With Economy Sour, Consumers Sweet On Herbal Meds

[Purveyor]

(01-13) 11:01 PST CHICAGO, (AP) --

The choice between $75 prescription sleeping pills or a $5 herbal alternative is a no-brainer for Cathy and Bernard Birleffi, whose insurance costs have skyrocketed along with the nation's financial woes.

The Calistoga, Calif., couple seem to reflect a trend. With many Americans putting off routine doctor visits and self-medicating to save money, use of alternative treatments is on the rise — even though evidence is often lacking on their safety and effectiveness.

Climbing sales of herbal medicines have paralleled the tanking economy, according to an Associated Press review of recent data from market-watchers and retailers.

One prominent example: Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc. says its stores nationwide have seen an increase in sales of nutritional supplements and herbal products in the past several weeks. That's "noteworthy" given the retail industry's financial slump, said Whole Foods spokesman Jeremiah C. McElwee.

While winter is usually a busy time for herbal medicine sales because it's the season for colds and flu, "more people are value shopping" now because of the economy, McElwee said.

Cathy Birleffi says she's among them.

"The doctors are so much higher (in cost), the insurance isn't paying as much," said the 61-year-old self-employed bookkeeper and notary. Her husband, a retired dispatcher, has high blood pressure and seizures. Recent changes in their health insurance coverage resulted in $1,300 in monthly premiums, double what they used to be.

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AP: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/13/national/a110156S74.DTL

[Nikki Stone1]

1. I highly recommend "Calms Forte" at Whole Foods

That stuff always works for me and there's no sleep medicine "hangover" the next day.

[derby378]

2. Consumer, meet snake-oil salesman

This isn't to say that some herbal remedies don't work. I do use a sleep aid that's tryptophan-based that sometimes works wonders.

However, quackery and lax safety standards have permeated the herbal medicine market since DSHEA was signed into law in 1994.

[Warpy]

4. Most people are susceptible to the placebo effect

so as long as the stuff is harmless, there's little problem with taking it if the desired result is achieved.

The problem arises when it's a serious and potentially life threatening problem like cardiovascular disease, cancer, or autoimmune illness.

The stuff is all great if you're not too sick.

[katusha]

3. nobody could have ever predicted...

that pharmaceutical companies greed would lead them to price their products at a rate that is higher than their customers could afford and would lead to them to lose market share. </sarcasm>

i for one am getting fairly tired of these fantasy meets reality moments so common in the bush years also known as the FAIL decade.