What is your opinion on naturopathy?

Question 1
What is your opinion on naturopathy?...  What is your opinion of naturopathy?

I have been sick for about 3 months, had a slew of medical tests, and have been on about 15 different prescriptions – all with no answers.

I am considering turning to natural medicine.
There is a clinic near my house, but before I take the leap, I was wondering... What is your experience or opinion with/on natural medicine?

I have shortness of breath, I cannot take a deep (or fully satisfying) breath, I try to yawn but can never complete the yawn, my resting heart rate is always higher than it should be, I get lightheaded often, I feel a little disoriented occasionally, I wake up a lot while I sleep, I burp a lot, I was also diagnosed with Acid Reflux (but I never have heart burn)

I think I may have a hiatal hurnea?

I was tested for asthma, negative
vocal chord dysfunction, negative
cystic fibrosis, negative
had a chest x-ray, everything was fine

a doctor found a heart murmur just this past Wednesday, and I had an echocardiogram on Thursday, but have yet to get the results
Supposedly, I have a Mitral Valve Prolapse.

So tell me about your experiences. possible success stories with naturopathy.

Answers
1)   I just read about a brand new study today that came back with results proving that Echinaecia has barely any effect on the common cold at all. Shortening it's duration and severity only slightly. The amount was so small that it could be accounted for by chance. I.E. Echinaecea does not work. There is a reason naturopathy isn't medically proven. It doesn't work. (generally speaking, although some of it probably does because of pure chance and also people's observations over the centuries). Nothing can compare with the scientific method. Science doesn't know everything yet, far be it from me to claim it doesn't make mistakes and have very incomplete knowledge etc. But, that's better than the supersitious folklore of naturopathy. I'm not very against naturopathy if you have a lot of money, b/c it probably can't hurt, or can't hurt much. But, for most of us with limited funds, I decry it as a waste of money. Hope the the doctors are able to fix your body, have a good one :) - Joss Whedon is the MAN!!!

2)   The biggest problem with naturopathy is a semantic one.
Naturopaths are people who practice "natural" therapies.
"Natural" Therapies, sound good and make people want to use them and feel good about themselves for doing so.
However, what on earth are natural therapies? Turns out there isn't a clear technical definition of it.

The second problem comes from what the liscencing of the profession. Some states are set up so that naturopaths have schooling requirements to practice, and an accredidation means something in that state (ie. oregon, arizona, california), others however don't.
In the states that do, someone has to go through a fairly well done medical school, and really knows what they are doing, and a praticing "N.D." there would be someone excellent to see.
In states that don't, you can pay a couple hundred dolars, and get a diploma sent to you in the mail (strangely enough, the companies that make these are actually the principle opponents of naturopaths getting liscenced in a state, more so than the AMA). These sorts of naturopaths don't really know what they are doing, and hence can "randomly hurt people" or "not do anything that matters." On good ole quackwatch, a laundry list of naturopath victims was published (where people did stupid things like put something on a patients face that burned it off), and in every case the naturopath wasn't someone who had gone to school, and just a mail in diploma person.
I know a few natural healers that are self taught, and get good results using the "fake" ND certification who have helped a lot of people, but by and large the ND's that don't actually go to medical school should be avoided and viewed as a seperate profession.

So skipping the cons, for pros
*A lot of doctors I've met are grumpy pissed off unfriendly people who somewhat hate their life/job/themselves. However, I have never met an unhappy naturopath. It's the only medical profession where the doctors (from a patient or colleague viewpoint) are always pleasant to be around.
*Naturopaths tend to never get nasty side effects in their patients (whereas allopaths often do). This is because naturopath medicines are more "natural" which means they are lighter and less potentially damaging to the body.
*Naturopaths tend to know a lot more about the human body on a lot of different levels than most doctors.
*Some of the treatments and results they get are really cool
*The practice is being more and more popular (since naturopaths tend to be more liked by patients, and people are getting fed up with allopathys' short falls).

