Plants & Good Ol' Pharmaceuticals, Part 1

First, before I I write more, I want to be perfectly clear that I think there is a time and place for pharmaceutical drugs, over-the-counter drugs, recreational drugs... ;) But seriously, I don't think we should never take drugs; there are times when their benefit far outweighs their risks. The obvious situation is in emergencies. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me explain why I think we could utilize herbs and nutrition instead of drugs sometimes.

I have been absolutely astounded by things I've read lately about how herbs and spices (um, plants) can act as medicines. Garlic, peppermint, lemon, sage, clove, thyme--lots of ordinary kitchen spices kill bacteria and are anti-viral.

I know that many of our current medicines are based on medicinal herbs. What I didn't realize is how effective or powerful herbs can be. (Everytime I write "herb" I think of marajuana, but that's not what I mean! I swear!)

In our society we find the 'active' chemical in such herbs and then manufacture similar chemical compounds in a lab, mix it with binders to make a pill, and then congratulate ourselves when we have a new drug in a fixed, identifiable amount. My DH is quick to point out to me that the medical world can't get excited about herbs because they can't figure out how much a dosage is and how powerful that dose is. That makes sense, since every plant will probably have a different concentration of this and that and the other.

Nonetheless, I haven't seen many herbs that come with the same list that I hear on so many drug commercials. Sure, if you take enough garlic, or enough turmeric, or enough cinnamon, it will be bad for you. Garlic can be bad for your thyroid. Turmeric can thin your blood. But you have to take A LOT.

Now here is a list of side effects for a -statin cholesterol drug. They are frequently prescribed and I very much doubt that doctors across America are doing due diligence and reciting the list of side effects and complications like the nice TV does:

• muscle problems (which can rarely lead to a very serious condition called rhabdomyolysis)
• muscle pain/tenderness/weakness (especially with fever or unusual tiredness)
• change in the amount of urine
• liver problems--yellowing eyes/skin, dark urine, severe stomach/abdominal pain, persistent nausea/vomiting

And: "This is not a complete list of possible side effects." Oh, and death. HA!

I heard a story on NPR about a Doctor who took a -statin and unfortunately he was one of the minority who suffered irreversible muscle damage. They always say it's safe and that hardly anyone has any problems. Most people probably won't have horrible reactions to -statins, but certainly everyone's liver objects to some degree. :) 

I have a great deal of trouble with this because there are plenty of stories about drugs that were 'safe' until they weren't. I have read about drugs that were 'safe' during pregnancy and then, "Oops, your baby is missing limbs." My good friend and I have a similar philosophy about drugs and when offered an anti-nausea drug during her last pregnancy she said "No" riiiiight away because of stories like this. Did you know in the 1940s doctors thought it was okay, even encouraged, to give pregnant ladies X-rays? My dear Grandma (born in 1937) remembers having her feet X-rayed "for fun" at the shoe store. 

My point is that we're all human, even the uber-educated doctors, pharmacists, health-care anyone. Some dude in a lab tests a drug for a certain amount of time on mice, then maybe trials it on some people, and then it's deemed safe for public use. There's never going to be a 100% safety seal on drugs. It's always mostly-safe until someone proves otherwise.

You know all those lawyer commercials on TV? I most recently heard one for an anti-acne drug called Acutane. Apparently, some people who took it have had colon problems to the point of having their colon removed. THEY HAVE NO LARGE INTESTINE. I know that's not the majority, but the fact that drugs can mess with our bodies like this cannot be understated.

Here's a recent story as an anecdote. Apparently a diabetes drug also gives people bladder cancer. Oops. And another drug out there, the breast cancer drug Avastin, was recalled in November (see story here), but the company that makes it is begging it to be FDA approved again. So, to recap, the drug does help slow cancer growth, but it also kills people via stroke and heart attack (oops), and the company wants people to use it because it's a big profit-maker. :)

So, instead of wasting all their resources in America, Avastin peeps have gone to Europe and convinced those guys to market their drug-see that story here. This article says that Avastin is great for treating ovarian cancer, but the FDA has enough evidence here to say that it doesn't significantly increase life expectancy so...what's the point? Anyway, money and politics and stuff. Not so much all about our health.

Read here about Type 2 diabetes drugs that are not FDA approved because similar drugs have been linked to heart attacks. In other news, the actual drug helps with high blood sugars by letting people pee off excess sugar. Now...my DH is a Type 1 diabetic and I can tell you that when he has a high blood sugar he tries to EXERCISE. But don't worry, now there will be a pill for that so you can sit on the couch, eat more carbs, and remain content while your body shuts itself down.

And if that weren't enough, all the drugs we're making and taking are hurting the environment, which in turn hurts us. This article, As Pharmaceutical Drug Use Soars, Drugs Taint Water & Wildlife, gives an example of how. Don't get me started on how the overuse of anti-biotics is hurting our overall health. (But here, have some reading material: Chinese Ministry, WHO, Warn of Antibiotic Overuse and New Drug Resistant TB Identified.

And reason Number Four is that I think there is such a thing as an immoral Big Pharma: Pharmaceutical Companies Can Go Too Far.

What? Reason Number Four you say? 1. Side Effects, 2. Drug Resistance, 3. Environmental Impact (um, who wants drugs in our water?), and 4. Ethical Reasons.

There are plenty of things one can do with herbs or diet instead of taking crazy drugs. My dad has taken fish oil with great success, lowering his bad cholesterol to the normal level. Safer than a -statin.

In any case, this thought process is the one that led me to start looking into herbs as medicines. I have ranted enough today, so I will save Part 2 for tomorrow!