Although many people are turning to alternative treatments hoping
to find safer forms of treatment, alternative treatments can also
pose health risks. Vitamin B5, for example, is known to cause iron
deficiencies in some people. This can lead to serious health problems
such as anemia. Other side effects of the vitamin include fatigue,
weakness, dizziness, and dry skin that easily wounds.
Other problems occur due to lack of regulation of alternative
products. Herbal products, in particular, can cause serious problems.
Herbs can be as powerful as prescription drugs. But, unlike
in prescription drugs, the level of active ingredients in herbal products
and the dosage is not monitored by government agencies.
Often, herbal products themselves, as well as the recommended dosages, are too strong for patients. But many people are unaware
of this. They assume that because herbs are natural and have been
used for thousands of years, these products are safe.
However, high
doses of certain herbs can cause nausea, stroke, heart problems, and
hypersensitive skin. In addition, patients are just as likely to have
an allergic reaction to herbs as to conventional medications. Moreover,
scientists do not know what the long-term effect is of treatment
with these products. This is a special problem when it comes
to treatment with phytoestrogen. As yet, scientists do not know
whether long-term phytoestrogen treatment, like conventional hormonal
therapy, is linked to cancer and heart disease.
In addition, due to the lack of regulation, herbal products may
contain herbs, chemicals, and drugs that are not listed on the label.
For example, a 1999 random sampling in London, England, of
eleven different herbal creams used to treat acne found that eight
of the eleven products tested contained dexamethasone, a powerful
steroid drug that was not listed on the labels. A 2003 article
in SKINmed, a journal for dermatologists, explains:
Guidelines concerning correct identification of the herb, the labeling
of active ingredients, and establishment of purity are
nonexistent. Lack of quality control too often leads to misidentification
and contamination with toxic ingredients including
pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, and hidden drugs with their
resultant ill effects. . . . From the reports of adverse reactions, it
is becoming obvious that a history of traditional use is not a guarantee
of safety.
Yet these problems have not stopped millions of people with
acne from turning to alternative treatments. “There are problems
with every treatment,” an acne patient explains. “Personally, I feel
like natural treatments are gentler. Even if I’m wrong, when prescription
products make your acne worse, and you can’t look in
the mirror without wanting to cry, you’re willing to take a chance
and try something different.”