I'm still not sure if I want to go to medical school (so much work :|), but if I did, I would go to a naturopath college. - bikash

3)   My favourite type of medicine. Try digestive enzymes for acid reflux first to see if it is just a lack of enzymes in the diet. I use Sandra Cabot's digestive enzymes...she is a famous naturopath here in Australia. To read about enzymes for acid reflux >>>>http://www.natural-indigestion-relief.com/acid-reflux-remedies-digestive-enzymes.html

Magnesium deficiency is linked to many heart issues including mitral valve prolapse. When the body is deficient in magnesium, shortness of breath is also experienced. Magnesium and calcium work together and the best ratio found is 2:1 eg: 1000mg of calcium to 500mg of magnesium. You can see the studies about Mitral Valve Prolapse and magnesium deficiency on this link>>>http://www.ctds.info/mvp1.html#mitral_magnesium

Vitamins that cause shortness of breath>>>
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1555289/shortness_of_breath_and_vitamin_deficiency.html?cat=68 - ƦєdAиgєℓ

4)   Naturopathy is alternative medicine. Alternative medicine is only alternative because it hasn't been proved to work, or it has been proved not to work. It is in total conflict with evidence based medicine and is often described as pseudoscience and quackery. The majority of it's treatments are placebos, helped by lengthy and caring consultations; so if you think that may help, go for it.

But stay skeptical and ask for evidence of efficacy and safety - especially if you get offered herbal drugs. And if they offer homeopathy - RUN. The alternative medicine industry is riddled with scams and fraud - homeopathy is the ultimate.

Really, if proper doctors haven't found anything wrong with you, no alternative medicine practitioner will. Though they may tell you otherwise.

Red flag BS terms to be aware of:

allopathy
detox/toxins
colon cleanse
flush
miraculous
magical
suppressed by modern medicine
energy/life force energies/chi
chakras
meridians
immune boosting
studies prove
Big Pharma
testimonials
holistic

See: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alternative-medicine/SA00078 - Gary Y

5)   Daniel?.....Uh I rather think that you're gonna have more waiting to do,..I don't know where you live but I guarantee you that it has alot to do with your treatment. Your age is also a factor here, I've myself, just in the past 5 years had to learn about "the system" from age 47 to now at age 52" in so much that "waiting is all the rage"......you damn near have to die before anyone will tell you what is wrong and even then it's entirely possible that you'll get a wrong diagnosis. So unless you're a Native American who's related to a Shaman, you're not gonna get close to "Naturopathy" that's wholesome and real......."Naturopathy" isn't an understood science, in fact it isn't a science at all, it's a semi-spiritual,mis-interpreted,whitewashed,guruish,nonsensical, tub of nothing.....I have only seen one instance of Naturopathy in the native American population that was "Real" and made sense and it didn't relate to medicine except for diabetes and that drug only came from the "Juniper tree"....and only one instance from which a drug came from a tree recently that related to cancer " Taxol" which comes from the bark of a conifer from America......newly controled. Naturopathy isn't anything practiced by anyoine who "actually knows" anything about it unless you trust a chiropractor, a hands on healor like "Rieki" or a person who understands acctupressure or puncture.....that's about as close as you can get......or just begin eating a gluten free diet....I can tell you that "Diabetes" type 2...can seemingly come and go in people between the ages of 35 and 55....it sounds wierd I know.....but it happens.......I moved to Oregon from Texas 6 years ago this Feb....in November after I moved here, I had a severe episode, passed out and injurred myself badly, I was hauled to the hospital and was put in a room for 5 days and when I came to, I was told I had a heart attack,,,, then the next day, I was told I had a stroke, the day after that I was told it wasn't either of those, it was a siezure of some kind....then I was told I had "Epilepsy".....for the next 4 and a half years I had 7 more sever siezures that required hospitalization and about 200 smaller siezures and then last october I had one really bad siezure and was choppered to Portland Oregon where I was in the hospital for a week at a "Learning hospital" called OSHU.....supposedly one of the best hospitals in the country for this type of thing.......they found out that my doctors had been over medicating me for 4 and a half years.....OMG...I wanted to sue them but they made me sign a waiver. So, now my doctors understand what is going on(supposedly) and they give me my meds. one of my main problems is "severe insomnia".....stopping breathing in my sleep which makes me wake up in the middle of the night....so I have what is known as "sleep anxiety" and I take a dose of xanax for it and I sleep better at night now.........So, waiting has been a learning curve for me....the heart problem?....well, my doctor swears I still have one.....I have Diabetes too, Epilepsy for sure, Dr.Pepper habit, smoker,...I'll die one day for certain but I will never resort to Naturopathy. I live damn near in the middle of the forrest, it snows, it gets hot, it changes from day to day and hour to hour and a person can get lost in minutes,.....you could live off the land if you had to but you'd most likely die if you did because you wouldn't know what to eat and what was poisonous.....things look alot alike here...nature and all it's "pathy"....is really nonsense even if people resort to it and I've seen several examples right here in this little town. It can get serious. So, all the people who tought things like Echinacea and natural healing, herbs ( I've been guilty myself ) are fools. Medicine, when practiced right and recieved well will always work well......you just have to go to the lengths and do the waiting....I'm sorry for your situation man, you may have to do some searching but if it works, do the searching.....
Nathan. - theoregonartist

6)   Your answer won't come from someone who hasn't been to medical school and is just guessing, there's plenty of crackpots like that (take a look at RA's post to see that).

