this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2024
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i've been thinking about how people approach health when they're feeling unwell. some folks prefer to go to a doctor or use pharmaceutical medicine from the pharmacy, while others choose herbal remedies or alternative treatments. personally, i prefer using herbal remedies because i believe that all the ingredients in pharmaceutical medicines ultimately come from nature, and we can find those remedies ourselves in plants. what about you?

edit: cmon guys it's not about the traditional vs modern treatment. just wanna know other's opinion about this..

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 3 weeks ago (19 children)

Conventional medicine, because it actually works and has a basis in reality.

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[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Do you know what we call herbal medicine that works? Medicine.

That said if I want low impact results for a low impact illness, think sore throat, I wot go to the GP, I'll drink hot drinks

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

Good old Tim Minchin. For the uninitiated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIWj3tI-DXg

[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Lots of things from nature are not going to be good for you simply by being natural. And most medications come from studying the effects of things found in nature on biology.

I'll use treatments and medications that have studies backing their health impact. Occasionally those may be herbal supplements for better nutrition, but most herbal remedies that we know actually work are just a less effective form of the refined medications and treatments that have been developed. If the medication or conventional treatment is readily available, I would pick that first

And "alternative treatments" are nearly always complete bunk.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

What do you call alternative medicine that works? Medicine.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (11 children)

i believe that all the ingredients in pharmaceutical medicines ultimately come from nature, and we can find those remedies ourselves in plants

Even if that were correct, are you choosing the plants that have those same chemicals when you choose a remedy? If you are, why not use the normal medicine?

To be clear, yes some plants do have legitimate medicinal uses, but I really think you shouldn't be handwaving health decisions like this.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago

Also good luck with dosing. Many medecines loses the benefits if you take too much, like asthma medecine for example. It's like a bell curve. Others are outright dangerous if overdosed and so on. Stay safe out there!

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm in the UK where we've got the NHS and cheap medicine, so that might be why I'm hard on the "just give me the medicine" side of things.

I can't think of any situation when I'd pick an alternative herbal medicine over the medical solution from a chemist if I actually had a problem I wanted to resolve.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

Herbal medicines are fine for minor things, but I wouldn't use that for serious issues. Dosage is a big part of a medicine's effectiveness, and a lot of the time, natural products have compounds that are too low in concentration to be reasonably effective. You'd need to extract and purify the compound, and at that point you're right back to conventional medicine.

And that's assuming that the herbs do contain the compound that you're looking for, because unfortunately, people lie on the internet and I generally would not trust what random internet people say about what's in herbal medicines

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago

The difference between a herbal remedies and a regular medicine is that the regular stuff the manufacturer has to first show that it actually works at all and then figure out what the side effects are.

If I have any serious issue I'd not trust anything that is not FDA/EMA/etc approved for my condition.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

I grew up with a doctor that believed in alternative medicine and a mom afraid of using medicine except when absolutely necessary. I was also perpetually dealing with colds and headaches. Now I take cold medicine when a cold starts and a painkiller to sleep well during the cold and they last about a quarter if the time.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago

You know what they call alternative medicine that works? Medicine.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago

Prefer nothing but if I do need something I always go for conventional. If it's bad enough that I need medicine I want something that actually works.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

I only use herbal medicine if I know that what I have is not serious, it's something that would go away on itself, and I just want to relieve the symptoms.

examples

Symptom Herb Why I probably got this way
Upset stomach peppermint greasy food
Intestinal cramps star anise, turmeric either beans or peanuts
Migraine ginger biological clock went nuts again
Hangover yerba mate see that half-empty bottle of vodka?
Common cold ginger, lemon leaves, honey Every single spring I get a cold.

I do it because I prefer milder approaches for mild issues, but the efficacy of this sort of herbal med is fairly limited.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Isn't that just basic knowledge of your own body? Like if I eat beans I'll have a gaseous stool etc.

