With
WTSmed Supplements
WTSmed Supplements are an
assortment of dietary supplements that are aimed at restoring normal health and wellness. They are made up natural substances
such as herbs, vitamins, and minerals, and are available without
a prescription (most of our formulas can be obtained directly on
this web site, but some
can only be obtained from a doctor).
Plants
vs. Prescriptions
Restored organ function
with just plants / herbs? Some people seem to have the impression
that since herbs aren't regulated like drugs and don't require a
prescription like drugs, they can't make much of a difference. That's
a misconception.
Actually, the regulation
of drugs began (in the early 1900's) in large part because of a
problem with the safety and efficacy of man-made drugs, not herbs.
Man-made drugs that lacked efficacy and often contained addictive
or harmful substances started showing up in the market. Drug regulation
(like FDA-approval and the requirement of a doctor's prescription)
was instituted to protect the public from ineffective and potentially
dangerous patented (commercially valuable) man-made drugs.
Drug regulation was never
meant to show that herbs don't work and that drugs do, but to see
that drugs are safe enough and worthwhile enough to go on and stay
on the market. It was already known that herbs are safe enough and
worthwhile enough to be on the market. That's why food substances
(such as herbs) that are already present in the food supply are
not regulated like drugs are. The FDA does require proper labeling
on herbs, however, as it does on all foods.
Why would companies be
so anxious to introduce man-made drugs? One big reason is that they
are patentable because they are not already found in nature. A patent
gives a company exclusive rights to market a drug, and a chance
to make a lot of money. However, tampering with nature can be very
risky. In fact, many big laws in drug regulation were signed into
law only after large-scale drug disasters.
For example, the 1938
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was propelled through Congress and
into law after a public outcry when a Tennessee drug company put
out a new pediatric antibiotic elixir (which contained a solvent
similar to antifreeze) that resulted in the death of over 100 people,
many of them children.
Yes, herbs can have restorative
effects on the body. Herbs have been used for centuries, and were
the medicines doctors and pharmacists used before patented drugs
came along. Many prescription drugs on the market today still have
as their primary ingredient compounds extracted from plants.
Interestingly, doctors
in other countries that are experienced with herbs shake their heads
at the American mentality. They laugh that Americans will take an
herb that has very beneficial properties and that is nontoxic and
then try to isolate the "active ingredient", as if there
is only one. The other compounds in the plants that are discarded
are apparently very beneficial because the isolated ingredient often
has less restorative effects and causes much greater side effects
than the herb itself.
Why would Americans do
that? One reason is that a single, isolated ingredient can be patented
as it is or with a slight modification; whereas, a whole plant cannot
be.
Whole plants
- can be more beneficial
- can have fewer side
effects
- are not as profitable
Isolated ingredients
- can be less restorative
- have greater side
effects
- are more profitable
(because of patenting and advertising)
Another issue is that
isolated ingredients might be very effective at treating a specific
symptom but may not be enough by themselves to correct an underlying
problem. This actually makes them even more profitable.
When patients have symptoms,
they want them to go away. Many times the symptoms are so bad that
even if they don't go away forever, just having them go away for
a few hours would be a wonderful relief. Paradoxically, patients
can sometimes be more grateful to have their symptoms eased for
a time, rather than cured completely.
When their symptoms go
away with a drug and then come back when the treatment is stopped,
it can confirm in the patients' minds that there really is something
wrong and that the only thing that stands between them and awful
symptoms is the drug. Patients can become very grateful to the doctors
and for the drug even though, or maybe even because they are dependent
on them (often for life).
On the other hand, when
patients' feel better with natural medicines and remain
improved after the supplement is stopped, patients can sometimes
conclude, "Well, maybe I didn't really have a problem,"
or, "I guess my body finally overcame it." And outside
observers such as family members and doctors might conclude, "Well,
you must have not really had a problem." Or, "You must
have gotten better by yourself or because of a placebo reaction,"
even though they had been sick for years and didn't have a placebo
reaction with all the other things they had tried.
Interestingly, it's gotten
to the point that many doctors and patients don't consider it real
illness or real medicine unless it's "treating the symptoms
for life". But how much more real benefit is there in people actually
enjoyng normal health and function that actually remain improved?
By focusing on single
molecules and treating symptoms for life, modern medicine can often
sound very detailed about "what's wrong" (diagnosis) and
tests, yet be very weak on treatment, or actually correcting the
problems. On the other hand by focusing on whole plants (and other
natural substances) that can support organ function, the field of restorative medicine
is very big on restoring health but it's often difficult to say how all
the ingredients in a plant worked together in the body to actually
restore and support function.
More
Than One Molecule,
More Than One Plant
We believe that many
compounds within a given plant can work together to help restore
certain organ functions. Consequently, whole plants are put into
WTSmed Supplements, not just isolated molecules. If you look around at
different herbs on the market you'll notice that most herbal products
only contain one herb, or plant. But just as one molecule is often
not enough to restore health, neither is one plant.
Supporting health often
requires a particular combination of herbs taken in different quantities
at the same time. But how much of which herbs might you have to
take? It would take an expert to know that. Fortunately, Dr. Michael
Friedman is an expert. He has formulated WTSmed Supplements in such a
way that each bottle could be considered a complete herbal kit unto
itself (many WTSmed Supplements contain a combination of 5 or more herbs).
In addition, one WTSmed Supplement can be combined with other WTSmed Supplements to lend even
more support. Thus, instead of just one molecule,
- a single herb can
have a nice balance of dozens of compounds
- one WTSmed Supplement
can have half a dozen herbs
- patients can often
benefit from taking more than one WTSmed Supplement at the same time
time.
Instead of just one molecule,
patients taking WTSmed Supplements can often benefit from hundreds of
compounds working together to restore health.
Absolutely
Fascinating
It is fascinating that
different organ systems (circulatory system, respiratory system,
digestive system) carry out different body functions, and that different
herbs can help different organ systems. In other words, the functions
of the body are organized by organ systems, and the herbs that benefit
the functions of the body also seem to be organized by organ system
(not just particular functions).
For example, there's
an herb that can correct both low heart rate and high
heart rate. Another herb can help the digestive system with several
different functions (excess acid, inflammation of the bowel, and ulceration of the bowel). Another herb can help with more than one liver function.
In addition, some herbs can also help more than one organ system
at a time.
Unlike drugs that are
typically aimed at single symptoms (anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory,
anti-diarrhea, etc.), herbs tend to restore specific organs
and/or organ systems.
It seems beyond coincidence
that
- animals are made up
of organs and organ systems
- certain plants tend
to benefit certain organs and organ systems
It seems that both animals
and the benefits of plant are organized according to organs and
organ systems.
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