Is "alternative" medicine a scam?

I have asthma and am told to stay away from conventional products such as soap, shampoos, sunscreens, deodorants, toothpastes, and mouthwashes cause of the chemicals. I am told to STOP using dial soap, colgate toothpaste, right guard deodorant and head & shoulders and start using alternative products such as Toms of Maine and Aubrey and Dr Bronner products from a health food store that are "natural and safe." Im sorry but natural products DONT DO THE JOB when it comes to personal hygiene. I have tryed these natural products and they didnt get me clean and they did not keep body odor away for long. Not only that I tryed toms of maine toothpaste without floruide and i had two more cavities. the dentist told me to go back to uysing conventional toothpaste with fluoride.Is their any scientific evidence that these natural and alternative products are any safer or any better? I never hear of anyone getting cancer from dial soap or Colgate toothpaste. I think the Food and Drug and Administration regulates conventional products like dial and colgate and others to ensure their safety. I dont like spending $2.50 for a bar of Toms of Maine soap or Dr Bronners soap just because its "natural."Here is a website that says to focus more on natural products for safety..www.goodguide.com.I think alternative anything is a scam. I want scientific proof or facts to back up claims to make sure some products are unsafe and will cause cancer. Otherwise im going back to using conventional products. Anyone got any good websites or knowledge dubunking alternative myths? Does anyone agree with me? Whats your stance on "alternative products?" Waste of money or not?

It sounds like the reason you were told to avoid Dial, Right Guard, etc. is more for avoidance of the fragrances. With asthma, fragrance can often trigger an attack. The "natural" products are usually fragrance free, hence the recommendation that you use them. Some of the natural products work just as well as the others and some don't. It can be expensive trying the different products in an attempt to find those that work for you. In my own experience, most of the soaps, shampoos, deodorants, tampons, etc. do not perform as well as mainstream products. I haven't had much success in finding many that I would buy again. As for whether it's bunk or not, I can only say that I have worked in healthcare for a good number of years. I know very few physicians or nurses who purchase and use these "natural" products on a regular basis. If they were so much better/safer than what we can buy at the corner drug store, wouldn't every doctor be using them? To me, it's much like the ads you see for certain supplements that claim they will prevent cancer and all that. If these products really did that, every doctor in the US would be advising their patients to use them. Lots of people will come back at that and say no, doctor's don't tell you because they want your money. Well......BS is all I can say. Major drug companies, maybe. Individual doctors (or rather the majority of them) are practicing medicine because they truly want to help people. If there was a magic cure-all, they'd tell you about it, believe me!

People who sell 'alternate medicine' are just trying to get a quick buck. Many people prey on the vulnerable to serve their own ends.The best way to treat asthma is to exercise - swimming is good. Stay active, happy, eat well, and take preventers everyday and relief sprays when you need to. See your doctor about a asthma control plan. Immunotherapy is also available to make your body less sensitive to whatever you're allergic to. Do conventional hygiene products cause you a lot of pain and irritation? If so, see a real doctor. If all they do is make your underarms burn or make you sneeze a bit, I wouldn't worry about it.Alternate quacks say that fluoride is from the devil. They like to lump certain minerals and foods into categories - good and bad. What they don't tell you is that everything is good - as long as you take the right amount. Fluoride is very important for healthy teeth - but too much damages your teeth. They also say sugar and salt is evil - but we need those too!The FDA doesn't always ensure that what we're buying and using is totally safe. Just look at the number of alternative medicine products on our shelves!!!Quacks like to use buzzwords that make themselves sound more intelligent than they really are, without explaining their meaning. Did they explain WHY conventional products are bad for you? They'll probably tell you it's a "chemical imbalance" or "toxins" without telling you what they actually are and their exact chemical properties or processes.In short, hack medicine is a waste of time. They avoid scientific study and make bogus studies in their place, so they're not exposed for the FRAUDS that they are. They'll tell you you can "cure yourself" when specialists exist to try to heal you, they tell you to "think for yourself" when they're actually brainwashing YOU!Quacks will claim that new medicines are being suppressed by the government, when people forget scientists and doctors who are trying to find REAL cures suffer themselves. When quack medicine 'works' it's because you didn't need any healing in the first place, and when it 'fails' they'll tell you "if only you came sooner!"Alternative medicine is a bust. Chinese medicine needs to be scientifically tested, so I wouldn't throw my whole lot in with that. Homeopathy and 'New Age medicine' is no good. Trust only empirically tested science!