Some of these substances may "work" in terms of producing an effect and they may be under the radar as far as the FAA is concerned but the benefit probably ends there. The biggest problem is that many of these supplements have not been rigorously studied. Another concern is that there can be significant variability in potency between brands or even batches. Quality control is much easier with a synthesized drug. Drug interactions between supplements and prescription drugs can occur and rarely serious side effects like liver failure have been reported. I do not blame pilots for using supplements as we all want to avoid any unnecessary medical entanglements when we go to get our medical certificates renewed. That reminds me, I need to go for my FAA medical tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Okay, good luck.
As for herbs, etc., I once was in a relationship with a D.O. who had a holistic streak and frequently prescribed herbal and nutritional remedies, especially if they worked better than anything pharma had to offer. I've found that some of the herbs she recommended for me did a much better job than anything else I'd tried.
For example, I've suffered from a rotator cuff problem ever since I was in my late teens and ruined my shoulder trying to pitch fastballs at a higher velocity than my height would allow. I have tried so many different medicines that I can't even remember them all. None of them worked very well, and a few of them had horrible side effects. I've tried pills, injections, ointments, exercises... nothing worked.
What did work was Glucosamine / Chondroitin / MSM supplements, and a little cure-all herb from Peru known as Cat's claw. The same combination enabled my uncle to walk upright again despite his advanced rheumatoid arthritis, and an elderly friend of mine to passably play piano again despite arthritis in her fingers.
As it turns out, there's been a tremendous amount of research on Cat's Claw, all of it quite promising. Much of the earliest research was done by Cornell University -- not exactly an institution known for quackery -- and a lot of the more recent research has been done by universities in Latin America. I've read, for example, that Cat's Claw is effective for all manner of autoimmune problems, is more effective than prednisone for treating IBD, has anti-tumor properties, and has many other possible medical uses.
On the other hand, Cat's claw is also a known teratogen, which I guess is not surprising considering its anti-tumor properties, so it's contraindicated for use by pregnant women. It also
may disrupt neonatal development, so it's contraindicated for use by nursing women, as well.
So what does all that mean? It means that at least some natural remedies have potential usefulness and potential risks, and that anyone who wants to consider using them must do his or her research and accept responsibility for his or her decision.
As for the purity of the product, that doesn't concern me very much, quite frankly. Deal with reputable companies and you're pretty sure to be getting what the label says you're getting. Whether it works or not is a different story, and one that you have to research first.
For what it's worth, I rarely take medications of any kind (other than the Glucosamine / Cat's Claw and some vitamins) for anything. I just don't get sick very often. Even my DM2 is under control these days. But when I do get sick, I go to my M.D. I'm not "anti" modern medicine. I started taking the Glucosamine complex and Cat's Claw because nothing else worked.
I also "cured" a hearing loss problem in my right ear with herbs "prescribed" by my now-retired pharmacist, who had been a physician in China. That was after months of seeing a highly-respected ENT, getting all sorts of tests (including an MRI), trying at least half a dozen different medications, and never even getting a diagnosis other than "ideopathic hearing loss" (which basically means, "I dunno why you can't hear") much less an effective treatment.
The pharmacist noticed the series of prescriptions and the doctor's name, and said something along the lines of, "I've come across this problem in China. We treated it differently there." He couldn't actually recommend anything to me, of course, but I was astute enough to understand where he was going. So I asked him how he would have treated someone in China with the same problem, and he rattled off a list of herbs and dosages.
I bought the herbs, took them, and by that evening started to feel the difference. By the following day, I could hear again; and a week later, my hearing was back within normal limits when tested by the audiologist. The problem was some sort of Eustachian tube dysfunction. About two or three times since then I've started to feel it clog up again, and I quickly treated it with -- get this -- habanero pepper sauce. Crazy? Maybe. But it works.
So I guess what I'm saying is that herbal medicine is not something that can, or at least should, be "embraced" or "condemned." Some herbs work, some don't, some we don't know. Some are safe, some are not, some are safe with some exceptions to their use, and some we don't know. But in my opinion, responsible adults who are considering using an herbal remedy mainly need to exercise due diligence and caution in researching the intended remedy, and to purchase the herb from a reputable source.
-Rich
