The Sunday Age of 12/5/2013 had a lot to say about the alternative medicine industry, referring to the fact that the products sold over the counter are not “tested” in the way the pharmaceutical industry tests prescription medicines which are used by the medical profession.
My reply was as follows:
Tested or
untested unfortunately there are no guarantees in medicine.
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If people vote with their feet and money, perhaps that industry is not as ineffective as some medical professionals would like us believe.
Not all human beings are of the same age, for a start, nor do we all adhere to the same diets advocated for us to maintain life-long good health.
There is also a big difference in discussing pharmaceuticals which are meant to "cure", versus naturally occurring compounds which are concentrated into medicinal-style products, meant to be simply an adjunct for those who may want to try them to improve their general wellbeing.
As a trained clinical biochemist (and part pharmacist) , it was not until I entered into a 'health-foods" business years ago, did I understand, let alone accept the 'alternative' area of medicine.
There are many of the younger generation medical graduates who do use adjunct remedies as well as the 'tested' pharmaceuticals when there are chronic, mild conditions or perhaps even food-allergies to be treated. After all, previous generations did survive on such remedies, while many in the third world still do so even today.
On the other hand, all pharmaceuticals, while they are tested, do have side effects for some or are ineffective for a percentage of users.
In any case,- whether it is as a prophylactic or a placebo effect, it is better for an intelligent individual to give the natural remedies a try, than to go straight on to drugs "to kill a fly with a hammer".
Common sense should always prevail.
Signed)M. M. M.Sc.(Biochemist, retired).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Following upon the above, I shall
enumerate some areas which I have found useful to employ in our family’s
day-to-day lives, as various symptoms appeared,- before rushing off to the GPs
for a prescription medicine. Many of these types of remedies I keep at home in
case we need them,- or we take them on a regular basis to prevent
health-problems in the future. I do not go to alternative-medicine
practitioners as I probably am better qualified than they are. The pharmaceutical chemists on
the whole are generally quite good at recommending the type of remedy which may
assist in a simple condition.
N.B.All the
products I mention below, I have recommended to various people over the years
with excellent results, therefore I have no hesitation in listing them as
recommendations.This is what is termed ‘anecdotal evidence’ that they can work!
Here are my ten listed suggestions which work for us in our home.
1. For winter prevention or reduction of colds and flu-like symptoms: a) We believe in the flu vaccine as early as possible
whenever it comes on the market. b)
When we travel abroad, because the plane itself sometimes can cause us to get a
severe cold, I buy for us an immune-boosting combination from a reputable
company such as Blackmore. This combines vitamins
A, C and E, with Zinc and Echinacia (a herb which has aspirin-type
qualities). We try to keep taking it for a while on our return and then also
whenever we feel that a cold is coming on!
2. General vitamin intake. If we reduce
our fat intake, as we generally all tend to do nowadays to prevent heart
disease and arteriosclerosis, as well as to avoid obesity, then we should
realize that we may reduce our intake of fat-soluble
vitamins which we should be absorbing through our digestive tract for
healthy maintenance of our body’s functions.
These
vitamins which are of vital importance for us are :
A- which we need for the maintenance of good vision (found in e.g.carrots,
but not good in excess); for preserving a healthy skin; and for maintaining our
immune system.
D- which we should get from the sun
to maintain healthy bones. But these days, we tend to
shun sun & UV exposure due to fear of skin-cancers and melanoma. There
is a government-sponsored health
alert out to improve our vitamin D levels, or risk osteoporosis later in life. This vitamin is essential for
the absorption of Calcium from the
diet.
E-
this is an anti-oxidant vitamin. Its importance is not as clearly determined as the other two, but many believe it to be important
to prevent cell-breakdown due to various external
factors, such as pollution, smoking and cancer-forming agents. It is also used in creams and ointments to assist
in healing of the skin.
How do we replace these vitamins in
our diets if we think we require them?I recommend the old-fashioned cod-liver oil, but in capsule form. They knew what they were doing
to us kids in Europe when they kept giving us that horrible spoonful of oil every
day!
3. FISH-OILS. If we would prefer to
change our diet to concentrate on eating mainly fish and vegetables most of the
week, then we probably would not need to take extra capsules of the Omega-3
fatty acids containing capsules in our senior years. But the reality is that
most of us don’t, or don’t want to adhere to such a diet, so taking these proven (to prevent arteriosclerosis in
later-life), can be helpful substitutes in a capsule form. It can do no
harm after all. The amount one takes
depends on whether one has a problem which it is supposed to alleviate, such as
rheumatism or mild arthritis. If it is simply to prevent later problems, then
the minimal dose recommended on the bottle is sufficient.
4. GLUCOSAMINE & CHONDROITIN. These
are components of all our cartilages and tendons and amazingly by taking these
compounds by mouth, they seem to be able to be concentrated onto these tissues
and repair them or line the bones anew. As we age, we do tend to “dry out” in
all tissues which need to be kept soft and lubricated to be effective. We definitely need to keep our joint-connections
supple and pliable for us to be able to move painlessly,- and these supplements
tend to help. One needs to be patient though,- keep taking them and eventually
they do seem to be very helpful when people start having knee problems or other
joint aches and pains.