I mean don't we all drink some tea when the throat is sore? Avoid coffee if we have stomach problems and so on?

I sure do take medication when I'm sick, but I also try to alleviate the suffering with ordinary things ("natural" if you want), like chocolate when I have the flu because it's depressing or rice when I have a diarrhea.

I feel OP are fishing for something else though like "modern medicine bad/big pharma bad" or am I wrong here?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Isn’t that just basic knowledge of your own body? Like if I eat beans I’ll have a gaseous stool etc.

It is. And even chimps do it to a certain degree.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

i also got a list like this in my notebook!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Depends on the issue. For relatively minor burns I have an Aloe Vera plant, for example. I'm not against pharmaceuticals, or doctors, but for most of my life doctors have been prohibitively expensive or simply not available depending on where I was working at that moment so you learn how to treat most things yourself using whats handy. Giving yourself stitches fucking hurts worse than the original injury by the by.

I have a good paying job now with good insurance and there are multiple medical facilities nearby, but the old habits remain.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

what do you use that aloe vera for?

I'm not against pharmaceuticals, or doctors, but for most of my life doctors have been prohibitively expensive

can relate to this lol

I have a good paying job now with good insurance

good for you!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

what do you use that aloe vera for?

Same as you would use store bought aloe vera gel. When applied to the skin, assuming you are not allergic, it can sooth minor burns and scrapes. As a last resort you can also use it as a laxative by ingesting it. Seriously, don't eat it, it caused me to vomit as well as loosening my bowels the one time I did that. Normal store bought laxatives are far more "pleasant" to take.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Herbal stuff for simple things and symptoms, like a sore throat or headache. Modern medicine for anything I can't treat on my own.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I've tried both for my treatment resistant depression. They both worked about the same.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

I probably lean more towards herbal if you consider cannabis. I'm starting ADHD meds in a couple of days, though. Can't remember the last time I felt sick, but I never take anything for that anyway.

I think I was talked out of the herbal route at one point. I remember being very anti-pharmaceutical. I'd try herbal first for all non life threatening things if I knew what to look for.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not "herbal" in the purest sense, but I will order the strongest, hottest curry I can find and cook it from the inside out.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Depends on what I'm sick with.

If I'm just sick with a cold, usually soup, hot tea with honey, chilli, etc, and maybe an OTC painkiller like tylenol if I have a fever or a headache. Hot showers can be nice too.

If I'm really sick, fuck yeah, give me whatever meds or treatment necessary. I'm not much for any of that "woo" bullshit (like chiropractors, crystals, homeopathy, or other quackery) but some of them are kinda legit (like chicken noodle soup or spicy stuff helping with a could, some herbal poultices actually treating wounds or rashes, etc. )

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

If I have a cold I opt for chicken soup and orange juice. Not because I think it will make me healthy, but because it will make me feel good.

I don't get regular medicine, not because I'm averse to taking it, but because I don't have insurance and can't afford regular medicine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The only "herbal" medicine that I know that works is 凉茶 (liang cha) that's for 热气 (inflamation is the best english word to describe it, like you know how you feel weird when you eat a lot of fried stuff?) and I suspect it might be placebo.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

For minor conditions like headaches, light fever, sore throat, cough, etc. most of the time herbal medicine and some rest will work fine. I tend not to use artificially produced medicine too quickly, it just feels better to not rely on them too much. For example ginger and aloe vera are plants where it cant be exaggerated how awesome they are. Real allrounders with so many medical uses, I love them.

That said, when theres a more serious medical condition, self-medication with herbs will reach its limits, at least on the level you and I are capable of. Maybe some experts will be able to mix a cocktail of herbs that helps but those are usually not common knowledge and I personally wouldnt risk not getting better just to avoid industrial medicine. Like you said, its all made from natural resources, but in the proportions that are scientifically proven to work.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Meanwhile, do people believe in empirical evidence or superstition?

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