No to natural medicines

Re: Natural medicines must be part of pharmacare — April 26

I feel compelled to counter the opinions expressed in Werner Broschinski’s letter about natural medicines.

There are three serious fallacies here: First, the belief that a person untrained in medicine could determine with reasonable accuracy what illness a person has. Second, the belief that this person is able to decide what natural remedy would cure the illness. Third, the belief that natural medicines have no “adverse reactions or devastating side effects.”

Not so long ago a young boy died of meningitis because his parents treated him with herbal medicines rather than taking him to a doctor. Their treatment was ineffective and he died.

On top of ineffectiveness, there is the danger of serious side effects.

Here is a brief list of herbal medicines and potential adverse reactions: aloe vera juice (abdominal pain, diarrhea, potentially carcinogenic), bitter orange (fainting, arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke, death), coltsfoot (liver damage, cancer), yarrow (severe allergic skin rashes, toxicity to dogs and horses).

I could go on listing dozens more herbal/natural remedies.

That said, I will keep drinking my camomile tea, so I can sleep better … no harm in that, I hope. But pharmacare for natural medicines? Absolutely not.

Sibylle Jasin

Kitchener