Does anyone know anything about natural herbal remedies vs prescription medications?

Question

I have gone to a couple of chiropractors who both are into body building and both prescribed me natural supplements to take the place of my prescription medicines, such as Zoloft & Vytorin for cholesterol. In place of the Zoloft they said St. John's Wart and instead of the Vytorin it was some kind of fruit pectin something. They said that the pharmaceutical companies take the natural herbs and strip them down to make the prescription medicines. Is this true???

Answer 1

Yes, actually it is. They also remove the fiber and create chains of proteins and other various forms to make their pills. For instance, Willow Bark was originally found to cure headaches and minor fevers, which has now become our familiar "Aspirin". If you have high cholesterol, your aim should be to eliminate meat and dairy from your diet as much as possible since both of these are animal products and contain high amounts of indigestible cholesterol. These cholesterols that you are consuming through your diet are not created by your liver and therefor are like foreign substances in your body. Instead of getting rid of it, your body tends to store them and that causes a high cholesterol problem for your body to cope with that it isn't prepared to.

Hope this helps. As for the Zoloft and St. John's Wort, there is some discrepancy in treatments and how they are administered that are being questioned. Though St. John's does have the capability to reduce depression and mood swings, it can be rather controversial in that it can also create other symptoms. This was taken from the hyperlink below:

"St. John's Wort should not be used by patients taking antidepressant drugs. Combining the two could potentize the affects of each. ..." http://www.advance-health.com/stjohnswort.html

Though you are not taking a combination of these types of drugs together, I would still suggest being very careful in regards to taking the two drugs that you are taking together and use caution when taking any substance that you are unfamiliar with. I truly believe in alternative medicines, but remember, just because it is herbal, it doesn't mean that it is harmless. Herbal remedies can be overdone very quickly, it usually only takes a small amount to get the benefits from herbal sources.

If you want to alter your diet to help aid your body in healing itself, you might want to consider a Macrobiotic Diet, or simply a well-balanced Vegan diet. Both of these diets will help your body to heal naturally and rid yourself of high cholesterol and depression. The body responds very quickly to dietary changes and you'll notice the difference within a few days of altering your diet. I changed my diet to Vegan and my cholesterol went from 250 to 130 over a period of 6 months. I have also used the wisdom from the Macrobiotic Diet and lost 56 pounds and dropped my requirement for insulin from 125 units a day to 30 units a day. I recommend both of the diets very highly. I wish you the best of luck, my friend!

Answer 2

hehe I hope your husband is as light-hearted about this as you! Unfortunately the herbal remedies will only help in sexual reproductive health and stimulation, not 'growth'. I can suggest some herbs that may be a good idea for those purposes. It may help if you take something to make you more receptive to any and all sensations, whatever the source. ;) Avena Sativa-Enhance sensitivity in pelvic area. Also a relaxant. Ginkgo Biloba-Increases energy (stamina), increases bloodflow to the pelvic area and the rest of the body and is a mood lifter. (Can also substitute Indian Ginseng which does the same) Schisandra-Also increases bloodflow to the sex organs. Most important thing to do is make sure you aren't taking any meds if you decide to use herbs. There are some that don't work well with others. Also if you have allergies, make sure you know what family the herbs are from! My favorite way to use herbs are tinctures, but you can also grind them and make capsules. As for other remedies, try finding alternate ways in 'connecting' and pleasing one another. :) Ultimately you already realize it is a spiritual union between you and your husband, so once you've 'united' perhaps you can break away and show him different ways of getting to the 'promise land'. lol Good luck and be blessed!

Answer 3

There are several reasons that the statement made by your practitioner is a gross simplification at best and a malpractice case at worst.

First, it is true that many medications, prescription and otherwise, were initially based on herbal extracts, and that some still are. Aspirin is a famous example, having been initially based on white willow bark. (It is now synthesized in the lab). Digoxin is based on digitalis; the examples go on and on. However, Zoloft is NOT derived from St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and never was. And though I am not truly certain, I can say with some confidence that Vytorin is not derived from fruit pectin! Vytorin is actually two drugs: ezetimibe and simvastatin. And statins are not exactly fruit-pectin-derived.

The idea of an herb-for-medication switch moves somewhat counter to the spirit of herbal medicine in any case. The idea is to prevent disease and support the body, not stage a hostile takeover of the pharmaceutical industry. Those dime-store herbals you so often see - hawthorn for digoxin! Ragweed for Advair! St. John’s for Zoloft! – aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

Having answered that question, I have to pose another - what training does your chiropractor have in herbs and herbal medicine (isn’t he a bone and muscle kind of guy)? Anyone whose goal it is to take you off of a mood-altering pharmaceutical is someone to keep an eye on. Going off of an SSRI is an undertaking that must be done with a certain degree of deliberation on your part. It is very difficult, and St. John’s, though it has similar action to SSRIs, cannot simply be ‘swapped’ for your Zoloft. For one thing, it’s less powerful. I certainly hope he didn’t just take you off of the Zoloft without reducing the dose first? That can make you very ill.