If there's an answer to your problem then it'll come from educated professionals with multi-million dollar diagnostics at their disposal.

It can be tempting to try any number of whacko treatments out there, but stick to advanced medicine, not outdated myths and old wive's tales. - dave

7)   A doctor will always have the courage to tell you that there's nothing wrong with you. He (or she) does this because he/she has your best interests at heart and it is against your interests to keep looking for and paying for something that is not there. You will get mad at the doctor and accuse him of not listening but the truth is, he did listen and he did do his best to find out what's bothering you and in the end, he found nothing is really wrong with you.

Your symptoms are vague and very very nonspecific and I fully agree with the tests that were done on you. However, since nothing was found, it's probably that. Nothing. You're as healthy as an ox but you worry too much over things that others would not give a second thought.

An alt med practitioner on the other hand will tell you anything to keep you happy and to keep you coming back. I bet that somehow, a naturopath will find something wrong and make you buy all sorts of herbs and supplements. Then you'll take them and then the placebo effect will kick in and you'll feel better because you felt like you did something even though it didn't really matter if you did or didn't.

There's nothing wrong with you but wait for the ECG results. Don't waste your money on naturopaths. - angrydoc

8)   It really sounds like your problem is a psychological one, perhaps you should be speaking of some sort of therapist. - Flizbap 2.0

9)   People like yourself would not be looking for other medical modalities if they were happy with the status quo of conventional medicine. It's not health care but rather managed disease care. Because conventional medicine fails to address the cause of health problems and merely treats symptoms, it's bound to fail.
Natural health professions such as Naturopathy study the causes and triggers of health problems and address those instead of just trying to suppress symptoms. In jurisdictions where Naturopathy is a regulated health profession only practitioners who have graduated from a comprehensive educational program and are registered with their respective governing body are legally able to use the designation "Naturopath". Same for Homeopath, Osteopath, Chiropractor, Dental Hygeinist, Registered Nurse, Physiotherapist, Registered Massage Therapist, MD, Dentist, etc.
Where professions are "unregulated" there are Professional Associations that maintain a register of members who are required to meet educational and professional standards that reflect the highest goals of that profession and it's self regulating. (eg. the Professional Association of Diving Instructors PADI is not government regulated, and you don't hear about Scuba divers dropping like flies from incompetent diving instructors killing off their students.)
Natural health practitioners usually go that route because they initially started off as satisfied customers. They were in the same boat as you at one point.
Bottom line is make sure that the practitioner you choose is registered with their respective regulatory body, whether it's a college or professional association.
Hawthorne is an herb that's used in Naturopathy and Homeopathy to regulate heartbeat. It's usually taken as a tincture. Acid reflux can be caused by not having enough stomach acid (not too little as conventional medicine would like you to believe). A Naturopath will be able to determine whether you need betaine hcl or digestive enzymes to clear up your problem. An MD would prescribe acid reducers which will just make you worse in the long run and you'll never be able to ditch the drugs.
Naturopathy is about restoring your health in a balanced way. It's not just a bandaid treatment for your symptoms. - thenoseknows


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Question 2
Why would "Big Pharma" suppress alternative medicine if it worked?...  As an example, the profit margin on homeopathy is around 10000% (10c to mix water, sugar, and less than 1 molecule of Arnica, sells for $10). While not as extreme as homeopathy, incredible profit margins also exist on detox drinks, informational products, colloidal silver, "healing magnets" and other alternative remedies.
If alternative medicine worked, why would pharmaceutical giants want to suppress it when they could simply use their economies of scale to corner the market instead of spending billions on research?

Answers
1)   To quote a famous musician/comedian

Alternative medicine is medicine that is not proven to work, or proven not to work, Do you know what they call Alternative medicine that works?.......Medicine.

Also, they suppress it so they can sell more of the drug that they have licenced.

Besides, Can you have less than one molecule of Arnica? doesn't that make it something else?

