Thursday, September 4, 2008

Homeopathy - Read the Labels!

Today I was unpacking some boxes and came across some teething tablets we purchased a while ago at the advice of a kind soul at church. Since Stellan is currently in the throes of molar cutting, I thought that it might be the right time to use it. It is produced by Hyland's Homeopathic, which set off some warning bells in my head. Then I read the label. Ingredients follow:
Calcarea phosphorica - a quick Google search indicated that this is a malady as often as it is a remedy in homeopathic circles. Not exactly dangerous, but certainly not medically proven to do anything.
Chamomilla - all right, harmless enough, but I'm still not convinced it's going to do much to ease the pain of sharp bone piercing my son's tender gums.
Coffea cruda - now I draw the line. I'm not a big caffeine fan in the first place, but I definitely do not think my overly energetic son needs any artificial stimulation.
Belladonna - WHAT!? Deadly Nightshade?! No way. No way! I'm not deliberately feeding my son one of the most toxic plants in the western hemisphere.
So that's why I didn't give my son any teething tablets. And why I continue to avoid homeopathic "remedies" in general.

3 comments:

D said...

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people think that homeopathic remedies or herbal remedies are not drugs. For some reasom they seem to think that these "all natural" and "untested" capsules are better than the pharmacy version. Where do they think the chemist got the idea for the drug in the first place. Nature's speed(i.e. ephedra) and the chemist's speed do the same thing and neither is particulaly good for the body. One however has been tested and regulated the other caused adverse side effects and deaths before it was banned.

I've been finding this lately with food too. I was looking for a healthy snack for Kaden that would keep well. I looked at banana chips- those are all natural and the bananas should be good for you right? Not dried I guess...The are cooked in coconut oil (high in fat, salt, and sugar) and had no daily percentage value of any vitamins or anything good. So basically they are worse than fruit snacks( low in fat, salt, and you can get ones sweetened with just fruit juice so they have 25% of your daily value of vitamin a and 100% vitamin C)! You just never know...

Flem said...

Ditto what D said. I am shocked by the lack of regulation in that area but people like anything that has home as a prefix.

Good for you for reading!

Melissa said...

Yes, herbs need regulation just like drugs! Where do people think that modern day "western" drugs we use come from? They come from plants!

So many people have serious adverse reactions between herbal remedies and western drugs, or even with foods they eat because they think they are safe. Sigh. It's a huge battle in the medical field--and a giant source of frustration in hospitals and clinics. Most healthcare professionals recognize that natural remedies can be helpful, but are not necessarily safe to have whenever! People must pressure the FDA to regulate these, too. Argh.

And for an interesting FYI--belladona, or deadly nightshade as you mention, is actually what tylenol is derived from (as well as many other pain and fever reducers)--so in small, purified amounts it's actually not harmful but helpful. Go figure.

But anyhow, props to you for being so conscious about what goes in your baby's body.

I miss you guys. :-(