5. Co-Enzyme Q10. This seems to be a newer addition to the
complementary medicine field. An over-the-counter product, it appears to be
something which is important for our muscles to work properly, but which can be
depleted either through overuse of the muscles, e.g. by athletes, or through a
side effect of anti-cholesterol STATINS-type
medications.
If one suddenly starts suffering
painful legs, back or similar for no special reason while taking such
anti-cholesterol drugs, then consider taking Co-Q10 tablets
of various strengths. It is also recommended as an additional supplement for
our heart muscles to work better!
(These muscles are in constant use while we are alive, so perhaps the CoQ10
needs a bit of replenishment in our later years!).
6. Zinc- is a mineral element, not a vitamin.
It seems to be useful to add in tablet form or as part of a mixture of vitamins and minerals for a variety of
reasons, particularly for older males and in infections due to viruses such as colds, cold-sores and shingles.
It is also recommended for hair and nails improvement!
I recommend it particularly for shingles as
soon as it is diagnosed! It has worked wonders on some people who listened!
7. Stomach/digestive complaints, e.g. acidity,
reflux, indigestion, flatulence and similar.
There are
many antacids on the market which everybody uses, but there was a scare about
aluminium which is a mineral used in many of these, that is not supposed to be
good for our memory cells !!! True or not, best to avoid it,- just in case! I
use Rennies for that reason, but there are also various other old remedies
which can be useful. Activated charcoal
capsules are good absorbers of various gases and other nasties in our gut! Slippery elm bark powder in capsules or
as a powder mixed in drinks, lines the walls of our intestines and can assist
in healing inflammations of the gut. One can drink Aloe Vera juice on an empty stomach morning and night, which can
act as a healing agent e.g. for the oesophagus (available in 2 litre containers
in the supermarket where health-foods are stocked.) Aloe Vera is a healing plant which comes also as a gel to put on skin
wounds, used by the natives of Sth. America.
8. Our EYES,-watery or inflamed. Both are
dues to ‘dry eyes’ syndrome! In
particular, in aeroplanes, keep them well moisturised with ‘artificial tears’. I have just been advised by my ophthalmologist to
use a wet and warm tissue to rub my eyelids gently and so open and clean
possibly blocked tear-ducts to stop my eyes watering constantly. It helps me
enormously!
9. The food you eat and the liquids
you drink can affect many parts of our body, including our mental states. I had to deal with many customers in
our Health-food shop who had terrible allergies to various foods, but it took
years and many specialists to diagnose their problems. I therefore suggest to everybody,-if you
suddenly develop a health problem which is new, do not panic. First think re
what you have eaten or drank lately, or usually.
I have had lots of scares over the years,
until I worked out why each problem had arisen. For an example of what could
have been a serious symptom to cause me to panic: one day, some years ago,
blood appeared in my stools,- (when it shouldn’t have as I was already
post-menopausal). I stopped to think about it and remembered that I had bought
and eaten while driving, almost half a delicious fresh bread loaf full of linseeds. Now if you know that linseed oil
is also used as a paint thinner, eating a lot of linseeds is hardly good for
your blood vessels! Had I had something seriously wrong with me, I would
have expected the bleeding to continue,- so I decided to wait a day or two to
see if it happens again. Thankfully it did not and I now do not recommend
anyone to eat too many such seeds.( It may be that only I have this
sensitivity, as I can bleed quite easily, even if I start taking small amounts
of aspirin, - recommended to avoid blood clots in the heart or in the brain
causing strokes.)
10. Some
people suffer from regular urinary tract
infections. I used to, as do many women more than men. But I soon
discovered that I can bring on my infections at will! I had to test myself
before I was convinced. For me, drinking acidic juices on an empty stomach as
one does for breakfast in the mornings, was my trigger.
Once I realized that, I no longer have had this
problem for years. I have since managed to convince a few others suffering from
similar conditions and lo and behold they are also fine. Theoretically, we
should be able to metabolize everything so that the urine is at the right level
of acidity no matter what we drink or eat. (Bugs like an acidic urine!)
Not all our
systems work according to what is considered “normal”, i.e. average. Some of us
function differently in various areas and we should be alert to this BEFORE WE
PANIC.
Re complementary
medicine practitioners.
There are
doctors who do believe in using a certain amount of natural supplements. They
are part of an association and can be found in the phone books. But trying out
various alternative practitioners who claim to be able to use various types of
treatments, is just stupid or only for the most desperate! First one needs a
proper diagnosis of the condition from which you suffer,- whether it is pain or
some other symptom. Then one has to determine if there is a cure or a treatment
to help.
Only when nothing else helps, perhaps I would
try someone versed in Chinese medicine as a last resort.
There is no
doubt that some exercise is needed
to keep us hale and hearty, but this does not mean that one should go to
extremes even with that. I have done myself permanent damage by trying too hard
with a certain unsuitable type of exercise. I have known people who lived to 90
and even to a 100 who avoided any extra exertions!
M.M. 13/5/2013.
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