I always thought that Homeopathy was the study of hiphop artists! - The Drunken Fool

2)   Most folks do not do their homework where this is concerned. You cannot put a patent on anything that is found in nature and is in original form. ( Think regualr corn seed vs. Monsanto genetically modified seeds) It needs to be changed in order to get it patented. It is all aboout the money.... always has been, always will be. Today's doctors are trained under the shadow of the big corporations... big pharma and big insurance. Real healing is secondary to sustained healing. Sustained healing is to string along a person with drugs, rather than look for what is wrong and fix it. There are many alternative therapies that work well, but people take drugs with side affects instead. To understand, one must do their own research. As you stated, there are many Alternative therapies out there that are out for profit as well. Sifting through all the hype to find the truth is tiring, but worth it when you find what r-e-a-l-l-y works. - shortstuff

3)   Because they can't patent natural substances.
They don't spend billions on research. Watch CBC Marketplace's exposure of drug company false claims. They spend more on marketing and advertising. The research money comes from you and me in the form of donations. The drug companies have a nice racket going.
A vial of Homeopathic Arnica, enough to treat a whole city, costs five to ten dollars. Where do you get your "facts"?
For the last 3 years in Cuba they've been able to use Homeopathic prevention for an annual Leptospirosis epidemic at one tenth of the cost of conventional vaccines. It's the same lab that produced both products. The vaccine cost almost $2 million. The Homeopathic prophylaxis cost $200,000.
Big Pharma is fighting it's competition. What's so hard to understand about that? - thenoseknows

4)   When alternative medicine works, it stops being alternative medicine and becomes medicine.

Ever popped an aspirin? That was sourced from willow bark.

Hey, ever seen a stroke patient take coumadin? Coumarin is from plants, and that's how we found out about coumadin and medications like it.

And, the latest example of alternative medicine becoming medicine is lovaza. Lovaza is prescription guaranteed-quality fish oil. Nothing else, just fish oil. It's prescribed for people with high cholesterol.

When doctors and pharmaceutical companies SEE therapeutic effects in substances not yet believed to have medical applications, you can bet they jump right on them and turn them into a profitable pill.

If there were any therapeutic benefits to homeopathic remedies, they wouldn't be alternative medicine, and would become mainstream medicine being sold behind a pharmacy counter, made from regulated ingredients.

I wish people who were anti-"pharma" could realize that pharmaceutical companies aren't going to make a buck if you die from untreated illness by them selling you homeopathic 'remedies', so that's why they sell treatments that they know work: because doctors will keep prescribing and patients will keep buying because people actually get well when they take those real medications. - Z

5)   It's called moola, money, profit, the green stuff, $$$$ :) Top 10 drug companies account for more than 50% of the fortune 500 profits and they want to stay that way. - ƦєdAиgєℓ

6)   Silly old thenoseknowsnothing! 'They can't patent natural substances' indeed!

In fact it's common for synthetic derivatives to be made that are an improvement on the original, and it's also common to get patents on the methods of isolating or administering the substance.

So even if a 'Big Pharma' couldn't make money directly from a natural substance, if that natural substance were shown to be effective they could make plenty of money and get plenty kudos from developing a safer, more effective derivative. The chemotherapy drug Taxol is derived from yew, for example.

If any homeopathic or other 'alternative' remedy had proved effective, pharmaceutical companies would be all over it like a rash; they're after profits, after all.

Yes, nosey - I'm sure a vial of homeopathic whatever costs next to nothing; but that's not the cost passed on to the consumer, now is it? Take a look at the prices on the homeopathic website Rhianna linked you to the other day - no cities being treated for a mere $5 -10 there, I think you'll agree. The OP's estimate of homeopathic profit margins looks like something of an underestimate now that you've given us that information... - lo_mcg

7)   History is full of examples of "absurd ideas" becoming mainstream after provision of data demonstrating them to be factual. But there will still be some alternative ideas that fail under test conditions. Big Pharma has really nothing to do with the research on those ideas, as it will not result in profit. Research is carried out by people who want to know if the alternative ideas really have any merits at all - despite their biological implausibility. And it is often (mostly?) funded by the public. There is a lot of "non-Big Pharma" research on homeopathy etc. showing conclusively that it performs no better than placebo.

Edit:
Rhianna is right, and Nosey herself gave another example of a patented homeopathic remedy the other day: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An0sOTag_lEWvnqXMMQvJ7Mb53NG;_ylv=3?qid=20101215021024AAJ6qCJ - JLI

8)   Exactly,

And Nosey is just wrong.

You can patent natural products- even homeopathy...if it worked. We went through this with you very recently.

"For the last 3 years in Cuba they've been able to use Homeopathic prevention for an annual Leptospirosis epidemic at one tenth of the cost of conventional vaccines. It's the same lab that produced both products. The vaccine cost almost $2 million. The Homeopathic prophylaxis cost $200,000."

