Herbal remedies, heart drugs don’t mix: review | Reuters

The following article was released on Reuters Health feed today, reviewing a very biased study about the interactions of herbal remedies and modern prescription drugs.

Herbal remedies, heart drugs don’t mix: review | Reuters.

Of course the study found that herbal remedies and prescription drugs “interact.” The breathtaking bias is however in the automatic assumption that the natural herbal remedies must be at fault if there are negative symptoms or complications. When you consider that every pharmaceutical solution to a medical problem (approved by the FDA, mind you) is accompanied by a list of possible side effects that would (should!) frighten any rational, thinking person concerned for their health, this assertion by the reviewers is ludicrous and insulting.

Natural remedies, taken alone and used with the guidance of a naturopath or other trained healer, rarely ever cause the kinds of side effects you see listed on a typical pharmaceutical label. And yet, the study linked above would have you believe that any negative effects caused by taking natural remedies in conjunction with BigPharma medicines are the fault of the herbal supplements. The very wording of the review, the phrases chosen, the bias apparent in the viewpoint is dismaying and frustrating. The health challenges facing everyone in the western world, a fat percentage of which have been caused by BigPharma in the first place, won’t be solved by BigPharma, their lobbyists, or the millions they’re spending to buy your elected representatives.

Before you go in for your next doctor’s appointment, take time to do the research on the medications you’re taking as well as any natural, herbal supplements that might improve your health. Don’t be put off by the scare tactics, don’t be bullied by your doctor or insurance company. If you can’t take decisions about your health into your own hands (and the responsibility for the consequences!), you have no one to blame but yourself for the escalating costs of your health care, and your health insurance premiums.