Natural Cures Vs Modern Medicine

Both sides in the Argument of Natural cure vs Modern Medicine have it wrong. As some one who studies history, & as someone who once worked in the medical field, I can tell you a thing or two. Not all Native people's thrived, some disappeared because, they grew to big, and over used their land. So, when drought or some other natural disaster came a long, their society collapsed. On the other hand, other tribes did live a more harmonious existence for a thousand years or more, which is more than we can say for most civilizations. As far as medicine goes, while its true, 60% if not more of our drugs are based on cures found in nature via plants, animals, etc, one should not discount modern medicine. There are millions of people who would not be alive today without modern medicine. Before modern medicine came into being, midwives performed the task of being the healer, helped deliver babies, etc. These dedicated women were much like modern Seamen/medicine men, as they passed down knowledge of natural cures, from one generation to the next. Modern medicine had an ugly start, when men decided they wanted control, and were threatened by what they perceived as the power women had. So, these men, who had no knowledge of natural cures came up with cures, often as deadly as the illness itself. It wasn't until scientific methodologies were reintroduced, which the women simply had learned from trial and error, over the generations; that the men began to make progress. Today, the science of modern medicine is as robust and refined as any formal science, which is why, false cures, tainted prescriptions, etc are weeded out. This does of course, make the process for adopting new prescriptions take some time, as they do have to be shown to work, as they claim they do.

I hear people denounce modern medicine all the time, they say, don't take pills, just take natural cures, even though over 60percent of modern medicines are derived from plant based cures, and now some are derived from chemicals found in animals via their venom,hormones, etc. I have family who have had cancer, and natural cures may have helped, but some people have forgone modern treatments for natural cures, and died of their cancers. It is easy to assume that, because a natural cure can cure one or two things, or that several things can be cured naturally, that all things can be cured that way. What is needed is a balance, that balance is to take the scientific knowledge of modern medicine, and to apply it to native cures. Modern medicine is in fact doing that. Its searching the rain forests, the oceans, the deserts, etc for new chemicals found in plants, animals, etc for cures for cancer, neurological disorders, and any number of health problems. There are programs to work with native healers, so they may pass on their knowledge to modern medicine, so that we may all benefit from their knowledge. However, we must also be on the watch for those who claim to know about cures, the market is full of people pedaling natural cures, via alternative health stores, etc. Just because something is natural doesn't make it safe. Some natural things offered in these stores can interact with medications, vitamins, minerals, etc. This is why, you should always discuss with your doctor, any thing you are thinking of taking. More and more doctors are aware of of natural/homeopathic medicines, and their interactions with any prescriptions you may be taking.

Our lifestyle is one of the most important starting point in changing our health, most people don't get enough fruits and vegetables, don't get enough exercise, and don't get enough sleep. We are too sedentary as a society, our jobs have us sitting in front of computers, then we come home and watch TV, sit in front of the computer, and play video games. All it takes is an hour a day of exercise, and if its choosing being healthy vs a stroke or heart attack in my 50s, I'll choose exercise. We also need to do something active, while on our breaks at work. Studies show, when you sit inactive for long periods of time, the blood pools in your body, and that even if your in good physical shape, it can have adverse effects on your health. For those of us that have children, or who have children in our lives, we need to lead by example, for our children will follow in our footsteps, and often at a faster and therefore, a more unhealthy pace. By being fit, we can help insure our children and the future generations are fit. By eating foods with less artificial ingredients, less preservatives, healthier fats, etc we can teach our children and their children to eat healthy, and to be healthy. Many of these things are not only linked to obesity, but to cancer, diabetes, and a host of other diseases. I recently read about an announcement about pesticides being linked to ADHD, and it has me wondering if, other frontal lobe disorders, such as Autism, ADD, etc are not also linked to pesticides, what about sociopathic behavior, as it too is linked to frontal lobe malformation/underdevelopment. The fact the FDA doesn't screen from pesticides or heavy metals in our food, should be of great concern.

Keeping one's home as free from chemicals as possible is another step we can take to insuring our health, as studies have shown, having a home that is too sterile is actually bad for our immune system, and may even be a cause of some allergies and asthma. Home made, chemical free cleaners are cheap, easy to make, and non-toxic. Also avoid products with chemicals, such as plastics with BPA, fabrics with chemicals, etc. Carpeting is known to be vary toxic, and a new car leaches many chemicals over a long period of time, to several chemicals. So medicine and health is a complex subject, that simply saying go natural won't fix. It involves many choices, being informed, and knowing when to go natural, and when to go chemical, or with a surgery, or other treatment.