Natural Medicine - Not Naturally Safe

Many people believe that natural medicine is naturally good and often it is. But just because something is natural does not mean that it is safe. After all, tobacco is natural, and so is rattlesnake venom.

Touch is natural but there is a great difference between the touch of a massage therapist and the touch of a heavyweight boxing champ.

The most important natural medicine that we all need is natural common sense. Water of course is necessary for our existence but we can drown in it as well.

So, let's look at natural remedies and treatments to see just how naturally safe or unsafe they may be when they are mixed with a dose of common sense.

Remember that a "side effect" is just an effect that we do not want, so the only way we can say that an herb or a therapy has no side effects is to say that it does not have any effects.

Also, be careful to distinguish between "alternative medicine," an alternative or replacement to mainstream medicine, and "complementary medicine," which complements (completes) mainstream medicine. Sometimes, the real danger in some natural therapies is that they may keep us from getting treatment that we need.

When I was in acupuncture school, someone asked me what I would do if someone fell and broke her arm on the sidewalk outside my office. I said that first, I would call 911, then I would give her my card, so that she might come back for the kinds of treatment that I could provide, dealing with pain and stimulating healing.

Note: I am not selling anything, and I do not have control of the advertising that appears on this page.

This information is for educational purposes and not as a recommendation as a cure for any disease. It is not intended as a replacement for the services of a qualified licensed health care provider who understands your needs and individual condition.