Alternative medicine uses officially untested herbs, roots, inorganics and extracts therefrom. Some have long histories in folk medicine which may be as valid as ethical testing, but it may not. Many of these nostrums are harmless and whatever cures are seen are chance or products of natural body healing. All of this stuff should be used in ways to prevent doing harm, i.e. by trying very small doses and only after conventional medicine has failed. Toxicity is often a function of quantity and where a little may only make...

Alternative medicine uses officially untested herbs, roots, inorganics and extracts therefrom. Some have long histories in folk medicine which may be as valid as ethical testing, but it may not. Many of these nostrums are harmless and whatever cures are seen are chance or products of natural body healing. All of this stuff should be used in ways to prevent doing harm, i.e. by trying very small doses and only after conventional medicine has failed. Toxicity is often a function of quantity and where a little may only make you sick, but a lot end your life you may survive this kind of experimenting. In any case you are tempting fate and denying the many years of series work done scientifically and ethically.

Yes! The health food stores are full of all these herbal, so-called remedies, and we don't really know what's in them, or if they could be harmful! The FDA (Food and drug administration) should be all over these manufacturers! My biggest concern is that if people are already on medications prescribed by their doctors, some of this crap may be contraindicated! Even pharmacists - the drug experts - don't know how these alternative medications will effect people! It's like illegal street drugs - God knows what's in them - ...

Yes! The health food stores are full of all these herbal, so-called remedies, and we don't really know what's in them, or if they could be harmful! The FDA (Food and drug administration) should be all over these manufacturers! My biggest concern is that if people are already on medications prescribed by their doctors, some of this crap may be contraindicated! Even pharmacists - the drug experts - don't know how these alternative medications will effect people! It's like illegal street drugs - God knows what's in them - but if people take them and get sick or die, what recourse do they or their families have? None!

Commonly cited examples include naturopathy and naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, hypnosis, bodywork, homeopathy and diet-based therapies, in addition to a range of other practices. It is frequently grouped with complementary medicine, which generally refers to the same interventions when used in conjunction with mainstream techniques.
If scientific investigation establishes the safety and effectiveness of an...

Commonly cited examples include naturopathy and naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, meditation, yoga, biofeedback, hypnosis, bodywork, homeopathy and diet-based therapies, in addition to a range of other practices. It is frequently grouped with complementary medicine, which generally refers to the same interventions when used in conjunction with mainstream techniques.
If scientific investigation establishes the safety and effectiveness of an alternative medical practice, it may be adopted by conventional practitioners.
Widely different approaches to each of these are applicable.
Achieving the proper bureaucratic balance is difficult. My information is that Germany has the stiffest regulation and I think they are not better off. Government regulation would hamper any type of development. Politics has already entered into this and both our countries have made bad decisions in my opinion regarding this.
For the most part, the free market has not seen fit to do a lot of testing and that which has been done is usually of very low quality. Until that changes, it would be a waste to do more by fiat.
My guess is that you disagree strongly with this because you have only socialist voices in your community and others are not welcome. That tends to indoctrinate.
I hope I have not offended you.

Here's a short answer.... not award worthy - I am tired this morning!

Yes.

ha.

I think so. We'd probably find out that they're better than conventional meds, and all the giant pharmaceutical company's would go broke. That's probably why we are told there is no cure for cancer. The drug company's are rich because of sick people, so why make them well, right? It's 2008. With all the advancements we've had, I'm not buying that there's no cure for all these diseases.

Conventional medicine doesn't really go under checks that are that severe. Honestly, when you read the side effects lists of some of the pills that are out there...you'd have to be kidding yourself to take them. I saw a common headache medication advertised in a magazine, and on the back of the page was the list of side effects. Everything from chronic migranes to death! Alternative is far better. It comes from nature, like we do, not a lab.

Use of the term conventional or orthodox provides the dominant medical system in the United States an almost automatic credibility. Synonyms for orthodox include accepted, approved, established, sanctioned, and authoritative. Each of these words connotes a high degree of credibility within the American social, economic, and insurance structure. In fact, using the terms conventional or orthodox does not appropriately describe the practice of that form of medicine (as does allopathic), but rather provides it with a sancti...

Use of the term conventional or orthodox provides the dominant medical system in the United States an almost automatic credibility. Synonyms for orthodox include accepted, approved, established, sanctioned, and authoritative. Each of these words connotes a high degree of credibility within the American social, economic, and insurance structure. In fact, using the terms conventional or orthodox does not appropriately describe the practice of that form of medicine (as does allopathic), but rather provides it with a sanctioned power. The power of those terms are so great that to some extent they lead to negating the existence of any other system of medicine.Among these are Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound in Washington State, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska, PacifiCare and Regents' Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oregon, and Health Net in California. Most of the largest HMOs in California now offer optional acupuncture and chiropractic care.

