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Not forgetting the benefits of oily fish (mackerel, tuna, sardines) and stuff such as fish oil - cod liver oil is the obvious one - but several others exist; they are supposedly good for bones, flexibility, memory and so on. My mother swears by them, as did my father.

Like the OP, I'm not against doctors, just I feel there is no point in seeing them for every scratch or cough. As I said earlier, I see mine annually, and when there is a need. Other than that, it's healthy eating, and not using stuff that looks or sounds seriously ugleee when you read the ingredient list. Toothpaste is something else I always buy in the alternative health store (Uncle Tom's is a very good US brand).

Cheers
 
Not forgetting the benefits of oily fish (mackerel, tuna, sardines) and stuff such as fish oil - cod liver oil is the obvious one - but several others exist; they are supposedly good for bones, flexibility, memory and so on. My mother swears by them, as did my father.

Like the OP, I'm not against doctors, just I feel there is no point in seeing them for every scratch or cough. As I said earlier, I see mine annually, and when there is a need. Other than that, it's healthy eating, and not using stuff that looks or sounds seriously ugleee when you read the ingredient list. Toothpaste is something else I always buy in the alternative health store (Uncle Tom's is a very good US brand).

Cheers

Love the fish , I was lucky enough to have some Mackerel , from sea to plate in 10 mins the other day ...was ace ! Flax oil is one I've been using recently , putting it in bread and such ....has all the usual 'good oils' in , or so I'm told ...nice nutty flavour to it as well ....
Appreciate the nod re: the toothpaste .
Like you say , prevention is best .I am a sucker for a good kebab though
 
natural does not always mean better, natural drugs have side effects just like drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies, they're just drugs that happen to be found in plants, all drugs have side effects and often natural drugs side effects are not as well researched as pharmaceutical ones.

One of the most harmful drugs to humanity is a natural "remedy" and that's tobacco, until research was done in modern times it was considered an excellent medicine.

I'm not saying all natural drugs are bad, I'm just stating that one shouldn't assume they're good because they're not man made. There are plenty of useful natural drugs and I take a couple of them on occasion, I've just done enough research to be sure that their use is advisable.
 
natural does not always mean better, natural drugs have side effects just like drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies, they're just drugs that happen to be found in plants, all drugs have side effects and often natural drugs side effects are not as well researched as pharmaceutical ones.

One of the most harmful drugs to humanity is a natural "remedy" and that's tobacco, until research was done in modern times it was considered an excellent medicine.

I'm not saying all natural drugs are bad, I'm just stating that one shouldn't assume they're good because they're not man made. There are plenty of useful natural drugs and I take a couple of them on occasion, I've just done enough research to be sure that their use is advisable.
Good post. I completely agree with this and was just about to say something similar and see I can save myself the typing. thanks :p
 
natural does not always mean better, natural drugs have side effects just like drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies, they're just drugs that happen to be found in plants, all drugs have side effects and often natural drugs side effects are not as well researched as pharmaceutical ones.

One of the most harmful drugs to humanity is a natural "remedy" and that's tobacco, until research was done in modern times it was considered an excellent medicine.

I'm not saying all natural drugs are bad, I'm just stating that one shouldn't assume they're good because they're not man made. There are plenty of useful natural drugs and I take a couple of them on occasion, I've just done enough research to be sure that their use is advisable.

I agree because I'm not saying all herbal remedy's are good and it's a very sensible approach to research any medicine , even those considered safe by your Dr....

More research from the establishment , is what is needed ..........as you probably know many of the pharmaceutical type drugs have been 'taken ' from natural remedies, ...take aspirin for example...from the Willow tree.
More research into the use of plants as medicine is key to finding better solutions to modern health issues , not , creating more chemical drugs , I feel it's time for the Dr's & scientists to really take a look at what can be used from nature.....might be going off a little here but I feel that somewhere there is a cure for every ailment out there .......just growing on a hills side, prairie or rainforest ! ( oops ..not much of them left now), so yeah ,anyway imo the folk in the know as it where just have to find them & I feel more effort should be centred onto herbal remedy's for this reason
 
Garlic for working on Cholesterol, and it does work.
Not according to this study: Effect of Raw Garlic vs Commercial Garlic Supplements on Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Adults With Moderate Hypercholesterolemia

More research into the use of plants as medicine is key to finding better solutions to modern health issues , not , creating more chemical drugs , I feel it's time for the Dr's & scientists to really take a look at what can be used from nature...
I assure you, the research has been done, but it's ignored by the "all natural" crowd.

