing with disease, should a doctor be able to tell you a natural remedy if he wishes as opposed to a chemical one from a Pharmaceutical Company's lab?

quote:

Originally posted by Marine5711:
I posted another discussion and something was brought up that I would like to find out how others feel.

In dealing with disease, should a doctor be able to tell you a natural remedy if he wishes as opposed to a chemical one from a Pharmaceutical Company's lab?

At this time it is against the law (FDA REGS) for a doctor to do so. What do you think?


Yes there are holistic doctors but they are constantly harassed by the FDA and even end up with their license pulled at times.

I know that there are quacks in any form of medicine so no dispute that some in every genre are warranted (license pulling that is.)

quote:

Originally posted by Marine5711:
I posted another discussion and something was brought up that I would like to find out how others feel.

In dealing with disease, should a doctor be able to tell you a natural remedy if he wishes as opposed to a chemical one from a Pharmaceutical Company's lab?

At this time it is against the law (FDA REGS) for a doctor to do so. What do you think?


Yes there are holistic doctors but they are constantly harassed by the FDA and even end up with their license pulled at times.

I know that there are quacks in any form of medicine so no dispute that some in every genre are warranted (license pulling that is.)

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Originally posted by Dave_M:
Some supplements have illegal drugs in them, and some are not safe

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... A study set to be released [05Dec07], obtained by USA TODAY and commissioned by Informed-Choice, a non-profit coalition of U.S. supplements companies, shows 13 of 52 supplements tested between July 2006 and January 2007 at a British lab had small amounts of steroids banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency and all major sports leagues.

Six supplements had measurable amounts of ephedrine, a stimulant banished from the market after it was thought to be a factor in the deaths of Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer and Baltimore Orioles minor league pitcher Steve Bechler this decade. <edit>

It wasn't the fringe elements of the supplements industry that Informed-Choice and its lab targeted. Their representatives traveled to various retail stores around the USA and a couple of popular online stores — and purchased supplements they thought a high school athlete would be interested in, according to Dave Hall, chief executive of HFL, a UK-based lab that conducted the study.

Names of the specific supplements and where they were purchased weren't revealed, but Hall says some of the best-selling supplements were purchased from popular retailers. Informed-Choice awards a seal to supplements makers whose products are tested through HFL. Executive director Kelly Hoffman says the goal is to get more companies involved in the movement, not to single out any one company....

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2007-12-05-supplements-focus_N.htm

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Have you considered taking so-called natural or herbal weight loss drugs or supplements? You may not be aware that not all weight loss pills are considered safe, much less effective. That's been true for many years, but beginning in late 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called attention to 28 brands of weight loss drugs that are considered dangerous.

Why are they dangerous? Because they are contaminated with materials that are not tolerated by the human body and may cause debilitating side effects, even death. Those ingredients are undeclared, meaning, the packaging doesn't mention them. They may be counterfeit. They all claim to be "herbal" or "natural" and because they are considered "dietary supplements," they don't fall under the FDA approval process.

The FDA has determined most, if not all of these so called "natural" or herbal weight loss supplements, are manufactured in China.

The dangerous ingredients include sibutramine, rimonabant, phenytoin, and phenolphthalein. These illegal weight loss drugs contain at least one, and sometimes more than one of these ingredients.

Sibutramine is a controlled substance, and is found in Meridia which has been approved to be sold in the United States by prescription. However, the amounts found in the illegal drugs and supplements are up to three times the amount found in Meridia. Because of the high levels of sibutramine, those who take any of these illegal versions may be subject to increased blood pressure, tachycardia, palpitations, or seizures.

Rimonabant is a drug that has not been approved in the United States, and has been responsible for a handful of deaths in other parts of the world. It has not been approved because it has been found to cause increased risk of neurological and psychiatric side effects - seizures, depression, anxiety, insomnia, aggressiveness, and suicidal thoughts among patients.