Among these are Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound in Washington State, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska, PacifiCare and Regents' Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oregon, and Health Net in California. Most of the largest HMOs in California now offer optional acupuncture and chiropractic care.

Yes it should be subject to those scrutinies. Even if it is not all its cracked up to be it should still be thoroughly checked over because it is being done to human beings. I will say, however, that some forms of alternative medicine to work and that I question others.

Generally, the alternative medicine that is commonly-found in America does go through the same scrutiny as medicine put out by pharmaceutical companies. If one thinks about it from a political standpoint, the FDA probably even lets tons of crap that huge, muckity-muck pharmaceutical companies put out slide past them because of the companies' lobbyists in DC and the government's vested interest in keeping these companies above water (see: Merck, SC Johnson, etc.).
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Generally, the alternative medicine that is commonly-found in America does go through the same scrutiny as medicine put out by pharmaceutical companies. If one thinks about it from a political standpoint, the FDA probably even lets tons of crap that huge, muckity-muck pharmaceutical companies put out slide past them because of the companies' lobbyists in DC and the government's vested interest in keeping these companies above water (see: Merck, SC Johnson, etc.).

But legally, alternative medicines like homeopathic drugs (Boiron brand, etc.) have to disclose whether or not their claims have been supported by the FDA. Although, really, any given product on your grocery-store shelves has been given the green light from the FDA. It wouldn't be sold otherwise. That would be quite illegal and the grocery store would risk its life. Go to your local grocery store and read the labels of a homeopathic medicinal item and a Western medicinal item. They should have about the same amount of text pertaining to the FDA. And all consumable goods must disclose all ingredients. It's the law.

Likewise, acupunture clinics have to be licensed to operate. Just like doctor's offices.

Also, nowadays more and more doctors are asking patients what alternative medicines they are taking, if any, before writing a prescription. The vast majority of doctors are aware of common homeopathic remedies and how they interact with any drug they may prescribe.

And if you think about it, would you rather put a bunch of herbs in your system, or a bunch of manufactured chemicals? Homeopathic medicine may not be as drastically, destroy-everything-in-its-path-effective as, say, antibiotics, but at least it's not destroying the bacteria (among other things) that you need that your body naturally produces. If it does work, it works WITH your body, not despite it. At least, this is from my experience.

NO!!!! 1. Prescribed medication is so much more hazrdous killing millions of people every year from serious side effects. Serious side effects of alternative medicine is almost nil if taken under proper direction. 2. Testing and trials would dramatically add to the costs of these supplements/remedies. 3. In the US our FDA is made up of former large drug company executives, which gives alternative medicines a huge handicap. 3. Do you need FDA approval to eat an orange? Then why for vitamin C? 4. Even over the counter dru...

NO!!!! 1. Prescribed medication is so much more hazrdous killing millions of people every year from serious side effects. Serious side effects of alternative medicine is almost nil if taken under proper direction. 2. Testing and trials would dramatically add to the costs of these supplements/remedies. 3. In the US our FDA is made up of former large drug company executives, which gives alternative medicines a huge handicap. 3. Do you need FDA approval to eat an orange? Then why for vitamin C? 4. Even over the counter drugs are much more dangerous to use. 5. In compaison alternative medicine is much safer, cheaper and in some instances more effective than those from the drug manufacturers. The drug manufacturers do not use natural remedies and will not research them because they will not be able to get a patent on anything "natural" and thereby not able to create a pill that costs them $0.02 to make and charge us $20.Look at all of the recent recalls on prescibed medication by our FDA. This suggests that their testing and trial requirements are inadequate and very accomodating to the drug firms. You will always get side effects when taking anything synthetic, not to mention the damage these drugs do to your liver.

I think, that it should be subjected to the same criticisms of conventional medicine, however, in order for it to be, it should be credited as a viable source of healing. Most find it incredible and rather demonic despite the results and innocent practice. Practitioners fear such criticisms because of what they already have to go through with it being a "pseudoscience". However, once it is credited as a useful source, i see no problem in checks and scrutinies as you call it of alternative medicine....

I think, that it should be subjected to the same criticisms of conventional medicine, however, in order for it to be, it should be credited as a viable source of healing. Most find it incredible and rather demonic despite the results and innocent practice. Practitioners fear such criticisms because of what they already have to go through with it being a "pseudoscience". However, once it is credited as a useful source, i see no problem in checks and scrutinies as you call it of alternative medicine.