Lyim said:
The converse of this discussion, is the fact that modern medicine saves lives - many, many more than herbs ever have. Though it's a great idea that herbs can do great things, and I do ascribe to using them, it is foolish to flat out dismiss the power of medicine.
I hate to say it, but the brutal fact is that a vast majority of people alive today would be dead if not for immunizations and antibiotics.
I agree there is a place for allopathic medicine. In the cases where there has been trauma to the body there is an absolute need for emergency medicine. I also believe there may be a need for allopathic medicine in situations where the body has become so toxic it takes an unnatural intervention to reverse damage.
So, while I do agree there is a place for allopathic medicine I also believe that natural methods should be implored whenever possible. Consider the hundreds of thousands of people that die each year due to medical malpractice or the babies and children injured and even die due to vaccinations.
I will say antiobiotics may have a place, but it is also important to understand that antiobiotics destroy good bacteria in the body as well as harmful and throw the body out of balance. The overuse of antibiotics by the allopathic community has also caused stronger and more dangerous strains of bacteria to develop. And when you consider there are herbs out there like Garlic or Echinacea that are antiviral as well as antibacterial I prefer to heal my body naturally by God given means.
Consider in the Bible, God teaches us that the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). Back in the 1800's allopathic physicians believed in "blood letting" to heal their patients. Some of these patients, one of which was George Washington, actually died due to loss of blood when he was being treated for strep throat. When we are vaccinated we are injecting viruses (sometimes live viruses) directly into the bloodstream. I have read studies that have shown that deadly epidemics were actually declining before the introduction of vaccines due at least in part to better hygienic practices along with improved nutrition. We can enhance our God given immunity by getting the proper nutrition by eating healthy, organic foods and taking supplements along with taking herbs that enhance immunity instead of eating junk foods and living sedentary lifestyles.
There is an excellent book available that gives a Biblical perspective on vaccinations which can be found at the Creation Science Evagelism website:
http://shopping.drdino.com/shopping.php?cat=Books&sub=Health .
According to an article written in 2000 by the World Health Organization which states, "A recent WHO survey ranked the United States 37th in overall health system performance -- sandwiched between Costa Rica and Slovenia. This dismal showing occurred despite the fact that the United States spends more on health care -- 13.7% of its gross domestic product -- than any other of the 191 WHO nations."
Medicine is man-made while herbs were created by God for medicine (Ezekiel 47:12). I prefer to put my faith in God rather than in man.