meds or alternative therapy?

[Paz]

So, what would you choose?

[Dreamline]

That was a hard question.

[Paz]

 Sorry...it wasn't meant to be hard. I was just curious, you know?

[goosemuffin]

Hell to the YEA

[spongebobfan]

So my thought on this is that it depends on the level of control and any side effects. I'm a believer in weighing the risk vs benefit of all options. Most people that I have met are under the impression that homeopathic treatment or "natural" treatments are all safe because they are natural. The thing is that there are risks with those natural treatments too. For example natural supplements are still used because those Natural ingredients cause an a certain effect in the body. They can have side effects the same as a  pharmaceutical treatment. Natural remedies are typically not FDA approved which means that there is an added risk in that each dose does not necessarily contain the same amount/ratio of ingredients as the next.  I've seen natural remedies work well and I've seen them not work so I guess my answer is "maybe"

[Paz]

 The USA & Canada both have major homeopathic laboratories & manufacturing plants, so each remedy tells you specifically how much of what is in the remedy....Hyland's is a big USA company, and Homeocan is one in Canada. 

Are you serious about things having to be FDA approved? 
How many FDA approved medicines have been taken off the market because of bad side effects....not to mention the lawsuits about Seroquel, Zyprexa, etc.  I don't trust the FDA, they are in a very tight relationship with Big Pharmaceutical companies.

[spongebobfan]

It's not that the FDA must be involved but i just don't think that most natural remedies are standardized. Because they are not regulated the same way the natural remedies can have greater variation between each dose or bottle. My point was not that pharmaceuticals don't have side effect, it was that natural remedies can also have side effects.  I'm certainly not again natural remedies. For some people they can be an answer to prayer. Really it just comes down to individual reaction and preference.

[Paz]

 If you saw the first line to my post, you would have noticed that the Homeopathic labs and manufacturing plants DO regulate the dose in each bottle.
 For example, this is what it will say on a bottle that was manufactured at a lab....
 cyclamen europaen4x/dx...avena sativa 6x/2x...etc. So it does tell you how much of what ingredient is in each remedy.They have lists of ingredients, and the amounts, and if you are into pharmacology/homeopathy you can look up what 6x/dx is.
 And homeopathic remedies have very few side effects, if taken as directed, and only if you buy ones that are actually manufactured by a company, not just going to a health food store and picking out a few things because you read about it in the internet that it might help your symptoms. You can't experiment on yourself.

 Go to www.homeocan.ca and read about it, as the info there is much more detailed than my incoherent babbling.

[spongebobfan]

Obviously you feel strongly about homeopathic treatments. I'm glad they work for you and you have not experienced unwanted side effects. I think you may be missing the point of what I'm saying. I will admit that I find your replys a little offensive although I will also admit that I am sometimes overly sensitive. I did look at the Homeocan website but I will not try to explain myself again as you do not seem interested to hear it just to dispute it. I assumed in your post for a poll that you were interested in other opinions. I apologize if you felt that I was in any way attacking the validity of homeopathic medicine. I remain a neutral party.

[Paz]

 I am a bit manic at the moment, I do feel strongly about alternative remedies only because all the meds that the docs have given me in the past have done nothing but make me physically ill and miserable... and they still wanted to give me more meds. So yes, I feel that traditional meds are not the only answer.....therapy is most important in my mind.
 You have been a member here for a year now, so I am sure that you have seen my posts about health, meds, exercise, diet, etc. I feel much better on minimal meds and a bit of homeopathic added on. Sometimes I have to take more pharmaceuticals than I would like, but I'm a crazy BP1 maniac....that is unfortunately sort of expected from time to time....needing more meds. I have to live with this thing for the rest of my life and so I want to try and figure out the best mix of meds & homeopathy & diet, juicing, exercise and supplements.
 As far as my remarks being offensive, well what the fuck can I say, I'm a manic depressive! And I am sure that all of us here have been offensive to others when we are manic. And I think you are being overly sensitive, in my opinion, but who cares? We are all crazy here, and it's all good.
 And I m interested in other opinions, I just want to make sure that people understand that some Homeopathic stuff is actually pretty helpful.  
  No need to apologize either....you are fine, I am not at the moment, but I will eventually be....sometime.

[Dreamline]

Hey I got the hyland's calms forte.  Finally I was able to get it, (a combination of remembering, a place having it, having money...etc).  Anyways, I have it in case of need.

[Paz]

 Have you tried it for nervousness? Does it help?

[Dreamline]

I haven't been having significant nervousness lately, just frustration.  I might try it for that who knows.

[tomcat13claws]

It depends. Yes I would if it were safe, and if it actually worked, unlike the meds/poison the big money drug manufacturers concoct. They don't seem to work anyway, and many have completely unacceptable side effects.