Author Topic: Are natural remedies vs big pharma  (Read 11736 times)

paulm

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Are natural remedies vs big pharma
« on: January 22, 2017, 09:00:43 pm »
Hello Everyone. Many people often want to take a more natural way to good mental health and I'm all for that. What I can't seem to get people to believe is that we have to be very careful when buying items like St John's Wort(a naturally occurring anti depressant). A number of yrs ago, a very large company got caught selling St John's wort without any St John's Wort in it to both small health food stores and to large box stores. I cannot name that company as I cannot find the article(s) that I read about. They paid a fine and went on their way. It seems that rather than curbing the problem, the fine was just a license to do business.

Please read the following exerts :

 If you’re picking up your ginseng or St. John’s Wort at Walmart, you may not be getting what you pay for. A recent investigation by the New York attorney general’s office found that many of the store-brand herbal supplements sold at Walmart, Target, Walgreen’s, and GNC didn’t contain any DNA from the plants listed on the label. Walmart was the worst offender of the bunch, with only 4% of products testing positive for the labeled ingredients. Its ginkgo biloba supplements were actually powdered radish, houseplants, and wheat, the New York Times reported. source http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/0...etailers/?_r=2   Cease and desist orders have been issued to the above companies.

Worse still some of the fillers were known to cause alergies. (wheat, legumes)

According to the Washington Post : In the past five years, tainted supplements have been associated with kidney failure, hepatitis and other problems.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-fake-herbals/ That article also contains a link to a Canadian study done in 2013 that showed :

"Of 44 herbal supplements tested, one-third showed outright substitution, meaning there was no trace of the plant advertised on the bottle — only another plant in its place."

From what I have read over the yrs it is the lack if regulation and of course greed that has lead to problems like this in this industry. Are small health food stores any better? I don't know. I know that when I ran a small retail store(not a health food store) The same salesman called on me that called on Wal Mart as there are only so many suppliers of certain items. These salesman would often even offer to have a well known box store product packaged and sold under the name of my store if I agreed to buy a certain minimum.

Just so you know I do take some supplements and vitamins. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to be asking some pointed questions the next time I pick those items up. Take Care. paul m



Peace

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Re: Are natural remedies vs big pharma
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2017, 06:24:44 am »
Thanks for keeping us so well informed!

I'll mention this to my sister, who purchases store brand gluconate sulfate, and my daughter who takes a variety of supplements due to her vegan diet.

Stenacron man

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Re: Are natural remedies vs big pharma
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2017, 07:05:41 pm »
I can't believe I am actually saying this but I trust the big pharmaceutical machine more.


I just saw on 60 minutes about 3 weeks ago about counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs. Some are even RRSI's and antipsychotics and even lithium. People are dying from the poisonous compounds in the fakes. Here is a video if I load it right. It is not the 60 minute piece I saw but is basically the same.  So far there has only been one fatality in north America. NEVER EVER, buy medication online PERIOD..If the price is to good to be true it is likely a fake.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNrRnD37ik



Buddy mack.

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Re: Are natural remedies vs big pharma
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2017, 10:39:25 pm »
Welcome Stenacron Man,

I agree with you that I would never buy prescription drugs on line. I have a very good pharmacist that I deal with. She gives me advice on the prescription drugs I am on and new ones that the doctor has prescribed. My pharmacist will answer my questions on the phone or in person. I speak to her about medical treatments, etc. She is a real people person and is there to help.
I also am on some vitamins. They were recommended by my doctor.
I always check with my pharmacist if my drugs will interact with each other. I must say that the pharmacist knows more about drugs than some doctors.

Dragonfly

Stenacron man

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Re: Are natural remedies vs big pharma
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2017, 12:33:44 am »
Thanks for the welcome. :D

Me to

I love my pharmacy they take such great care of me.


Buddy Mack.