Phenolphthalein used to be found in laxatives until it was removed from them in the late 1990s when it was found to be a carcinogen (meaning, causes cancer) and was also found to be responsible for changes in DNA.

Phenytoin is found only in trace amounts in some of these illegal supplements. It has been used in the manufacture of Dilantin which is an approved anti-seizure drug, but which is not indicated for those who do not have seizures.

Here is a master list of the weight loss drugs or supplements which have been found to be dangerous as of Fall 2008:

2 Day Diet
24 Hours Diet
3 Day Diet
3x Slimming Power
5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
7 Day Herbal Slim
7 Diet Day/Night Formula
8 Factor Diet
999 Fitness Essence
Extrim Plus
Fatloss Slimming
GMP
Imelda Perfect Slim
Lida DaiDaihua
Miaozi Slim Capsules
Perfect Slim
Perfect Slim 5x
Phyto Shape
ProSlim Plus
Royal Slimming Formula
Slim 3 in 1
Slim Express 360
Slim Tech
Somotrim
Superslim
Triple Slim
Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
Zhen de Shou
The list is being updated occasionally, but the FDA makes it clear that its list is never complete. Since natural or herbal weight loss drugs are considered to be "dietary supplements" they do not fall under the FDA's purview. You can check the most current list of banned weight loss drugs at the FDA website
{Note to readers: the FDA updated and expanded this list to 61 drugs in January 2009.}
http://patients.about.com/od/patientempowermentissues/a/weightlossdrugs.htm

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Of course they should. I agree with EngrOpsNCO. I have a hard time believing that this is against the law. Can you provide a source for this information?

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Originally posted by Killswitch_Engage:
They say that an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure and in the supplement industry, I think that's true because much of this stuff really works for people as it has worked for people for thousands of years. Diet and "steroid" (workout products) supplements aside (because what doctor will prescribe that stuff anyway?) which supplements or herbal products contain illegal substances and which are harmful? I would suggest none of them meet this criteria and if an herbal supplement contains a product that the government is trying to make illegal, chances are that's because it works and would provide a zero profit alternative to some chemical being churned out by the pharmaceutical companies...

I was once scolded by a nurse friend of the family who just happens to smoke, drink, and whose diet is absolutely atrocious because she felt I took too many daily vitamins & supplements. Rather than argue with her, I just reminded her that I quit drinking, don't smoke, and have an outstanding diet...

Here is a list of what I take daily for a very real feeling of overall wellness, good health, and for what I perceive to be preventative measures...

A good mult-vitamin w/ and Amino Acid Blend.
Ginseng with Royal Jelly extract.
Ginko Biloba.
Green Tea Extract.
Acidophilus.
Flax Seed Oil.
Fish Oil.
Co Q~10.
Chromium Picolinate.
Glucosamine & Chondroitin w/ MSM.
Cinnamon Extract.
Garlic Extract.
Tribulus Terrestris Extract.

And I've never felt better, been thinner, or had more sustained energy throughout the day...

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Originally posted by Killswitch_Engage:
OMG we agree on something!

My mug has O'Doul's tho.

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Originally posted by Dave_M:
Doctors may recommend the best course of therapy. The issue is they are not allowed to recommend drugs not approved for treatment. They do recommend diet, exercise, supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc are supplements), moderation of alcohol and stopping smoking. Some supplements have illegal drugs in them, and some are not safe, but because of the way the law is written, are still allowed to be sold.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave_M:
Doctors may recommend the best course of therapy. The issue is they are not allowed to recommend drugs not approved for treatment. They do recommend diet, exercise, supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc are supplements), moderation of alcohol and stopping smoking. Some supplements have illegal drugs in them, and some are not safe, but because of the way the law is written, are still allowed to be sold.

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Originally posted by Marine5711:
-snip-
There are lots of natural cures out there but they can't make the claim due to FDA regulations and a doctor can not tell you that they will cure either. That's the main problem I'm concerned with. Why not? If it's been proven to do so through testing and trials and numerous patient testimonials (actual, not the kind that are meant to sell a product line.)