The TOP 10

Scientifically Proven natural PRODUCTS

Introduction

by Dr. Richard Fischer

If someone had told me five years ago that I would be recommending natural PRODUCTS, much less writing a handbook on them, I’m sure that my response would not have been “politically correct.” I believed, like the majority of physicians and pharmacists, that herbal and other natural remedies were something to joke about. If you are not educated on a particular therapy and your colleagues are not recommending it, the normal knee-jerk response is that it must not be medically acceptable. Most American health professionals fall into this category. In contrast, health professionals in some other countries like Germany are extensively trained and tested on herbal products before being licensed.

In many countries including France, Italy, Japan and Australia natural supplements are not only commonly used but are one of a leading forms of therapy. In 1978, Germany established the Commission E to review and approve herbal products based upon safety as well as historical and scientific evidence of efficacy. Physicians in Germany write prescriptions for approved herbal products and German insurance companies pay for them. Eight of the ten products covered in our TOP 10 book are approved by Commission E. The other two (SOY and grape seed EXTRACT) are not considered herbs and, therefore, not covered by the Commission. In this country, the F.D.A. treats all natural health products simply as food supplements.

Are we one step ahead or one step behind most European and other foreign medical communities? All I know is that our patients are missing out on some excellent alternative therapies for treating various problems. Many patients are beginning to seek out and even demand alternative natural therapies. More importantly, some diseases that are helped by natural products have no effective drugs available for treatment.

Why don’t we hear or know more about natural medicines? Most medical and pharmacy schools devote little, if any, time to natural health products. Thus, we are the product of a biased and myopic educational system. Natural product manufacturers can’t afford to pour money into our research institutions since natural products are not patentable. We don’t see expensive advertisements for these products in our journals or attend meetings sponsored by herbal manufacturers. We don’t have countless representatives with fancy color brochures touting the safety and efficacy of grape seed EXTRACT, BILBERRY, SOY, GINKGO BILOBA, ECHINACEA, SAW PALMETTO, VALERIAN, GINGER, MILK THISTLE or St. John’s Wort. If we did, I promise you that most of us would be advocating their use!

Being a health professional and a scientist, I understand that “acceptable treatments” are based upon good research. Since natural medicines cannot be patented, seldom see expensive research studies conducted on them in this country. American health professionals say that they need to see large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials published in English language (preferably U.S.) peer-reviewed journals. This is ironic since I have seen these same health professionals prescribe drugs for hundreds of patients based only upon the results of a few published case reports. Some of these same health professionals would not think of recommending a natural product, espousing, “there is no scientific evidence.”

So how did I quell my scientific curiosity on whether or not natural products work? Well, I opened my mind and broadened my horizons. Over the past 60 years, thousands of medical studies have been conducted on hundreds of natural products. Much of the research has been done outside of the United States but still under rigorous controls. The results of many of these studies are published in prestigious foreign-language medical journals (German, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, etc.). This makes the job of reviewing the scientific data much more difficult. Scientific support, however, can be obtained internationally from these numerous sources. In recent years, even American medical journals have published an ever increasing number of studies on natural products.

In selecting the TOP TEN scientifically proven natural products, we searched for collaborating evidence from multiple origins. This included historical evidence, in vitro and animal data, epidemiological support (including personal patient experiences), German Commission E approval and many studies including a number of randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind published trials. Literature published in a foreign language was either translated or reviewed as well as possible through English abstracts.

Evaluating the scientific data on natural health products was not an easy task. Scientists generally try to isolate and study the effects of a single active ingredient in a natural substance. However, it is often the combination of ingredients, working synergistically, which provide the beneficial health effects. After many years of research and thousands of years of use, we are only now beginning to understand how natural products exert their effect on our health.

Even after learning more about natural products and appreciating their role in health care, our next major task was finding quality products containing adequate amounts of the desired phytochemicals. The quality of herbs and other plants used in natural products varies greatly due to climate, growing conditions, harvesting, curing and storing methods. These variables dramatically impact the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of the final product. Only the most advanced manufacturers can combine nature and technology.

The TOP 10 book was written in an attempt to advise health professionals as well as patients of the extensive scientific support which exists for ten natural medicines. Although there are many other natural health products currently being studied like glucosamine Sulfate,we kept the number small  in an attempt to instill confidence in the selected products. Maybe this book will in some small way lead to confidence in the use of the TOP 10 natural products, provide treatment alternatives and ultimately improve patient care.

“The Lord hath created medicine out of the earth and he that is wise will not abhor them.” –Sirach 38:4 (Apocrypha)