Natural Medicine Is No Substitute For Science

By: Alex Sanders

Posted: 3/26/08

Pharmacies seem to be stocked with as much neural and physical stimulating vitamins as legitimate medicine. Although many vitamins are FDA approved, such as Ginkgo Biloba or Echinacea, it doesn't mean that they work well.

Consumers can buy anything from vitamin infused lip gloss to colloidal mineral smoothies. This new trend of natural medication may or may not be beneficial to the body, but it can be dangerous if relied on as the only form of medication.

There are people who don't take Advil for a headache but they will risk taking pills with names they can't pronounce because they are supposedly all natural. There is understandable motivation in not wanting to overload one's body with artificial chemicals, but some people have gone too far. Because there is not much empirical evidence about what obscure vitamins really do for the body, taking them can be risky. But some people are putting more trust in vitamins than medication proven to actually improve health.

According to The New York Times, there is a new trend of parents turning down vaccinations for their kids. This has been caused by the fear of neurological disorders being connected to vaccinations. This is ridiculous. These trusted forms of medications have been used to prevent against disease for years. Because we have vaccinations and antibiotics, life spans are longer and people are significantly healthier. Years ago, people died at the age of 50 because health care was not as commonplace and advanced as it is today. Why not take advantage of the rapidly improving medical field? Companies put millions of dollars into developing new vaccinations and cures for diseases - all of it will be pointless if people stop providing necessary vaccinations for their children.

People are paranoid for the wrong reasons. They should be more worried about drugs that are barely FDA approved and not proven effective than medicine that has significantly more benefits than risks. This new trend is becoming dangerous. There are cases of measles spreading through elementary schools because of a lack of vaccinations. Diseases that were once fatal can become so once again without proper healthcare. The New York Times reported that, "worldwide, 242,000 children a year die from measles, but it used to be near one million. The deaths have dropped because of vaccination, a 68 percent decrease from 2000 to 2006." Now with fewer vaccinations, the death toll of children will unnecessarily rise.

There are always exemptions to any kind of vaccinations or antibiotic treatment, but people utilize them too frequently. There is no point in fighting for everyone to have equal access to healthcare if not everyone will take advantage of it. Healthcare is a blessing in this country. There are countries that don't have access to simple medications like Tylenol. U.S. residents should be taking advantage of healthcare rather than denying it.

The people refusing vaccinations don't fairly weigh the risks and benefits. A meningitis vaccination is significantly less painful and less risky than the actual meningitis disease, which can be fatal. Parents underestimate the power of vaccines because they are not used to children dying of seemingly common illnesses. Children used to commonly die from mumps and the flu, but now these diseases can be stopped with simple visits to the doctor.

While not all of these parents replace medical shots with vitamins and immune-aiding minerals, they all leave their children unprotected and susceptible to fatal illness. Children's immune systems are fragile enough with added medical protection. Without vaccinations, children can be exposed to more threats than imagined. Children constantly are exposed to germs from toys, other children or whatever else they may come into contact with during the day. Nobody ever sees a child carrying around a purse sized bottle of Purell or washing their hands after they sneeze.

Children need more protection than anyone else. It is heinous that parents who can afford medical care could even think abut not providing medical care for their child. Vitamins may be able to boost one's immune system to a certain degree, but when it comes to a viral infection, vitamin C can only do so much.

Less trust has to be put in natural vitamins and minerals. There are side effects to everything in life including natural substances. It cannot be assumed that simply because a medicine is crafted form artificial chemicals that it is innately bad and damaging. There is more proof that actual medicine can improve health than leaving an immune system to fight for itself. Parents should acknowledge how precious their children's lives are and provide proper medical treatment for them. Children are too young to make their own medical decisions, so it is ultimately the parents' responsibility to do what is best for their children and provide the best care possible, even if that means settling for an artificially cherry flavored antibiotic.

Weekly Coumnist Alex Sanders is a 4th-semester journalism and psychology double major. Her columns appear on Wednesdays. She can be contacted at Alexandra.Sanders@UConn.edu.