A brief history

[withing]

I'm putting this in the weighty side effects forum because of the sudden interest in hoodia - or whatever it's called.

I just want to point something out.  Suppliments like hoodia do not undergo FDA testing or approval.  The aren't subjected to laboratory studies.  All we have is word of mouth, and the inflated claims of the advertisements trying to sell them.

In traditional Indian cultures, there is a natural plant that was once considered a benevolent deity. It was regarded as a sacred goddess who could bless humans with power. By chewing this plant, there occurs a mild stimulating effect, similar to drinking several cups of strong coffee. In this way, these people have combated heat, cold, hunger, and fatigue for millennia. The people still use the leaves medicinally for digestive illness, altitude sickness, and psychological ills.  The leaves themselve cause no ill effects.

They

[Jemini]

Do the same for any drug, for that matter. Most people do not remotely know the histories nor the "peer-reviewed clinical trial" evidence supporting the claims of the advertisers of the drugs they are taking. They take it on faith. Look up this stuff. Most meds discussed on these forums haven't been around nearly as long as cocaine had been in popular use in 1890.

I'm not attacking what you wrote, patheral. It's well-written and persuasive (and I agree). I'm just adding the point that the same logic applies to things that have received FDA approval (which ain't what it used to be).

[Guest prefers to remain]

Unfortunately... most people don't have the time to research every drug.  If it's FDA approved and prescribed by a doctor, I'm pretty much gonna take it on faith that it's okay unless I get some serious side effects. Then I'll research to see if it's the drug or something else.

For suppliments, research is hard to do - especially online.  Type "hoodia" in the google engine and most of what pops up is advertisement.  How does one recommend we do this research without getting buried in false advertising?

[Jemini]

I've learned things from my local library and from browsing a large Barnes & Noble with a great psychology section. Friends have asked me before why I didn't sue certain doctors for the things they've done, like taking me off benzos cold turkey, and I basically feel that those doctors were no more negligent than I was for not learning about the drugs I was taking and what they might do. Now I always need to know, because I've learned so many things about the meds I have taken.