Pseudoscience/sham cancer treatments

[McQ]

Yeah, not all herbs are shit. Sometimes it's better for your immune system if you use herbs, instead of overloading on man-made chemicals. Not as many side effects.

Not always true. There is a need for clarification in this whole thread as to definitions of herbs, chemicals, natural vs. synthetic. "All-natural" doesn't mean "no side effects" or necessarily that something is safe. Arsenic is all-natural. Herbs can do things for the body, but there's nothing miraculous or paranormal about that. They do contain chemicals. Man-made chemicals often are simply derivitives of plants or animal "chemicals" (hormones, proteins, etc.).

So while some herbs can do things for your body that are good, they can also cause harm. Eat some belladonna, or drink some hemlock and find out (no, please don't actually do that! Just an example of killer plants).

[Big Mac]

Not to mention you could also have an "all-natural" allergic reaction to it.

[silviakjell]

mmm hemlock. my favorite. tastes best with some salt.

I never said that all herbs are safe. I'm just saying that some herbs can cure minor health problems. I'm not saying use herbs to treat cancer,  HIV or some type of lethal disease. That would be stupid.

[Big Mac]

Eh, they could have a minor role in boosting the immune system for those ailments, but nothing beats Western Medicine.

Isn't it a little late for you, kid? Well I suppose it's still summer.

[silviakjell]

Late for what?

[Big Mac]

Late for what?

Late at night, it's almost 1 AM over here, I'm just surprised because you've stated you're 13.

[silviakjell]

Ohhh. Right now I'm in China. reverse time thingy you know? and i don't know the GMT time or whatever in NJ so i just picked a random one. right now in NJ it is opposite the time in ShangHai. Which one should it be?

[Big Mac]

My mistake, I also assumed you were a male. Again I must have mistaken you for someone else.

[McQ]

mmm hemlock. my favorite. tastes best with some salt.

I never said that all herbs are safe. I'm just saying that some herbs can cure minor health problems. I'm not saying use herbs to treat cancer,  HIV or some type of lethal disease. That would be stupid.

Not necessarily. This is where we get into trouble, when we don't define the terms we're talking about. Herbs are plants. Plants, like all life, have chemicals in them. Some chemicals do things for the body, others, not so much.
The European and Pacific Yew Trees are used to make a drug called Taxol (in the U.S.). It is in the Taxane class of drugs used to treat various types of cancer. So, some plants, you see, can treat cancer. Things are not always so simple as they seem. :-)

[silviakjell]

Alright, alright!

but still, what time region should i pick? i think i chose the wrong one.

[Big Mac]

There's a Traditional College of Chinese Medicine (Acupunture and Herbal Pharmacy) right outside my apartment complex. I'm tempted to go in there and be "amazed" by it.....

[imrational]

There are many problems with herbal therapies.  In a NCCAM-funded study of ginseng products, they found  most contained less than 1/2 the amount of ginseng listed on the labels.

One study analyzed 59 preparations of echinacea, half did not contain the species listed on the label.

It might work, but not in the way thought. i.e. side effects.
Ginseng can increase caffeine effects, lower blood sugar levels, interact  with the diabetic medication glyburide & several others?
Ginkgo, taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs, can potentiate bleeding.
St. John’s Wort may cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness, GI upset, fatigue, Heachache, and/or sexual dysfunction.

The worst example of "healthy herbs"?!?  Echinacea.  It is the number 1 selling herbal remedy in America and people really don't know about it.  Originally thought to be beneficial for the immune system because test subjects' white blood cell counts went up after they took it.  However, later research showed that these white blood cells (WBCs) were malformed.  Were these WBCs still effective?
No.  Studies indicate that echinacea does not appear to prevent colds or other infections and does not shorten course of colds or flu.

It has been shown to DECREASE WBCs when taken long term.
Echinacea is ACTIVELY HARMFUL and not beneficial!!!!!

[Squid]

I did a research proposal about a year ago for a study of ginkgo biloba.  Many of the studies I referenced for my literature review had found that store bought supplements did not have the amount of the ingredient it said it did.  Most people are getting ripped off for a placebo effect.

[imrational]

Furthermore, there are a lot of people who go into National Parks and Forests and raid the landscape for products to sell.  Example:  Slippery Elms are being DESTROYED as people rip their bark off to sell to naturalists.  There's this illusion that natural herbs are better for the environment... but enthusiasts are proving the opposite.

[Big Mac]

Idiocy at possibly its highest level of refinement. I love how these people will also rip on Western Medicine saying how barbaric it is. I wish these morons would be sterilized.