That's pretty sad. Another problem is that global warming, which is pretty much beyond dispute, will kill off some plant species in some areas. It will also seriously affect the rain forests.Some climatologists think that rain forests are a random artifact of the way the climate happens to be now, and that they're not necessarily a constant feature of the planet...at least, according to a newspaper article I once read.
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Conspiracy theory... what do you think?
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In reply to:
In man made synthetic chemicals, there is a left and a right drug. The left drug is the one that is supposed to do the real work like help depression for example. But the "right" part of the drug is the drug that pretty much just floats around your body, which usually causes the side effects like upset stomachs, nose bleeds etc etc. Natural herbs do not have a "right" drug, only a left. This is what happens when mankind tries to duplicate something nature makes.
In reply to:
What the hell are you talking about? Are you posting Internet spam as if it's scientific? Is there a left and right aspirin, as well as the countless other synthetic drugs that were originally derived from plants? How about penicillin?
Most organic molecules are "chiral". This means that they are different from their mirror images. Chiral molecules come in two mirror-image forms, which we can call left and right if we wish. Other molecules (especially small simple ones) are achiral, which means they are the same as their mirror image, and only have one form.
Mirror image molecules have identical properties except when they interact with something else that is chiral. The biochemicals in our body are nearly all chiral, and present in only one of the two forms. Usually only one of the two forms of a chiral drug is active (not necessarily the "left" form), and the other is usually inactive and may be toxic. Chiral molecules from biological sources are usually present in the plant or animal only in one form - penicillin is an example, as are cocaine and morphine and almost every orther alkaloid. (Aspirin is achiral.) Molecules made synthetically, however, if they are made from achiral starting materials, will have both forms. (This was used in Dorothy Sayers' The Documents in the Case to prove a death was murder.)
The two forms can be separated but it adds significantly to the cost, and it used not often to be done by drugs manufacturers. Now, however, separation is much more common. Thalidomide was a notable example why this is a good thing - the birth defects were not caused by the active form of the drug, but by its mirror image.
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Thank you for describing that better than I was able to, very appreciated.
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The problem is that anyone can label anything as a possible treatment for whatever. Then you get things like ground up sea shell pills that are full of heavy metals. You never really know what you're getting, unless an independent lab assays what you're taking.You're talking about one certain herbal med.. There are many herbs that have been used for thousands of years. Problem is the drug companies cannot make money off the herbs so they discard their potential usage. I am not saying on here people should run out and take herbal meds over man-made drugs, simply saying their are other options as well, esp when the man made drugs fail.>And the vast majority of them go on to die of their illness. Do you have any numbers for how many of them then went on to be cured by herbal treatment, or is wishful thinking good enough for you?Oh yeah it's all wishful thinking Steve. Get a flipping grip LoL. Ask your questions without the underlining insults. I doubt there is a recorded study out there that will list how many people were cured of natural remedies. Though I'll see if I can find that for you Steve. Though regardless it'll mean nothing to you, because you'll find some way to disregard it.> say that an herbal treatment can be effective for a certain malady, but it should be studied. You seem to be saying that spontaneous remission is a bunch of BS. You apparently know more than lots and lots of PhDs. Good for you.I never once said herbal remedies shouldn't be studied.. Actually I have been saying the total opposite that they SHOULD be studied. And I am not saying spontaneous remission isn't possible because our bodies are wonder machines.. BUT classifying everything as spontaneous remission when someone is taking herbal remedies that could have cured the disease is what I am calling ridiculous. Oh and yes I know WAY more the any Phd, so glad you finally realized rolls eyes note the sarcasm please.>The problem with your stories is that they may be inspirational, but they are completely worthless from a scientific perspective.No Steve lets be honest.. it's point TO YOU because there is no scientific data to prove it was the herbs. How many doctors do you think are going to say it was the herbs that cured a person even if it’s true... not many.>If you want to be credulous, that's fine, but people need to know that taking some herbal remedy is not a slam-dunk cure for things like cancerPlease Steve quote me to where I EVER said this?? First off I NEVER would say that. I'm not about trying to play with someone else’s lives. All I am trying to say is that is Chemo fails there are options of a natural source that MIGHT help. That's all I have been saying and you keep trying to make it sound like I am saying the opposite when I am not.>Many, many people go into long-term remission from standard cancer therapies, of which chemotherapy is just one. Childhood leukemia is just one area where great progress has been made.Would never and have never denied that. Would be foolish of me to say otherwise. My Aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and modern medicine worked great for her.>With your logic, people might as well go to TV preachers for their cures.Steve I am cool with you not accepting the natural approach, but your underlining insults are truly childish. Again you make it out like I am saying all natural cures are the miracle "drugs" when I am not saying that. Again I am saying is they are an option and an option I think needs to be further studied as well.
