Americans spend billions every year on prescription drugs and several billion more on other dietary and health supplements. In many parts of the globe, people use traditional methods of medication using herbs and natural sources that have been in practice for centuries.
The end goal is the same: people want to take the safest and most effective option available, whether it is food, herbs, or a pharmaceutical drug.
Each route has its pros and cons in terms of regulation, cost, time of recovery, and the effect of personal allergies and problems. However, you must understand the differences between natural remedies and pharmaceutical drugs to make an informed decision in the future. Here is an overview of the key advantages of both alternatives.
Why Should You Take Natural Medication?
1. Tried and Tested for Centuries
Natural remedies are typically treatment procedures that people have followed in the past and passed down from generation to generation. While newly released drugs need to undergo several rounds of human or animal trials, natural medicines have been tested on humans for years.
This track record should give you confidence that the process works, perhaps even more than the patents and papers that support prescription drugs.
2. The Body Heals Itself
The principle of natural medicine is that it helps the body repair itself without any synthetic external agent. The human body is designed to build immunity over time and recover, so using natural remedies is the more natural process of curing yourself in the long run.
By implementing natural medication, you also change your lifestyle into a healthier one with the correct food intake and a sufficient amount of exercise and rest.
Naturally available ingredients from plant and animal sources are less likely to cause side-effects in the human body. However, it is vital to consume the fruits, vegetables, and oils in the unadulterated form.
3. It is Inexpensive
Since there are no artificial ingredients or chemicals involved, natural remedies are relatively cheaper than pharmaceutical alternatives. From vegetables that you grow in your backyard to fruits that you can buy from supermarkets to simply changing your lifestyle routine a bit, you can conquer your diseases and ailments with natural medication with minimal expenses.
Since you can administer these medicines at home, you also cut down on costs that you would otherwise be spending on doctor visits. The natural medication targets the cause of an ailment, whereas pharmaceutical drugs target the effect(s).
This fact explains why you often find yourself cured faster when you take tablets than natural foods to treat the same ailment. Prescription drugs do have other advantages when compared to natural remedies, as discussed below.
Why are Pharmaceutical Remedies Better Suited?
1. Drugs Can Cure Multiple Ailments at Once
Pharmaceutical drugs are human-made, which means they can be tailored to cure a particular set of symptoms. So, scientists and doctors can develop medicines that treat multiple symptoms simultaneously.
For example, it is possible to make a drug that is intended to treat diabetes and reduce the likelihood of contracting breast cancer. Likewise, flu vaccines typically produce various antibodies in the immune system that prevent the body from contracting similar diseases again in the future.
2. Speed of Relief
The most attractive aspect of pharmaceutical drugs is the fast-action relief they provide. Whether you consume a syrup for the common cold or take sleep aids at night, you can see the effect of the medication immediately within a few hours.
Drugs employ strong chemicals that find their way into the body in different modes, so some medicines come as pills while others are in liquid form.
Orally administered drugs first go to the liver and then the bloodstream while IV injections directly enter the bloodstream, after which the body metabolizes them.
Pharmaceutical drugs are often considered to be a more powerful means of fighting disease than natural medicine. For example, in today’s COVID-ridden world, natural medication helps the body build immunity. Still, a vaccine containing human-made drugs and toxins is likely to be the solution to eliminate the virus.
3. Easily Available
Most of you consult a physician or family doctor if you fall sick, and the majority of doctors are likely to suggest pharmaceutical pills as a cure. Some ingredients for natural medication are readily available. In contrast, others are rare, whereas, in the case of pills or drugs, pharmacies would have stock because it gives them business.
Moreover, natural medication would require you to extract the juice or grind the pulp or carry out some process with the ingredients, which could be time-consuming. Consuming a readymade pill is a simpler and quicker solution.
What is the Best Medicine?
The drug industry has undergone significant developments over the last couple of decades that there are medicines and pills available for most diseases and ailments.
Another indirect advantage of pharmaceutical medicines is that the years of research scientists have conducted helped humans understand their bodies better. On the other hand, natural medication is tried and tested on enough people in the generations before us.
The chemicals used in pharmaceutical medication may cause allergic reactions, especially if you consume (by accident) some creams or ointments that are meant only for external application. Natural medicines, on the other hand, do not cause adverse effects even if consumed or inhaled by mistake.
Natural medicines are safer, cheaper, and prepare the human body to tackle diseases in the long run. If your doctor prescribes some tablets or pills, it is for your good, but remember to never consume (or overdose on) pharmaceutical drugs without the consent of a trained doctor.
You can almost surely find home remedies and names of drugs online to treat your sickness, but while the home medication is relatively safer to try out, do not do the same with drugs (even the OTC ones).
Ultimately, the choice of the best pain medicine or the best fever tablet is a personal one: it depends on how much you trust your doctor, how much money you want to spend, whether you want a short-term or long-term cure, and many other parameters.
If you are in a position where you know and appreciate the advantages and limitations of the natural and pharmaceutical alternatives, you can make better decisions regarding your medication.