i’ve been thinking about how people approach health when they’re feeling unwell. some folks prefer to go to a doctor or use pharmaceutical medicine from the pharmacy, while others choose herbal remedies or alternative treatments. personally, i prefer using herbal remedies because i believe that all the ingredients in pharmaceutical medicines ultimately come from nature, and we can find those remedies ourselves in plants. what about you?
edit: cmon guys it’s not about the traditional vs modern treatment. just wanna know other’s opinion about this…
Do you know what we call herbal medicine that works? Medicine.
That said if I want low impact results for a low impact illness, think sore throat, I wot go to the GP, I’ll drink hot drinks
Good old Tim Minchin. For the uninitiated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIWj3tI-DXg
Lots of things from nature are not going to be good for you simply by being natural. And most medications come from studying the effects of things found in nature on biology.
I’ll use treatments and medications that have studies backing their health impact. Occasionally those may be herbal supplements for better nutrition, but most herbal remedies that we know actually work are just a less effective form of the refined medications and treatments that have been developed. If the medication or conventional treatment is readily available, I would pick that first
And “alternative treatments” are nearly always complete bunk.
What do you call alternative medicine that works? Medicine.
That’s tautological thinking and similar to a no true scotsman, language doesn’t contain facts like that.
It’s a reference to a bit from a comedy show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIWj3tI-DXg
The tautology is part of the bit.
even if it’s just a little headache?
Well I just suffer through it if it’s just a little headache. I’d rather not use any medication unless it’s actually hindering my ability to be productive.
The majority of the time, a headache like that is caused by not drinking enough water in the first place, and that’s always a better place to start
I’m in the UK where we’ve got the NHS and cheap medicine, so that might be why I’m hard on the “just give me the medicine” side of things.
I can’t think of any situation when I’d pick an alternative herbal medicine over the medical solution from a chemist if I actually had a problem I wanted to resolve.
True can confirm. It appears like a cultural barrier to me when I read about Americans trusting a tiktoker for their medications that (a month later) turns out to have no FDA verification and no overseas certification either. Its literally only the person making it knows what’s in it situation.
You know what they call alternative medicine that works? Medicine.
I only use herbal medicine if I know that what I have is not serious, it’s something that would go away on itself, and I just want to relieve the symptoms.
examples
Symptom Herb Why I probably got this way Upset stomach peppermint greasy food Intestinal cramps star anise, turmeric either beans or peanuts Migraine ginger biological clock went nuts again Hangover yerba mate see that half-empty bottle of vodka? Common cold ginger, lemon leaves, honey Every single spring I get a cold. I do it because I prefer milder approaches for mild issues, but the efficacy of this sort of herbal med is fairly limited.
Isn’t that just basic knowledge of your own body? Like if I eat beans I’ll have a gaseous stool etc.
I mean don’t we all drink some tea when the throat is sore? Avoid coffee if we have stomach problems and so on?
I sure do take medication when I’m sick, but I also try to alleviate the suffering with ordinary things (“natural” if you want), like chocolate when I have the flu because it’s depressing or rice when I have a diarrhea.
I feel OP are fishing for something else though like “modern medicine bad/big pharma bad” or am I wrong here?
Isn’t that just basic knowledge of your own body? Like if I eat beans I’ll have a gaseous stool etc.
It is. And even chimps do it to a certain degree.
I feel OP are fishing for something else though like “modern medicine bad/big pharma bad”
no, not really tbh. i also take their meds when it gets to serious issues.
i also got a list like this in my notebook!
Prefer nothing but if I do need something I always go for conventional. If it’s bad enough that I need medicine I want something that actually works.
Depends on the issue. For relatively minor burns I have an Aloe Vera plant, for example. I’m not against pharmaceuticals, or doctors, but for most of my life doctors have been prohibitively expensive or simply not available depending on where I was working at that moment so you learn how to treat most things yourself using whats handy. Giving yourself stitches fucking hurts worse than the original injury by the by.
I have a good paying job now with good insurance and there are multiple medical facilities nearby, but the old habits remain.
what do you use that aloe vera for?
I’m not against pharmaceuticals, or doctors, but for most of my life doctors have been prohibitively expensive
can relate to this lol
I have a good paying job now with good insurance
good for you!
what do you use that aloe vera for?
Same as you would use store bought aloe vera gel. When applied to the skin, assuming you are not allergic, it can sooth minor burns and scrapes. As a last resort you can also use it as a laxative by ingesting it. Seriously, don’t eat it, it caused me to vomit as well as loosening my bowels the one time I did that. Normal store bought laxatives are far more “pleasant” to take.
Depends on what I’m sick with.
If I’m just sick with a cold, usually soup, hot tea with honey, chilli, etc, and maybe an OTC painkiller like tylenol if I have a fever or a headache. Hot showers can be nice too.
If I’m really sick, fuck yeah, give me whatever meds or treatment necessary. I’m not much for any of that “woo” bullshit (like chiropractors, crystals, homeopathy, or other quackery) but some of them are kinda legit (like chicken noodle soup or spicy stuff helping with a could, some herbal poultices actually treating wounds or rashes, etc. )
I probably lean more towards herbal if you consider cannabis. I’m starting ADHD meds in a couple of days, though. Can’t remember the last time I felt sick, but I never take anything for that anyway.
I think I was talked out of the herbal route at one point. I remember being very anti-pharmaceutical. I’d try herbal first for all non life threatening things if I knew what to look for.
Meanwhile, do people believe in empirical evidence or superstition?
If I have a cold I opt for chicken soup and orange juice. Not because I think it will make me healthy, but because it will make me feel good.
I don’t get regular medicine, not because I’m averse to taking it, but because I don’t have insurance and can’t afford regular medicine.
Herbal stuff for simple things and symptoms, like a sore throat or headache. Modern medicine for anything I can’t treat on my own.
If it’s mild than I use nothing at all, if its like covid (fever, bedridden, pain) (pre inoculation) than medication and herbal tea, the medication will deal with my biology and the tea will make it easier to breath and deal with my mind during illness.
