| I was thinking about the quarrel (well, fight | | | | and Drug Companies grew tighter and tighter, |
| to the death, actually) between conventional | | | | as time went by, mainly because they depended |
| medicine and alternatives like herbal or | | | | so much on one another. This further |
| holistic medicine. So, I did some research to | | | | estranged them from Herbal and Alternative |
| see if I could figure out what's the big beef | | | | healing approaches. Alternative and herbal |
| between these to approaches to healing. I | | | | treatments, since then, have been generally |
| always believed that herbal medicine | | | | limited to American Natives who had been |
| pre-dated conventional medicine by thousands | | | | using them for a couple hundred years and |
| of years. It turns out that it doesn't, not | | | | small town doctors who were open minded |
| by THOUSANDS, anyway! Conventional medicine | | | | enough to learn such arts from them. |
| appears to be younger than herbal medicine by | | | | |
| only about 1,100 years. | | | | I'm reminded of the TV series "Dr. Quinn |
| | | | Medicine Woman". Glamorous as the series |
| Here's what I was able to turn up: The first | | | | made the frontier practice of medicine look, |
| text known to deal with health and healing is | | | | it was largely accurate and, as it turns out, |
| "The Vedas" and is attributed to a fellow in | | | | there actually WAS a Dr. Quinn who practiced |
| India by the name of "Srila Vyasadeva" around | | | | around the 1870s in the territory now known |
| 1500 BC. It details the first known uses of | | | | as the State of Colorado. |
| herbs and Yoga for the treatment of ailments. | | | | |
| These books are, roughly, the equivalent of | | | | For western approaches to medicine, this was |
| Christianity's Bible in that it is a founding | | | | roughly the time period when the rift between |
| religious text, only in this case, for | | | | Conventional and Holistic Medicine began. The |
| Hinduism. This text is believed to be the | | | | whole conflict was about Money and Power! |
| foundation of all medical practice that | | | | Surprised? The United States is among the |
| followed. | | | | most wonderful (meaning "Full with Wonder") |
| | | | places on earth! I've seen a lot of it and I |
| The father of conventional western style | | | | can testify to that! HOWEVER, we have made a |
| medicine is largely believed to be | | | | few mistakes along the way, kind of like me |
| Hippocrates who developed and formally taught | | | | personally (but that's a story for another |
| the foundation of modern western medicine. He | | | | day). |
| wrote the "Hippocratic Oath" which is still | | | | |
| widely used today. He did the bulk of his | | | | I believe this is one of the mistakes we made |
| work around 400 BC in Greece. No big surprise | | | | as a culture, this conflict between |
| there, you probably already knew that. | | | | Conventional Medicine and Alternative or |
| | | | Holistic Medicine. I've actualized, |
| Around that same era, the first practice of | | | | personally, the benefits of both and it kind |
| herbal medicine in China is believed to have | | | | of distresses me that, on a purely political |
| been developed by a man named Shennong, who | | | | level, they simply will NOT work together! On |
| practiced and taught herbal medicine during | | | | a purely medical level they are positively |
| the Han Dynasty around 200 BC. Shennong's | | | | meant for one another! |
| text, "Bencao Jing" is believed to be the | | | | |
| first Chinese herbal medical text. However | | | | All you have to do to get what I mean is to |
| the Ayurvedic Medicine, developed in India | | | | go to a drug store in Canada or Mexico, or |
| over a century before, is believed to be the | | | | for that matter, just about any other country |
| foundation of all medicine that followed | | | | outside the US. Notice what remedies for |
| including Chinese, Native American, Aztec and | | | | common ailments they have on their shelves. |
| Greek approaches. | | | | Almost all of them are herb-based |
| | | | preparations! |
| All of these approaches to healing seem to | | | | |
| have co-existed peacefully up until around | | | | Most common ailments will respond well to |
| 1860 here in the United States when the Food | | | | Alternative or Holistic treatments and most |
| & Drug Administration (FDA) was formed to | | | | of those treatments have minor, or no, |
| regulate the safety of medicine in response | | | | measurable side effects. On the other hand if |
| to early "Snake Oil" remedies that either did | | | | you need to lose weight, for example, and you |
| not work or were believed to be causing | | | | are willing to put up with significant side |
| illnesses. | | | | effects like, QUOTE "An increased need for |
| | | | bowel movements combined with a decreased |
| The 2 most famous of these "Snake Oils" | | | | ability to control them", then by all means |
| survive today. We call them Coca-Cola, which | | | | get your doctor to prescribe "Meridian" for |
| up until the early 1950s contained | | | | you. You may "soil" your pants at inopportune |
| concentrations of cocaine, and Dr. Pepper | | | | moments, but you'll look FABULOUS doing so! |
| with its 23 "Flavors". The 3 numbers on the | | | | |
| label of Dr. Pepper products produced up | | | | My point is this: For catastrophic illness, |
| until the early 1980s referred to the times | | | | Conventional Medicine has no equal! |
| of day the remedy should be taken. | | | | Conventional Medicine is rude and intrusive |
| | | | to your system and sometimes that's what is |
| It was around that time that Natural or | | | | medically called for. In those situations, my |
| Holistic approaches to healing began to fall | | | | advice for what it's worth is; Don't settle |
| out of favor with the medical establishment | | | | for anything less! But for common ailments, |
| that grew out of the American Medical | | | | nothing can beat Alternative Holistic |
| Association (AMA), which was founded in the | | | | Medicine. It's, comparatively, kind to your |
| late 1840s and the FDA. Herbal healing was | | | | system, carries few side effects and is |
| lumped together with the infamous "Snake | | | | consummately effective. |
| Oils" of the wild and wooly 1800s and | | | | |
| therefore pushed out of mainstream medical | | | | Don't be caught up in the politics of medical |
| practice as voodoo medicine. | | | | care. Your health is WAY too important to be |
| | | | left to such political rivalry. By all means, |
| At about he same time, drug companies were | | | | consult with your primary care Physician |
| beginning to spring up to provide doctors and | | | | about ALL of your health concerns and make |
| nurses with medications and preparations to | | | | sure he, or she, knows what you're doing, but |
| cure a wide range of illnesses and gave us | | | | trust Nature to help your system heal itself |
| such wonder drugs as Quinine, Aspirin and | | | | when it can and trust your Doctor when it |
| Penicillin, all three of which are still | | | | can't! |
| widely used because they're just that good at | | | | |
| what they do and have comparatively minor, to | | | | For more information about Alternative and |
| no, side effects. | | | | Holistic medical remedies for common |
| | | | ailments, please visit It's for your own |
| The relationships between the AMA, the FDA | | | | good! |