You are more than correct. In the US (under the jurisdiction of the FDA) not only do supplements not guarantee to treat problems, the manufacturer is prohibited from claiming they treat any problem.Sushan wrote: ↑July 4th, 2021, 4:24 amYes, doctors do not have to prescribe them. Anyone can freely buy them. But that does not guarant them anything. What can happen is people can be mislead and go for various supplements rather than following accepted treatment protocols and get their conditions worse. If anyone can buy whatever the supplements they want and treat their own illnesses what is the use of doctors? On the other hand, if such supplements are freely available and good as treatments why they are not supported by health insurances?LuckyR wrote: ↑July 4th, 2021, 3:27 amYour postings are confused or confusing. First, doctors don't prescribe supplements because... they are available without a prescription. They are over the counter. You don't need a doctor to get them. If you think apricot pits will cure your cancer, and are upset that your insurance company never heard of it, good news, you don't need a doctor nor a prescription to buy it.Sushan wrote: ↑July 4th, 2021, 3:10 amThere are accepted ways for treating cancers in Western Medicine. The conventional doctors never and also cannot prescribe whatever the herbal supplements as they need for treatments because there are approved ways and regulations for everything. For that such drugs or supplements should undergo proper research and included in the accepted drug regimes. Being freely available does not make them either accepted or better medicine.LuckyR wrote: ↑July 4th, 2021, 3:01 am
You are bringing up several mildly interesting but unrelated issues.
First, you are correct that you can't patent a natural product. Why should you be able to? They're found naturally, they're not your's.
Second, herbal medicine is well recognized in modern medicine, ie it is a myth that modern medicine is unaware of natural products. True, large drug companies aren't enthusiastic about products with a low profit margin, but everyone who has walked by the supplement aisle knows that they are widely available at this time, so go ahead cure your cancer with apricot pits.
As to doctors using medications off label (for nonFDA approved uses) that's done all day, every day. It's routine.
Here's the situation.
1. No one can patent a natural product.
2. In order to show something works it needs to be studied
3. Studies cost money
4. No one is going to pay for a study to show that an unprofitable product works.