Saturday, May 11, 2013

Unconventional methods pt II

Today, I'm looking at naturopathy vs pills to help people quit smoking.

What is naturopathy? [na-chur-ah-puh-thy] Basically, hippie medicine. It's a real, medical practice that takes four years to earn a degree in. Only fifteen states in the US license naturopathists. Oregon is one of them. It uses nature, i.e. plants, herbs, spices, to treat illnesses just like medicine at the hospital. There are naturopathists just as there are optometrists and pediatricians.
I've read that smoking causes deficiencies of protein, fiber, B, C and E vitamins, as well as iron and beta-carotene; at the same time, it exacerbates these deficiencies. This is because a) smokers generally have poor diets, not eating as much of the food that gives us these nutrients (fruits and veggies) and b) the smoke itself depreciates them in our bodies. When we don't have enough nutrients, we're more susceptible to health problems like cancer and heart disease.
As for the anxiety associated with quitting smoking due to nicotine withdrawal, Valerian, Motherwort, Vervain and Skullcap are some of the herbs used in naturopathy to strengthen the nervous system. Generally, naturopathists prescribe herbal medicine as well as a change of diet catering to the different stages of quitting smoking. Almonds, for example, are supposed to repair some of the damage caused by smoking according to this study.

So what if this sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo? What if the people in white coats with MD/PhDs are the only doctors to be trusted with prescriptions? Do pharmacies provide better cures than the produce section? Here's what I found concerning "quit smoking pills:"

Cancer.org has a short list of prescription drugs designed to help smokers quit. They're mostly some kind of brain pill, meaning they are antidepressants promoting they alleviate withdrawal symptoms or actually mess with the chemicals or cells in your brain. Clonidine is a blood pressure drug also listed. Every single one has a side effect, ranging from drowsiness to suicidal thoughts. I've even seen some people completely scared off by the side effects of Chantix.
Most of the studies done to show their effectiveness are around four weeks, which I don't think is long enough. People return to smoking six months, even years later. Some people are on again-off again smokers their whole lives.

I have to say that I've never been a fan of using man-made chemicals to treat or cure anything you can't fix yourself. I understand getting a leg blown off requires more than tree sap and sewing needles to fix, and post-injury pain management is a bitch, but trying to cure things like obesity, depression, and back pain are 99% of the time caused by shit you do to yourself and 99% of the time reversible if you just don't do whatever it is you're doing wrong, or start doing something you're not and you should. Like eating healthy and exercising. Some people can't wrap their heads around the fact that the human body is made to consume plants (and animals...?) and move. So they take pills and go through expensive treatments and procedures to fix what they're breaking.
I think if a better diet, taking some herbal supplements, and moving around more can help quit smoking, not to mention that it just promotes better health in general, there's no need for prescription drugs to (try to) do the same. I don't think eating fruits and vegetables has ever had any negative side effects, do you?

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