From: Eagle.Eyes@f100.n300.z44.fidonet.org (Eagle Eyes)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: Herbal vs Chemical
Date: 13 Apr 92 20:53:55 GMT
Reply-To: Eagle.Eyes@f100.n300.z44.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 44:300/100 - Phub 1, Tucson AZ

Index Number: 21041

[This is from the Chronic Pain Conference]

AS>A discussion of mechanisms of regulation of endorphins in relation to
AS>exogenous opiate administration is an entirely different subject than a
AS>discussion about antibiotic administration.  Steroid medications also have
AS>this "feedback regulation" effect on the body just as opioid medications do,
AS>but this is not true for antibiotics.

  But in my original message I was not refering to herbal use as an anti-
biotic, but as a muscle relaxer.

> As is true with chemically synthesized drugs, only the
> reaction are often more violent than with herbals.

AS>"violent" is a poor choice of wording unless you are trying to arouse emotio
AS>in your reader (which I suspect may be your intent).  I would agree that the
AS>action (note I said action, not reaction) is more specific with a purified
AS>drug, than with herbal preparations.

 Better hit your chemistry books again. Reactions due occur and they are often
described as violent without conotations of emotional reference.

> You are obviously not aware of the ability to utilize bioengineering to
> clone plants and maintain a very pure and consistent viable strain. This
> has been done commercially for over twenty years.

AS>I'm probably much more aware of bioengineering than you may have realized,
AS>but you cannot obtain the purity and consistancy from plant to plant that yo
AS>can from one batch of a purified drug to the next.

 Yes you can as it is being done commercially.

> It is that chemical purity that is often the problem. There have been
> instances of side effects (not apparent in the herbal form) that have to
> be compensated for with more drugs. (Here's one pill for your problem and
> three to take care of the problems that it will cause.)

AS>You're suggesting that there are no side effects with herbal preparations??!
AS>Come on!!  You know this is not true unless the dose of active ingredient is
AS>too small to have any effect on the body!!

  Herbal preparations can have side effects, however it is those small doses
that can have significant effects. You continue to rely on Western dogma and
refuse to accept what the physicians of other cultures have shown to be true.

> You fail to understand the main idea of herbal medicine. You want to
> use the lowest dosage possible to assist the body in healing itself.

AS>This is not different than the main idea of prescribing conventional
AS>medications.  All drugs should be used in the lowest dose needed to get the
AS>job done.

  If only that were true in actual practice. All too often, I stopped
doctors from overdosing patients when I was in the Navy.

> Too often, Western medicine thinks that to blast away with megadoses is
> the best way.

AS>This may be your impression, but I would challenge you to support that
AS>argument with any medical literature.  Medical students are never taught tha
AS>"to blast away with megadoses is the best way".  Your statement is just
AS>plainly not true. Instead, physicians are taught how to select the proper
AS>drug for the patients particular problem, and one in which the side effects
AS>are minimal or may be used to the patient's advantage when possible. This
AS>basic philosophy of using the lowest dose possible to accomplish the job is
AS>not different from the philosophy of dosing you suggest for herbal medicine.

  Come to Florida and take a look at the geriatric clientel. They come
walking out of the local pharmacies with bags of pills, written by 3 or 4
doctors. All too often we see where the doctor fails to check and see what
their other doctors are prescribing. If the pharmacy is busy, the pharmacist
can't check or just doesn't bother.

  Do you know the real reason that pharmaceutical companies refrain from
herbals?  They haven't figured out how to patent a plant.

 * DeLuxe2 1.21  * What you learn after you know it all is important.

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