Moreover, many of the compounds that Weil and other complementary and alternative medicine practitioners promote to consumers as natural remedies, vitamins, and dietary supplements aren't actually all that "natural." Many supplements sold at retail supplement stores in the U.S. Weil also asserts that extracts of the seeds of milk thistle "protect the liver from toxic injury," and he suggests that red yeast rice is a safe and effective substitute for statin medications for the management of dyslipidemia. He claims, for example, that a "freeze-dried preparation of the leaves of stinging nettle" relieves symptoms of hay fever, and that "extracts of the root of valerian" help to treat insomnia. So far, this sounds quite consistent with our Slow Medicine philosophy.īut where we lose Weil is when he casually describes the potential for botanicals and natural substances to cure disease, sometimes in the place of standard evidence-based therapies. Similarly, he advocates for dietary approaches for dyslipidemia, rather than early use of medications. For example, after explaining the problems with many commonly used psychiatric medications, including the potential for dependence, he suggests lifestyle approaches for managing mental health conditions, such as meditation and yoga. Weil's book also highlights the opportunity for alternative approaches as a substitute for medications. Weil underscores how we are too fast to jump to pharmacological solutions, and explains how many of the medications we use trigger unintended consequences that may be as bad or worse than the problems they aim to treat. The book lays out a compelling indictment of our modern healthcare system, which Weil describes as invasive, wasteful, and expensive.
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