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>> The problem is that anyone can label anything as a possible treatment for whatever. Then you get things like ground up sea shell pills that are full of heavy metals. You never really know what you're getting, unless an independent lab assays what you're taking.
> You're talking about one certain herbal med..
No, that type of problem (contamination, and not knowing how much active ingredient you're getting, regardless of what the label claims) is a problem for most herbal "dietary supplements". That's true for things in bottles (that have been processed) and for things in thier original state (e.g., a type of flower). It's very easy to get too large a dose of something, which can lead to problems.
Consumer Reports got pretty mixed results when they assayed Omega-3 fish oil capsules, which is regulated as a dietary supplement, like herbal things. A lot of them were contaminated, and didn't contain the amount of active ingredient claimed on the label (although, at the time, Costco's store brand tested well). The same sort of thing has been found when herbal medicines have been tested. You just don't know what you're getting. And there doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between price and quaility.
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>> The problem with your stories is that they may be inspirational, but they are completely worthless from a scientific perspective.
> it's point TO YOU because there is no scientific data to prove it was the herbs.
So you're absolutely, 100% certain? No doubt at all? That is an unscientific opinion, and your story adds nothing to the body of science on the subject. People fool themselves very easily, and tend to see what they expect. Your story is no different than the story of people who are "cured" by television faith healers, from a scientific perspective. The personal stories add very little to the body of useful knowledge.
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OKay this is turning into nothing more than a nit-pic debate and those are just annoying. Either read eveything I said as a whole and not just tid bits here and there or please don't read it at all because personally this is very old.Sorry Steve but you and I just will not see eye to eye because you want to make assumptions to my opinion because you only see certian things instead of taking my whole opinion as a whole.
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OKay this is turning into nothing more than a nit-pic debate and those are just annoying. Either read eveything I said as a whole and not just tid bits here and there or please don't read it at all because personally this is very old.The stuff in between stood separetely. It's not like you were constructing a several-paragraph-long argument that hung together and culminated in some great point. Sheesh.> Sorry Steve but you and I just will not see eye to eye because you want to make assumptions to my opinion because you only see certian things instead of taking my whole opinion as a whole.My opinion is that you're not arguing science, and therefore you are arguing philosophy and religion. The problem with that is that the discussion is about people's health. There actually is a lot of data available on research into various herbal remedies. If only you were motiviated to find it, there might actually be something here worth discussing. It seems that your observations on your personal experiences, which affirm what you already believe, are good enough for you.
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Steve... DROP IT! LOL I am seriously, try and do the mature thing and let it go huh?? Nothign everything needs to be debated to death. We both said whate we had to say now let it go. Nothing more can be said.
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[Rolling eyes at the hyocrisy...] Why did you feel the need to post again? Are you upset that you didn't have the last word? Are you making sure that we understand that you are upset? I don't get it.
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I'm not upset I just want you to let it go. All I am saying is that we both made our points, the readers get the idea.. now let it move on. Once everything has been said and all points are given, what more can you debate?That's my point. And as for the "[Rolling eyes at the hyocrisy...] " ..way to be mature.....