There have been so many errors about alternative medicine in the last few days, I felt I had to clarify a few things. I thought carefully about doing this. It seems every few months I am called on to "defend" my profession, and forget that I have been spoiled by my alt-med lists I participate in. So, I am explaining in the hopes of educating the readers of this list. I am a Dr. of Naturopathy. This means I can use some 20 different disciplines available in the field today. I choose herbs, vitamin and mineral correction, nutrition, homeopathy, and flower essences. My dissertations and articles on The Athena List are on herbs. I have also written for some other alt-med sites. First of all someone used "herbs" and "supplements" in the same post. Herbs are not supplements. Some supplement formulations may contain some herbs. A natural food supplement can contain a variety of products. They are composed of, derived from, or byproducts of, foods that provide health benefits. They can be high in certain nutrients and what they call "active" ingredients. Examples would be aloe vera, fish oils, fibers, and brans. Different companies have better or worse reputations, and yes are unregulated. When I helped a friend update her health food store we would call different suppliers and ask what was in a formulation and why. This is the same thing I did while buying for the pharmacy for 4 years, an AMA pharmacy. If the supplier could not answer my questions we did not carry the product. The 2 who did fly the owners out to see their operations were Solgar and Nature's Way, so I always recommend them. They have very little fillers. Someone mentioned the uselessness of Glucosamine. Well it may be you were given the wrong supplement. There is Glucosamine Chondroitin (which "helps" the body rebuild collagen and reform bones). It takes up to 6 weeks to begin to work, but I have had 2 orthopedic doctors refer clients to use it in lieu of surgery. Glucosamine Sulfate is an amino sugar, and is a component of the carbohydrates that are incorporated into the structure of body tissues. It is involved in the formation of nails, tendons, skin, eyes, bones, ligaments, and heart valves. Again, knowledgable cardio surgeons do put patients on this supplement. It too takes some weeks to render an effect. Most people decry alternatives as not working because they are either uninformed as to the length of time for an effect to become apparent and stop after a week or two, or too impatient. The medicinal benefits of herbs have been found in the writings of the Romans, Egyptians, Native Americans, Persian, and Hebrew Medical practices. There is a huge text called "Herbs of the Bible." An herb is a plant. It does not have any supplemental properties whatsoever. It has medicinal constituents that can either be isolated out (as in AMA pharmacy). It can be used as the whole plant with the plant's "natural buffering agents" counterbalancing and harmonizing the body's reaction to the plant. Herbs can take up to 6 weeks to work. They are very subtle and because they provoke no "immediate" bodily reaction (say 2 hours like an aspirin), it is hard to tell if one is working. One slowly feels better without any vast change. We are so used to coming out of a doctor's office with a prescription that works within hours or days very few have the education and dedication to good health to put up with the 6 weeks' wait. Most of the bad-press we have on herbal interactions have occurred because the patient did not either tell his physician he was using an herb, or did not have his pharmacist check for interactions. There is a wealth of uneducation out there. But there are good natural health practitioners who have a bad rap because of the companies who get on the bandwagon to sell supplements without any of the actual herb in it, and from folks who are in it for the big bucks. I treat some patients for free and we have a free clinic day each week for those who cannot pay. Vitamins are essential to life. They regulate metabolism and assist biochemical processes that release energy from digested food. They are considered "micronutrients" because the body needs them in small amounts, compared to nutrients such as carbs, fats, proteins and water. If you check your formulas some ferret foods contain vitamins. Every living cell on this planet needs minerals for proper structure and function. Minerals contribute to body fluids, the formation of blood and bone, maintenance of healthy nerve function, the regulation of muscle tone, including that of the cardiovascular system. They can function as coenzymes, helping the body to function, producing energy, helping growth and healing. They greatly assist animals. There are others I use in nutritional enhancement, but this is enough to assimilate for now. I want to thank Bill for his unbelievable patience in allowing the discussion of alternative health care to proceed. I hope we can educate folks on the safe way to be consumers of this emerging field and to see that it can do valuable good for our pets. Warmly ~ Mary L. Conley, ND, Herbalist Conley Farm Organic Herbs ~ Mystical Forest Children's Formulations Online Classes To see articles on herbs and how they traveled around the world go to: www.medicinegarden.com; pull up "Faculty"; then "Mary Conley." There you will get a link to some of my articles. (It's an old pic, and an even older bio). [Posted in FML issue 4167]