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Jeff Jones writes: > >I've been watching this thread develop for a short time and have decided to >throw my 02 cents and opinions into the ring. > Snip, snip... >I have been taking St. John's Wort for months as a result of reading >information disseminated from my health food store. I didn't rush out >immediately, but, rather, looked for more information. I found Earl >Mindell's Herb Bible and other sources that described St. John's Wort. >There is a rather large body on knowledge in the naturopath community that >is, in my view, generally ignored by most mainstream doctors. Having >corroborated the flyer from the health food store, I decided to try ST. >John's Wort. I found, almost immediately, a lessening of the negative >feelings I seem to embrace every Sunday afternoon when I have time on my >hands. I'm not aware of any side affects and firmly believe that the St. >John's Wort had no bearing on the breaking of my ribs. :-}) At the same >time, I also admit that I don't know if there are and side affects. > Snip... >I firmly believe (this the controversial portion of this message. :-}) >), that, virtually all doctors truly wish the best for their patients, >however, it's my very own personal view that few doctors receive a lot of >training in the area of preventative medicine, or health. I don't think >that health is much studied. I believe that dis-ease is the focus of the >majority of a doctor's training so it's no wonder that the first line of >defense is to prescribe medications that mask symptoms rather than address >the root cause of the disease in question. It's certainly true that there >are many natural chemicals that are harmful, witness the nightshade family, >but I also firmly believe that, there are many natural chemicals that >contribute to health rather than masking symptoms. I find it difficult to >believe that an artificial chemical can be used by my finely tuned body to >built health. What it needs is the amino acids, minerals, vitamins etc. >that occur in the correct proportions, one to another, to build health. > First off, Hi Jeff!, sorry to hear about your ribs oooch! I looked into St. John's wort a while ago also, like Jeff I feel very strongly that many natural solutions and substances are just as potent as pharmaceuticals, and require at least prudent investigation. I have only had a couple of bad experiences with natural treatments, compared to a number of pharmaceutical nightmares. I couldn't find much negative being said about SJ's wort, but I was unhappy that there was so little data to consider. I asked a friend who is a pharmacist what she knew, and after investigation on her part she told me that she believes it is conta-indicated with Eldepryl, because it also has MAO-inhibiting properties. So, it is probably just fine for Jeff, but not for me, as I use Eldepryl. Unfortunately I also find the medical profession woefully underinformed in the area of natural substances and approaches. I am always blessed by the wonderful medical folks on this list, such as Charlie, who have broadened their horizons to try to achieve the ultimate benefit for all. I recently had a neurologist insist that my use of melatonin for sleep was doing me grave harm, and he cavalierly prescribed Ambien. Like a dummy I believed him. Two wretched weeks later I finally devoted an afternoon to an Internet research of both melatonin and Ambien. The most recent melatonin research I could find actually indicated that it is uniquely beneficial for Parkinson's in particular, and my Ambien research, from our own archives and some bulletin boards etc. show it to be at best a marginal drug for PWP's, and at worst the most highly addictive sleep aid yet developed. I have now returned to my previous melatonin use, and have restabilized, but I want to tell you that Ambien was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me. We all have a serious responsibility to ourselves and our families to be wise patients. There is a wealth of data available to us, we are well advised to use it. Kathie Tollifson 46/8