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Natural cures have always comprised an integral part of medicine. The treatment of patients was traditionally inseparable from the use of natural cures. In fact, it is only within the last century, the effectiveness and impact of natural cures on human body have been challenged. The development of the modern medicine and science contributed consistently to the change of the traditional attitude to natural cures. Technological advancements and the introduction of new methods of treatment, along with invention of new medicaments allowed health care professionals to use hands-made cures to treat patients, instead of natural cures. Moreover, the effectiveness of natural cures is under a question today for many artificial medicaments seem to be more effective than natural cures. As a result, the debate concerning the use of natural cures in the modern medicine persists and it is still unclear whether natural cures are worth using or probably medicaments are more effective than natural cures.
In actuality, the development of the modern medicine and pharmaceutical industry decreases consistently the use of natural cures by patients. Moreover, health care professionals are oriented on the use of traditional but not natural cures to treat their patients and to help them to recover from various health problems. At the same time, Saputo argues that physicians have “essentially become employees of large business conglomerates” (2009, p.112) that stimulate them to use medicaments produced by the pharmaceutical industry. The development of medicine and pharmaceutical industry helps health care professionals to develop effective methods of treatment without the use of natural cures. However, many people do not trust health care professionals because of their close cooperation with large pharmaceutical companies (Saputo, 2009). Such cooperation transforms health care services and treatment of patients in a sort of business, when doctors are materially motivated to prescribe certain medicaments to their patients. As a result, patients receive medicaments, which pharmaceutical companies attempt to buy through the assistance of doctors, whereas the health of patients turns out to be secondary to doctors. In such a situation, more and more people turn to the alternative medicine and natural cures instead of conventional medicine. People believe that natural cures are safe and effective in terms of treatment of various diseases.
On the other hand, the overall effectiveness of such treatment is not always positive because medicaments, being helpful to patients’ health in the course of treatment, may have dangerous side effects, which can have a negative impact on health of patients. In addition, the environment in which people live deteriorates consistently. For instance, Trudeau argues that the modern food culture and food quality undermine the health of people making them vulnerable to the negative impact of medicaments increasing the risk of side effects (2005, p.202). In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that food, especially fast food, provokes the development of various health problems in patients. However, people often associate food with the advancement of modern science (Trudeau, 2005) and they extrapolate the negative view of the modern food on the pharmaceutical industry and conventional medicaments. As a result, they believe that medicaments may be harmful to them.
In such a situation, some patients and health care professionals turn to natural cures as an alternative approach to treatment of various health problems. But, as a rule, health care professionals never refuse from the use of traditional medicaments. Instead, they use natural cures as back-up cures to traditional cures. Often people turn to natural cures, when they suffer from hormonal imbalance that causes many patients to feel depressed, anxious, fatigued, sexless, sleepless, and ultimately ill (Somers, 2008).
However, the effectiveness of natural cures and their impact on human health is still under a question. In such a context, it is important to dwell upon advantages and disadvantages of natural cures. One of the advantage of using herbal remedies as supposed to prescribed medicines is that they cost a whole less than pharmaceutical remedies. Since the herbs do not need to be manufactured or developed, they cost a lot cheaper, and are more convenient as well. Patients no longer need to get prescriptions from doctors in order to be able to use a particular drug or remedy, unlike the different herbal remedies which you can just purchase without any needed consultation from doctors. In such a way, the use of natural cures raises the problem of the responsibility of health care professionals because doctors are always responsible for the treatment of patients and its outcomes. If the treatment fails or has negative effects on patients’ health, than doctors may be liable for professional negligence and the risk of such liability increases if health care professionals use natural cures. The latter may be not tested properly, according to existing standards established for traditional drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies.
Another advantage of using herbal remedies is that the herbal medicines may sometimes prove to be more effective as compared to traditional prescribed medicines (Scalise, 2002). Patients’ dissatisfaction for their current healthcare may be the reason as to why they seek some other alternative. One possible cause for the effectiveness of herbal remedies is its potency. Some herbal remedies may prove to be more potent than others, depending on a few varying factors that may affect the herbal remedy’s effectiveness, such as the growing conditions of the herbs like exposure to air, light and moisture, or even the way that it was harvested. The manner of preservation can also play a factor on the herbs’ potency.
Although using “natural” and “herbal” remedies may sound appealing to a lot of people, it is important to remember that not all “natural” and “herbal” remedies are safe. A lot of these “natural” herbal medicines are composed of elements that can cause potentially harmful side effects to people, especially those that suffer from very serious conditions. In other words, natural cures do not mean safe cures in regard to potential side effects they may have on patients’ have.
Furthermore, herbal remedies may have been used for centuries already, but it does not mean that they are safe, especially not if patients just take them without consulting with doctors or herbalists about it (Singh, S. & E. Ernst 2008). In other words, whatever the natural cure is each patient should consult a doctor before using it. At this point, natural cures should undergo the same procedure of prescription as traditional medicaments.
One disadvantage for using herbal remedies over prescription medicines are the side effects that they may cause on your body when you take them, especially if you use them for a long period of time. Some herbal remedies are known to cause high blood pressure in the vessels of the lungs, while others may even cause your immune system to weaken, making you more prone to sickness and diseases (Shane, 2002).
Another disadvantage for taking herbal remedies is that patients are not entirely sure if they are only getting the ingredients that they want in every pack of herbal medicine that they buy. Although patients get the ingredient that they need, there will be some other such as twigs, bark, and other plant materials that may find their way in there along with their herbal medicine. Sometimes, patients do not get the ingredients that they really need since the amount of the ingredient can influence its effectiveness on a person (Shane, 2002). Moreover, it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that sometimes herbal medicine may contain some other ingredient at one point, and contain another ingredient at another. In such a way, without the professional assistance, it is impossible to guarantee the desirable effect of natural cures on patients’ health.
Thus, natural cures have always been widely-spread and widely-used. Therefore, some patients are confident in the safety and effectiveness of natural cures but they often underestimate the risk of side effects caused by natural cures. Moreover, patients often underestimate the importance of the adequate and proper use of herbal or natural cures (Scalise, 2002). At any rate, whatever the remedy is it should be taken under the control of health care professionals, who are responsible for the treatment of patients. Traditional medicaments are imperfect as well. For instance, the use of antibiotics helps to stop the spread of infection in human body but, today, antibiotics are one of the major causes of death of many patients. In such a way, patients are growing to be more and more concerned with the use of natural cures but they are imperfect and patients should be very careful, while using such remedies.

 
References:
Saputo, L. (2009). A Return to Healing – Radical Health Care Reform and the Future of Medicine. New York: Origin Press.
Singh, S. & E. Ernst. (2008). Trick or Treatment – The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine. New York: Norton & Company.
Scalise, D. (2002). “CPOE: Is it worth it?” Hospitals & Health Networks, 76(1).
Shane, R. (2002). “Computerized physician order entry: Challenges and opportunities.” American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 59(3), 286-288
Somers, S. (2008). Breakthrough – Eight Steps to Wellness. New York: Crown.
Trudeau, K. (2005). Natural Cures “They” Don’t Want You To Know About. New York: Alliance Publishing.