Er...no. Orac covered this recently: http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/11/homeopathy_in_cuba.php

Fail. - Rhianna does Medicine Year 1

9)   You can't patent nature. Pharma are just looking after their interests and discrediting alternative medicine.

Edit: Oh Rhianna is back. Whats the bet her "alter ego" with a beak will reappear to?

I saw Charley at this lunar eclipse watching thing last night Rhianna. He still hasn't worked out who I am. Shall I put him out of his misery? - Sally


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Question 3
My cholestoral is always on the increase, what is the natural way of reducing it? ONLY NATURAL, pls?...  

Answers
1)   cheerios oat circle cereal -- use skim milk only less eggs less cheese, see a dietician - xq

2)   If you eat a half teaspoon of cinnamon every day, it significantly reduces the level of blood sugar in those with type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon can also reduce LDL cholesterol.

Also, alfalfa, apple, barley grass, bilberry, black walnut, cacao, carob, celery, chicory, coconut, dandelion, evening primrose, fenugreek, flax, fo-ti root, garlic, ginger, grapes, hawthorn, jiaogulan, milk thistle, motherwort, oats, psyllium, pumpkin seed, rooibos, rosemary, tea, turmeric, and yucca are all used for cholesterol control. - Alicia

3)   Try a low fat diet. Avoid all partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, use a minimum amount of dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, etc.). These maneuvers should reduce your cholesterol drastically. - JOHN M

4)   my husband bought me a book called the natural presciption to good health....
all natural herbs and supplements to help anything...

to lower cholesterol;

apple pectin; as directed on lable.
calcium; as directed on labe.
chinese red yeast rice extract; 2.4 grams daily
chronium picolinate 400-600 mcg daily
coenzyme q10 ; 60 mg a day
conezyme a ; a directed on lable
fiber, oat bran, or guar gum; as directed on lable.
garlic; 2 capsules 3 times daily
flax seed; milled flax seed, 2 tablespoons a day. mix it in cereal in the morning, mix it in hot chocloate....
articoke extract; as directed on lable.
lecithin granules or capsules; 1,200 mgs 3 times a day before meals.

there are others.... but;


i would pick... the flax seed, and a fiber supplement to try first.... and a healthy diet, and exercise, they say you should consume about 21 grams of fiber a day, comming from fruits and veggies.

good luck and godbless. - sparkle <3

5)   Cholesterol increases for a reason as it is protective and rises due to toxins, stress and imbalances in the body. A common cause is a thyroid imbalance. See this video for more information>>>

Your Cholesterol is NOT Killing You! >>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEhAcxhYEaQ - ƦєdAиgєℓ

6)   Cholesterol is produced by the liver in response to something, often taking in too much calcium, excessive alcohol consumption, taking prescription drugs, a diet too high in processed foods. If you address the cause the problem will reverse. Losing weight does the trick for lots of people (same for high blood pressure).
Check out the articles at Mercola.com and Natural News for background information and solutions. You can also see a professional Homeopath or Naturopath. - thenoseknows

7)   oatmeal - Winters child


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Question 4
is there anything online i can buy online ( that isnt a ripoff) that can get me high?...  

Answers
1)   A bible. - Robert

2)   salvia - Edi

3)   Airplane ticket?





Well, you asked. - The Impossible Cube 2

4)   Try a ladder. - Give Blood

5)   Why would you want to get high anyway? - Alicia


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Question 5
where to buy homeopathic medicine in washington state?...  hi i need to find some place or a web page where i can found homeopathic medicine in drops not in globules because i need them in liquid.thanks for your help

Answers
1)   Homeopathic 'medicine' is water, nothing else.

Try any store for cheap bottled water by the gallon. - dave

2)   Your tap has homeopathic medicine for almost no money at all! Just open up the tap, pour a glass and give it a few shakes and taps, drink it, and see if you feel better.

If you don't, congratulations, homeopathy doesn't work for you because it doesn't work for anyone except via placebo effect. You can then proceed to see a real doctor to treat your condition. - Z

3)   Try in "Whole Foods". In New York we get there. By the way why do you need specifically in liquid? Yes it will be more in quantity than in globules but be sure to take only one drop a dose and not more. It goes without saying that it should be in potency and not as mother tincture. - gamya

4)   ABC Homeopathy is one of the most frequently used websites. You can make your own medicinal solutions in spring water bottles: pour out all but 4oz, put in one pellet without touching it, let it dissolve for about 10 minutes, then take 1 tsp.
Here's a great informational website on methodology from one of the world's best Homeopathic doctors:
http://www.drluc.com/general-articles.htm - thenoseknows


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