Why are medical doctors in Europe and Japan much more likely to recommend/prescribe herbs to their patients?
Posted by pano | Under Medicinal Herbs Monday Feb 7, 2011than American MDs? If you look at the statistics for countries like Germany, France, the Scandinavian countries and Japan, something like 60% to 80% of medical doctors regularly prescribe herbs to their patients, as treatments for various conditions. These herbs are very often covered by insurance, and many are available without a prescription. Although herbs are widely available in the U.S, it seems American MDs who recommend herbs are in the minority, and they are usually not covered by insurance. Why is this?
Also, if I bring this up with some American doctors, about how herbs are regularly used by MDs in much of Europe and Japan, and list some of the herbs that have been scientifically proven to be helpful, why the hostility and personal attacks against me? Why the disbelief, and hate, and totally unprofessional behavior just because I’m citing statistics about medical doctors using herbs in other countries, and how I benefited and other people benefit from such non-pharmaceutical treatments? Certainly, most herbs may be unproven, but I’m only talking about the ones that do work and the ones European doctors use because they have been proven to work.
So why is there such a huge difference between the U.S and Europe/Japan when it comes to doctors recommending natural herbal remedies, and why are so many American MDs so against their use, even though there is plenty of scientific evidence in European, German, Japanese and American medical journals that these herbal treatments work?
"According to some estimates, in addition to the 25,000 doctors conducting a natural medical practice, up to 80 percent of German physicians (particularly general practitioners) routinely prescribe phytomedicines as part of clinical therapy (Gruenwald, 1995; Shilcher, 1998b)." – http://cms.herbalgram.org/commissione/intro/ceherbsingermany.html
"Today, fully 75% of Japanese physicians prescribe Kampo herbal formulas." – http://parkacupuncture.com/Herb.aspx
"In Europe, doctors and pharmacists routinely prescribe natural remedies, and they’re trained extensively to help consumers use them." – http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag99/sep99-cover1.html
Perhaps it is because ….
1. Americans watch an enormous amount of television, and every third TV ad is for a drug, and instructs the viewer to "ask their doctor" about getting on the drug.
2. Some doctors (VERY FEW but some) will knowingly prescribe pharmaceuticals or expensive treatments to people who really don’t need them (or who would benefit more from a low cost, natural alternative) because they know there are various career "incentives" for them if they do so.
3. Even well-meaning American doctors are taught to immediately dismiss most non-pharmaceutical methods of treatment. Very few go outside of their mainline training to perform independent research, particularly into areas which disagree with mainstream medical science. Those who do are often ostracized by the medical community.
4. The collusion between pharma corporations and government is very strong in this country. The FDA sides with major corporate interests virtually 100% of the time. Their policy is the same on Monsanto and the labeling of non-GMO food, and non-RBGH milk.
The FDA has gone to great lengths to make it extremely difficult for everyone except a handful of corporations to engage in research or market their competing treatments, regardless of their effectiveness. They also drive healthcare costs up in various ways, such as outlawing the sale of imported generic drugs.
The FDA always claims that it is doing this to protect you, the citizen. Are you truly naive enough to believe that? They are doing it to protect the established corporate monopoly on healthcare.
5. Herbs and natural treatments are generally far less expensive than their synthetic name-branded counterparts. Pfizer and Bayer cannot patent a plant (though Monsanto can, so long as it modifies its DNA first).
Therefore, if you’re Pfizer, the best way to prevent people from turning to these low-cost alternatives, and keep them on YOUR drugs, is to MASS EDUCATE them into believing that the science behind so-called "alternative medicine" is not legitimate.
So how do you mass educate a population? Simply indoctrinate the expert class. Just because someone is very intelligent and well-meaning does not mean they are immune to being conditioned, lied to, or mis-educated.
The doctors who attack you for questioning their beliefs are only hostile out of denial, because they ARE well-meaning, and they do not want to entertain the slightest notion that they have been doing anything other than what is best for their patients.
Try to ask a dentist about water fluoridation, and you will probably get a similar reaction.
That covers some of it. Hope it helped. Take care.
With only a couple of exceptions, there’s no notable evidence that herbals work.
In the US, we have a different climate. For instance, H2 blockers help with upper GI problems almost as often as PPI drugs do, and at a lot less cost. But the latter are preferred in most situations. Why? First, many patients won’t accept anything that can be bought without a prescription. Second, their lawyers will find some "expert witness" to go to court and swear that PPI’s are better than H2 blockers, and it’s just criminal that Dr. X prescribed the cheap and effective drug. The jury will buy that, and Dr. X and his insurer are out a few million $. The jury will stick it to the uncaring doctor, who’s rich anyway (of course, Dr. X won’t make as much in his lifetime as the lawyer does on this one case, but that’s a different kettle of fish).
It’s not only the doctors, but also many patients who want to take expensive medication where simpler regimens might suffice. It’s easier to take a pill to reduce your Blood Pressure or your cholesterol than to exercise, lose weight and reduce salt intake.
I am with John de Witt when it comes to the proven efficacy of herbal remedies. More research should be done with some of these, but the evidence to date is slim. The Kommission E Monographs assembled in Germany are more opinion than scientific fact.
You may follow Dr. Andrew Weil if you like, but I don’t worship at his altar. I do own his juicer, however.
American doctors believe in practicing evidence based medicine, and all the evidence says the large majority of herbals don’t work any better than placebo.
In a sentence … because their medical system and medical schools have not yet been hijacked by the pharmaceutical corporations and the so-called "philanthropic" tax exempt foundations of the elite owners of said pharmaceutical corporations.
The strength of America’s pharmaceutical industry could be part of it, I’m not sure. However, I’m willing to believe that openness to herbal remedies could be influenced by cultural or even generational view of health-care.
Also, I’m not that into herbal remedies myself, but to be fair, there are currently multiple pharmaceuticals on the market that aren’t much more effective than placebo in studies. Except for maybe the studies the owning companies conducted. But hey, who knows?