Avoid Fake Herbal Medicine Companies

Herbal medicines are consumed by almost 80% of the world’s population. In India alone, the industry stands at a huge $1 billion. The demand comes from the people’s faith in the 5000 year old science of life. Despite many allegations, people never lose their faith in Ayurvedic medicines. This leads to an increase in demand over the years. This is primarily because of the distrust associated to anything chemical, and modern drugs are composed of chemicals and nothing else. Herbal medicines stand for anything natural, and provide us a chance to establish an association with nature. This explains the consumer attitudes behind the purchase decisions.

But, the fly-by-night quack Ayurvedic companies are taking advantage of this faith. According to a recent finding, a whopping twenty percent of Ayurvedic medicines sold over the Internet contains over permissible limits of lead, mercury, or arsenic. The conclusion was arrived at after the researchers of a university purchased 193 samples of medicines available over the Internet and analyzed them for possible toxicity. And their doubts came to be true. 

This is shocking since the herbal medicine market is mainly a export oriented market and the main demand comes from the foreigners, affected by health tourism and looking towards the east to fix their physiological problems. These guys are an easily decieved lot, and seldom cross check the products or even the profile of the company. The decision is influenced by an eye catching design of the website and a compelling copy that enthralls the readers. Some aggressive and often misguided SEO efforts lead to high Page Rank which makes the company listed among the first few pages of any search engine. Most of these products flaunt a GMP certification and there is no means by which you can verify this certification. 

So, if you are living abroad and looking for herbal remedies to relieve you of asthma or other chronic illnesses, then don’t go for any Tom-Dick-or Harry manufacturer. Take time to know more about the disease, its chances of recovery and the available medications. If you are purchasing something over the Internet, do a Google search for the company to look for any media mention or press release that has come out in a national daily. Also, look for the research and development work of the company. Remember, Ayurveda is not just a quack medication. You can’t just mix some herbs, boil them and say, “Here is a miracle cure for Asthma!” It requires careful clinical experimentation and a proper lab-oriented approach to churn out the right medicine. Thankfully, the research work of Asoka Lifescience Limited is undertaken by Jadavpur University, one of the largest universities in Asia. Just the right approach needed to rub off the blemishes that fake companies put on Ayurveda.

Paracetamol-Asthma Ties Revisited

Asthma is said to have been caused by a number of factors that include exposure to allergens, genetic factors, air pollution, passive smoking, and stress among others. But, if we go by some recent studies conducted by a medical research institute in New Zealand, the risk of a person getting asthma increases manifold if that particular individual had taken paracetamol painkiller as a kid. The conclusion was arrived at after analyzing the data of studies conducted on more than 200,000 children spanning 31 countries. The topic of the study was the risk factor present in asthma, eczema, and hay fever. It was found that if a child is given paracetamol to treat fever in the first year of life, he/she runs a 46% risk of developing asthma by the age of 6 or 7. 

The scientific explanation offered for this is that the ‘glutathione’ present in the lungs defends the airways from pollution and smoke. The action of paracetamol reduces this level of glutathione and makes the delicate airways of the lungs vulnerable to allergic attacks.

It is not an overnight proposition that paracetamol intake in your childhood influences your chances of getting asthma. In fact, this allegation has been there for the last ten years and many studies have linked these two as a remote cause-and-effect proposition. However, the sheer volume of the sample survey looks convincing enough for the people to come to a conclusion. If this is found to be true, it could lead to a remarkable discovery in the field of chronic respiratory distress, since the usage of paracetamol is quite high in all age groups.

Alternatively, one could also look for other ways to reduce fever in children without resorting to allopathic medication. One good way to bring the temperature down is by sponging the child’s body with lukewarm water. In fact, there is a famous quote by French playwright Moliere. It runs like this: “Most men die of their remedies, not of their illnesses”. We, as a race so dependant on medication and complaining of side effects would do better by following the saying!