Why does the FDA seem so afraid of natural remedies?

Question

They always seem to downplay anything natural. As if there is no way it could possibly work. They say there is no scientific evidence but yet they also say that certain products have not been evaluated by the FDA. So answer this: How do they know that there is no scientific evidence if the product has not been evaluated? And yet these harmful drugs are advertised on TV as if we have to take them or something! You cannot watch a football game without someone telling you how to enlarge you penis! "Take this for Herpies!" I don't have herpies! Then they say it doesn't cure herpies! well what does it do? "Side effects may include sudden death!"

Regina Wrong answer! The Japanese and Chinese live longer than we do and they base alot of their medications on herbs ect. We won't even test to see if they work! Did you ever think about surgery? I mean it did not exist back then either! Thats hogwash I don't think your answer explains Jack! FDA=$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Answer 1

Because many natural remedies are bunk, sorry to say. "Natural" companies want your money too. How many advertisements for "herbal and natural" penis enlargement, breast enlargement, weight loss, etc. do you need to see? Have you seen the law suits from those who were ripped off? And thus why those adds were pulled off the air? They simply don't work, and since they are not regulated and purified, they may even put people's lives at risk. How many times have you seen a "natual" product say "no side effects"?

Well, if a product is to actually have any kind of benefit, side effects are a potential risk.

I'm not a fan of Big Pharma pushing drugs. But what some "natural" companies are doing is no better. If natural cures are so good, why did so many people die prior to modern medicine. When you get people claiming that you can cure all kinds of fatal and serious diseases with a simple herb (and zero proof or results), they have gone too far.

There are risks to any treatment if it actually works. If alternative medicine wants to be supported, then those companies must prove their product works and is safe like everyone else. The FDA is not a fan because a) most companies who produce natural products are not marketing them as a drug, and b) they sometimes have little evidence to back up their claims. The FDA only approves substances that have gone through Phase 3 trials.

There are published medical reports about the success of some dietary substances such as Omega 3 essential fatty acid. That is proven. It's the bogus "cure all" herbal products that you need to watch out for.

EDIT: No YOU'RE mistaken. The Chinese and Japanese have a MUCH healthier diet and lifestyle than Western people. They also have genetic protection from many diseases and seem to genetically tend to live longer. When it comes to certain non-preventable diseases that require Western medicine, those people die SOONER, because they refuse medical care. The "weak" and sick Asian people are weeded out of the gene pool, because they do not use Western medicine. So you have an overall healthier population. Combine this with the other info I gave, and you can see why Asians are generally healthier, provided they do not follow a Western diet. You are just as brainwashed by "alternative medicine" ironically. Why not go ahead and buy those $100 penis enlargement pills? When you have cancer, make sure you take vitamins, heaven forbid you see a doctor for cancer treatment.

I'm not saying we should become a nation of pill poppers, but if you need Western medicine to survive, your choices are take it or die. Alternative medicine cannot and will not be a soultion to everything. That is why most people who had health conditions died and were weeded out of the gene pool prior to modern medicine. Should we revert back to that? I don't know...but the bottom line is that there is a place for Western and a place for alternative medicine. Alternative medicine cannot cure everything, and sometimes it helps nothing. I am not against "natual remedies". I AM against people who are so brainwashed that they use natural remedies and let their children die of a 100% treatable with Western medicine disease.

Answer 2

fda afraid natural remedies

Answer 3

Money, Money and more Money...Doctors wont get kick backs from drug companies for telling you to eat better, take natural herbs and research natural cures.

Of course the movement says they haven't researched natural remedies so they wont approve them. Even though people have been using them since the beginning of time.

Answer 4

This is an excellent book I'll recommend:

Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau

Answer 5

Because if we all used natural remedies we would actually get well and wouldn't need the drugs they endorse. This would put the large, money machines (drug companies) out of business - and we certainly can't have THAT, can we?!

Answer 6

You can't patent a natural substance, so the profitability of such products to the large drug companies is considered to be very low. With modern GM genetic modification, and with legalized patenting of life itself, it can be profitable again, but at terrible potential safety risk to the consumer.

Same goes for illegal drugs....you can't patent marijuana, but you can patent many different kinds of barbituates, opiates simply by modifying their chemical structure slightly and then claiming its "new".

Answer 7

cause they can't patent natural products...and if you can't patent something you can't make money off it. Want to watch something so scary it will make you think twice about what you put into you?? Watch the documentary "future of food". Then maybe you'll see what all the fuss is about

Answer 8

They play down natural remides because know one makes any money if we don't buy the junk pills they are selling, they get paid off, welcome to the real world. An excellent book on this is called ( kin of tort's ) by john grishem, he tells it all.

Answer 9

"Cause there ain't no money in it."
Yes I know that's a double negative but it had to be said.

Answer 10

I went to three Homeopathic medical shops in Hyderabad India. From each I purchased Nuxvomica 30 x tincture , one oz. I compared their color and taste. Three colors,three tastes. The bottles were manually sealed. No date of manufacture , no date of expiry. Calcaria carb cures joint pains. But if a person having no complaints swallows calcareacarb , he will not get joint pains as homeopaths want us to believe.
I purchased an Ayurvedic medicine Swarnabhasma lehyam = gold oxide in honey. Sealed bottle . Date of manufacturing printed. Use before five years also is printed. Contains 2 gms of gold also printed. One gram of gold costs Rs 900 =American $20. But the cost of bottle in retail is Rs 600.= $ 13.3