by Happy Happerson

Created on: September 06, 2009

I think this debate begs the question that there is some ultimate truth about natural cures in the first place. It is true that many, so-called natural cures are under some serious attack. However, this is entirely besides the point of how effective any given natural cure is. For most natural cures, that is an unknown. There are unethical people in the pharmaceutical industry and unethical people selling snake oil. The whole argument that this supposed truth is being suppressed rest on the failure to admit that both of these things can be true, simultaneously.

Most natural cures are never even investigated by the FDA because the producers of these products want it that way. If a certain natural cure calls itself a 'dietary supplement', it is not required to obtain FDA approval. In fact, it is left to the manufacturer to refrain from putting untrue or misleading information on the label. That is the agreement. You can sell a so-called 'cure' without ever testing its efficacy but you can't put those untested claims all over the label and you have to call it a supplement.

Some do work. I tried all the OTC medications for hemorrhoids. Nothing beats witch hazel.

Some fail. I put all manner of essential oils on my face but my acne remains. In fact, my situation worsened. Having bad skin is bad enough without also reeking of tea tree oil which smells like turpentine only more robust.

A lot of reasonably intelligent, reasonably rational people believe in natural cures and believe they are being suppressed. There is a reason for this reasonable view. In fact, there are several.

1. The FDA does tend to sue the pants off of supplement manufacturers.

However, the imagined motive of squelching effective, alternative cures is just that, imagined. Many manufacturers put wild, unverified claims all over their labels and that is why they are sued. Recall, it is the manufacturer's choice to leave the product in question untested. If they wanted to put a claim on the label, they need only submit the product for verification and it could then be classified as a medication. To say that the FDA would be dishonest about their findings is pure, self-serving conjecture. Unless the submit their product for tests, it is illegal to make claims about its efficacy. Should the FDA sue a company making such unsubstantiated claims, it is fulfilling the duty with which it has been tasked.

2. The FDA does seem to be in bed with the pharmaceutical industry.

There is convincing evidence

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