This is the issue with herbs and herbal medicine – it’s difficult to tell who’s qualified and who isn’t. But you have good instincts! That statement sounded strange to you, and so you investigated. Good on you! There are ways to find people who are actually competent with herbs. There is an official organization in the U.S. called the AHG – that’s the American Herbalists Guild. Qualifications for certification include a certain number of clinic hours (measured in years) as well as an examination in front of their board. Anybody officially certified by their board is bound to be at least well-educated in the field.

I hope this hasn’t turned you off of herbs and alternative medicine! Let your chiropractor work on your back and get an herbalist or nutritionist to talk to you about herbs and supplements, respectively.

Answer 4

be careful, St John's wort is used as a first line medication in europe for depression, but that doesn't mean it is always effective, in fact it often is not. If the zoloft works stick with it. I've taken both, and I know, St John's wort doesn't always work. And while some drugs are indeed refined from plant matireal, not all of them are, by a very long shot.
Zocor and Lipitor are not made from plant matiereals at all, they are produced from chemistry and enzyme science. So, while I am a proponent of combining medicine and alternative therapies, I would not be too quick to follow the suggestions of a chiropractor who has not gone to medical school and should not be prescribing anyway.

Answer 5

both can be necessary sometimes and both can harm the body if not taken properly. The problem with Prescription drugs is that they try to eliminate the symptoms, rather than addressing the problem. the symptoms will keep coming back if the problem isn't taken care of. With natural herbal remedies, they are trying to work in harmony with your body and are not trying to replace our bodily functions. They're trying to work together, and create balance. They;re not something you become dependant upon such as prescription drugs. They support our bodies natural functions (not replace them as some prescriptions do) and encourage healing. Usually with prescription drugs, the symptoms may disappear quickly but they are harming the surrounding organs. (I was taking an antibiotic to kill an infection..and while it worked, it gave me a rash and severe stomach pains as it killed the good bacteria in my stomach as well) If the root of the problem is not known, then herbs alone cannot cure you. herbs taken in excess can lead to problems. natural does not always mean safe...but I believe it is the way to go.

Answer 6

Most pharm drugs come from natural sources. But they are under they highest scrutiny for quality, and they also know exactly what is in the dose and how much. Herbal supplements cannot say that. They are not as heavily researched or have the same quality control. Remember chiropractors are not MD's, they are not qualified to make professional decisions on medications (only personal opinions). Talk to your doctor if you want the best source of information.

Answer 7

First of all: ZOLOFT SHOULD NEVER BE STOPPED ABRUPTLY! It goes beyond irresponsible for anyone to suggest this, regardless of their standing in the world of heatlh care. Second of all, St. John's Wart should not be used together with Zoloft, so weaning with St. John's wart is not an option.

My experience is primarily in Chinese herbs (I am a third year student of Traditional Chinese Medicine). I am typically quick to question the safety of many western pharmaceuticals. However, I can say that what these chiropractors are doing is really shady and irresponsible. If anything, they should be working with your MDs to provide quality comprehensive care. It is not within their scope of practice to recommend that you get off of your western meds, and not within their scope of training to prescribe herbs (unless they have had further training outside of chiropractic).


If you are concerned about the western drugs that you are taking but want to continue being treated by chiropractors, or are unsure about your medications you should:
1. Find an MD who is open to other forms of health care and get a second opinion on your meds.
2. Ditch your current chiropractors and find someone who is more responsible.
3. Make sure your chiropractor and MD have the same medical records for you. There needs to be continuity of care.
4. Inform yourself. Many western drugs and some herbs can be dangerous, even if used correctly. Be involved in your own health care. Insure that the people treating you are qualified. Ask them questions about your treatment. There are also many books on western medications and western and eastern herbs. Many peer-reviewed journals also have articles or abstracts available online.

I wish you good luck and good health!

Answer 8

Drug makers create a synthetic version of natural substances so they can patent it and make money.
St. John's Wort has been proven to be much more effective than Prozac.

Answer 9

What I do know of Zoloft and Vytorin are not possitive. Most medications are poisoning your body. The chiropractors are right to tell you that. This is the info I know on those medications. (check sources) I hope it helps.

Answer 10

Yes it is true.

Very often they are stripping down the natural stuff so much that they don't work nearly as well as the 'real' thing. i.e. the natural stuff.
They are then adding chemicls to what they have left, which in nature just would not be there.