Do you really think we'd waste billions of dollars researching the cure for AIDS or cancer if it was as simple as plucking a flower from the rainforest?
 
I assure you, the research has been done, but it's ignored by the "all natural" crowd.

Do you really think we'd waste billions of dollars researching the cure for AIDS or cancer if it was as simple as plucking a flower from the rainforest?

You assure me , and who do you work for? ....government , pharmaceutical company ... ... any which way.... who can say what research has really been done ,not you and certainly not me .

I don't ignore any valid research but we have to look into who ultimately pays for that research to be carried out ;) it appears to me that more money is spent by the pharmaceutical industry on developing chemical products as opposed to natural , and yes , some research has been done , many good benefits have come from it too but more should , and could be done .... but then it's a business , is it not ?.

If it where "as simple as plucking a flower from the rainforest " , then that would be great , no?
 
Not according to this study: Effect of Raw Garlic vs Commercial Garlic Supplements on Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Adults With Moderate Hypercholesterolemia

I assure you, the research has been done, but it's ignored by the "all natural" crowd.
That's the reason why I don't like to recommend natural remedies to people unless they specifically ask me. My dad was on medication for cholesterol and high blood pressure, but had terrible muscle cramps and even vision problems from the medication that the doctor prescribed. I recommended a garlic supplement and a few diet changes and within 6 months, he was completely off the meds and his blood is testing normal and his blood pressure is 110/60 (he's 80). I have no other examples except the health of my family.

I am just happy for all the research that has been done on natural healing and for the Internet that puts it all at our fingertips. I'm not against going to the doctor, nor am I against prescription drugs, but I never take my doctor's word for it, and I always do my own research.
 
I use raw garlic for circulation , sage for bad breath , black pepper or onion seeds for wind/bloating , wild honey on stings ........etc

Proof that overmedicating with herbals is a problem

Garlic gives you bad breath, sage gets rid of it and in combination with garlic gives you gas, which you take something else to stop the winds which helps attract bees that bite you ... :p
 
That's the reason why I don't like to recommend natural remedies to people unless they specifically ask me. My dad was on medication for cholesterol and high blood pressure, but had terrible muscle cramps and even vision problems from the medication that the doctor prescribed. I recommended a garlic supplement and a few diet changes and within 6 months, he was completely off the meds and his blood is testing normal and his blood pressure is 110/60 (he's 80). I have no other examples except the health of my family.

I am just happy for all the research that has been done on natural healing and for the Internet that puts it all at our fingertips. I'm not against going to the doctor, nor am I against prescription drugs, but I never take my doctor's word for it, and I always do my own research.

Couldn't have said that better my self .

Proof that overmedicating with herbals is a problem

Garlic gives you bad breath, sage gets rid of it and in combination with garlic gives you gas, which you take something else to stop the winds which helps attract bees that bite you ... :p

:p very good :D
 
I've been getting more and more interested as time go's by in trying traditional herbal remedies (I don't mean the stuff bought in pill form from shops) the kind of remedy made from herbs and plants picked from the wild

Do you take what is prescribed by your GP or do you seek alternatives ?

I use raw garlic for circulation , sage for bad breath , black pepper or onion seeds for wind/bloating , wild honey on stings ........etc

What alternatives do you use ? or do you think medicine should only come from a Dr 's prescription ?

Short answer: no. I believe in science--not something vaguely akin to witchcraft and other such nonsense.
 
I barely take any medicine, and certainly not 'homeopathic' or 'natural cures', otherwise known as 'placebos'.

I took my clindamycin, vicodin and ibuprofen after getting my wisdom teeth out 3 weeks ago and they worked amazingly well.

Most pharmaceuticals exist because they have been scientifically proven to be effective. I'd certainly take that first, and only if the side effects were insurmountable would I try something that had only been anecdotally proven...
 
Short answer: no. I believe in science--not something vaguely akin to witchcraft and other such nonsense.

So , by that rationale , a honey and lemon drink to aid a sore throat/ blocked nose is "akin to witchcraft......." ....... or , say , putting onion seeds in bread to alleviate the 'wind' caused by the breads digestion in the gut "is akin to witchcraft ...."

your having a laugh !
 
And the drastic increase in lifespan over the past few hundreds of years is coincidence, I'm sure.

You know , I don't think that the credit for that is due entirely to the pharmaceutical industry , people also learned about cleanliness ! , this alone has been a major factor in the extending of lifespan, despite 'modern' Dr's being penalized for washing hands (1800's)....we haven't moved on that much really....what are we doing today that tomorrow we will deem to be no good any more ??...
 
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