[Jacob-list] just to rattle some chains out there.....

[Linda Bjarkman]

I agree with you, Mary Ellen, that we should not just assume that herbs and dirt(?) 
are safe or effective.  We should (and most of the serious herbalists I know do - 
(I'm not a serious herbalist anymore than I am a doctor)) research and read and 
perhaps understand the chemical composition and the relationship to "modern" drugs.  
(My doctor prescribes herbals when he feels they are the best choice and our 
pharmacist attends herbal conferences).  I had a minor problem using a very popular 
herb which I took without researching it and I'm not going to continue to blindly 
assume that ingesting trees is safe. 

But, we can certainly see the effects of medically approved treatments gone wrong.  
Thalidomide was probably one of the most horrific and publicised of my generation, 
but there have sure been others.  When radiation was first approved for cancer 
treatments, no one knew how much to use, so they just used all they could.  The 
effects of that are now being seen.  And, if we watch any TV or read any newspapers, 
we can't avoid seeing drug recalls - "Oops, sorry" says the FDA.  I'm abit skeptical 
about their claims on a long term basis as I don't think that most of the FDA test 
scan 30 years.  

Yep - I'll use some herbs and I'll use some prescription drugs, but I won't use any 
of them without knowing as much as I possibly can about what's I'm taking.  

Since we are talking here about sheep and not MY sore throat, I think that doctoring 
livestock is abit different from taking your children to the doctor.  I want to know 
what I'm giving to my sheep, but I have a much more casual attitude towards 
doctoring them than I had with my daughter.  As for topical treatments, if I try an 
herbal ointment and it doesn't work, I'll just go get some TripleB or inject some 
antibiotic.  I can try herbal wormers and by using fecal exams know if they are 
working.  If not - go for the chemicals.  I had the vet out when a ram got tangled 
in the electric fence and suffered nerve damage - the treatment? keep him alive 
until he recovers.  Sometimes that is all you can do for a sheep.  BTW, he did 
recover after being down for two weeks, but his lambs were so ugly, he died shortly 
after lambing season.

Linda





On Sat, 3 Jan 2004 13:05:54 -0800 (PST), Mary Hansson wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Can anybody explain ON A CHEMICAL/SCIENTIFIC basis, what the difference is in
>using a manufactured antibacterial versus using a product like tea tree oil? I
>see people every day that self-medicate themselves with herbals and dirt (yes,
>I did say "dirt") and think that is just wonderful, but are scared to death to
>do what their doctor has recommended.....when there is NO control whatsoever
>other than faith in the herbal preparation, and there have been years and
>hundreds of carefully controlled studies proving relative safety of the
>doctor's suggestions......  I guess it just amazes me on a daily basis.
>
>I also use herbals under specific circumstances, so I am not poo-pooing
>them.....but I am asking very seriously for an explanation not founded in
>purely a "nature has got to be best" answer.
>
>Mary Ellen