I was admitted to hospital with a life threatening infection after an injury at work. After megadoses of antibiotic drips i was sent home but 2 days later the infection raged back up again. I was told that the bacteria was immune to the antibiotics.

They wanted to chop my leg off. I refused. The consultant told me to take colloidal silver, he could not prescrie it because it was not listed as a medication.

Within 2 days of taking colloidal silver the infection rapidly subsided.

I never lost my leg but then went through a 2 year battle to restore my health due to the ravaging effects of having so many antibiotics.

I think these 2 doctors are entiteled to their opinions but thank god they are not my physicians.

As a grateful user and patient of certain alternative therapies, I have no problem with most of the claims quoted in this article. Indeed, finding an effective treatment for oneself does require careful investigation, as well as the process of trial and error.

However, the ambiguous title of this piece sets an unfortunate tone . The phrase "seldom effective" is misleading in that it implies that all natural remedies may be grouped and viewed in the same way, i.e. unlikely to to be effective. This is out of line with the actual quoted findings, which include evidence supporting the efficacy of some treatments, and hint at a huge variation in the types products and treatments claiming to be effective.

It is disappointing to see the important work of health scientists being regularly unveiled to the public in this skewed manner, compromising the public benefits of progressing research for the sake of provocation.

Modern medicine isn't exactly what I would call 'healthy – just look at the food that is served in hospitals and the next-to-nil dietary advice handed out by doctors. Modern medicine is there to serve a function: to fix people's symptoms asap. Using alternative medicine to heal oneself is much more of a commitment and many people aren't prepared to take the responsibility and time that it takes to do this. With regards to this article: 'natural remedies seldom work' – this may be because the dosages are too low (Imagine killing yourself with too many herbs! As if!) and these remedies aren't always coupled with a healthy diet. Go figure.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/6266212/Healthy-baby-dies-after-hospital-visit

Has the Green Party taken over Stuff's comment section?

It's embarrassing that people make up conspiracies about doctors being paid by "corrupt" pharmaceutical companies! The main drugs in use in NZ have had their patents expire many years ago, and are dirt cheap made by generic companies. That's the whole point of Pharmac!

Aspirin, penicillin, digoxin, colchicine (for gout), podophyllotoxin (for warts), vincristine (for cancer) and thousands of other drugs come natural sources. But we can say that "penicillin affects the synthesis of a bacterial cell wall" or "aspirin inhibits cyclooxygenase stopping prostaglandin synthesis and inhibiting platelet clotting".

What the hell is deer antler velvet meant to do? But by all means, take Rescue Remedy because you need a placebo for your anxiety (which is actually caused by poor coping skills).

But what about the healing power of crystals?

hahaha doctors don't get the $ for natural remedies thats why they say they don't work

Andy Dorn #7 I agree with you. I had sinus all my life. No doctor ever FIXED it. They just prescribed medicines to relieve it. A few years ago after a very bad bout I decided to think outside the square. I went to a Chinese acupuncturist and as in your experience after about 15 minutes he pronounced that I would have permanent relief. So far so good. To think I spent a fortune on doctors over the years for no benefit (except the doctor). I would strongly recommend anyone with sinus, seek out a Chinese medicine practitioner and get something proper done about it.

1) To the poster who mentioned "toxic vaccines". That makes me so angry. If there is one single miraculous thing that humans have done it is the ability to eradicate horrible diseases like smallpox and polio through vaccination. I often say to parents who don't want to vaccinate their children "how many kids died in your primary school class from infectious diseases"; the answer is always none. Then I explain that as little as 100 years ago you would have lost on average 3 class mates to polio, diptheria etc. These are not insignificant diseases and today our children grow up without that 10-15% risk of premature death by infectious disease largely because of vaccination.

2) The argument that these remedies are good "because they have been around since the beginning of time" or because they pre-date modern medicine is such folly, its nonsense. Ideas almost always supersede others because they are better for humanity. By that backwards reckoning slavery, or the cruel beating of school children, or preventing women from voting must have some application today since though ideas all pre-date our modern moral sensibilities and have been around since the beginning of time. Rubbish.

3) What tripe those comments are about using the remedies on animals are. Cats recover from sores and abscesses in the wild all the time, it had nothing to do with the silver. Goats calmer from rescue remedy? Can't you see that IS a placebo effect, the goat handlers knew the goats were getting the treatment, they are only subjective observers or the goats behaviour and their observation is going to be affected by the prior knowledge that the goats are being treated. The placebo worked on them, its unavoidable.

I'm a firm believer in "if it works for you - then do it."

We very rarely get to analyse when Doctors prescribe the wrong medicine or treatment as in recent media cases - they bury their mistakes. Example - last week a friend presented at A & E with server tightness and pains in the chest, numbness down the arm and into back then started vomiting. Even with no medical experience - they’re classic heart symptoms. A and E were too busy and suggested he had a virus and see his own GP. He was sent home with morphine. He died the next day of a heart attack.

You cant always trust the medical profession either.