By Nadine Thomas-Brown, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter, nadine@nasguard.com

There's a war raging in the world of medicine as many people are opting for the path of "natural" or "herbal" remedies, as opposed to taking prescribed medicines from their medical practitioner.

Many doctors are perplexed as to why patients would stop taking prescribed medication and opt for the "natural route". Their advise is not to. They say that while natural remedies may have their place, they may not be the safest bet.

Dr. Martin Brown, a general practitioner cautions that while natural medicines have their uses, they have just as many side effects as natural ones.

The difference he says is that pharmaceutical medicines have been researched and the side effects noted. In fact the drugs have to be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are put on the market, which is not the case for natural medicines.

Dr. Brown said that using "natural" and "herbal" remedies may sound appealing to a lot of people, but they should remember that not all "natural" and "herbal" remedies are safe.

"A lot of these "natural" herbal medicines are composed of elements that can cause increased symptoms to those who are already suffering from very serious conditions," said the GP who runs the Kennedy Medical Centre, J.F.K. Drive. "Some herbal remedies are known to cause high blood pressure in the vessels of the lungs, while others may even cause your immune system to weaken, making you more prone to sickness and diseases," he said.

The doctor also noted that with natural medicines you can't be certain that you are only getting the ingredients that you want in every pack purchased. "Although you get the ingredient that you need, there will be some others such as twigs, bark, and other plant materials that may find their way in there along with your herbal medicine. Sometimes, you don't get the ingredients that you really need since the amount of the ingredient can influence its effectiveness on a person."

He added the fact that sometimes herbal medicines may contain some other ingredient at one point, and contain another ingredient at another.

Lajoun Swain, manager of the General Nutrition Center (GNC) Marathon Mall, says he thinks many people opt for "herbal" or "natural" route because they believe they will be able to forego the side effects they get with prescription medication.

However, Swain said his company would never advocate over-ruling a medical doctor's order, and tell a patient to switch from prescription medication to something their store offers.

"We would not do this without a doctor's advice. These [natural remedies] will help to ease you off of pharmaceutical medicines but you need your doctor's advice to come off of it completely because we cannot tell you to do this," he said. "I have not gone to school for 16 years to give you that kind of advice."

Swain says although he believes in the supplements, diet products, teas, and skin and hair care products his store sells, he is not a doctor.

Dr. Vanessa Arellan, an online health writer, notes that for whatever reason, patients are exploring the role of herbal remedies, and she questions whether this was a step in the right direction.

"Many patients are not aware of the fact that the herbal medicine industry is not regulated. What this means is that bottle you are holding in your hand at the herbal drug store may or may not contain the levels of product they claim. It can also mean that other herbal drug products may be contained in that liquid, pill, capsule that are not listed in the ingredients."

In the United States some herbal remedy producers are now asking the medical establishment to do double-blind studies on their products according to Dr. Arellan which she said shows that some of the companies are respecting their patients enough to prove their claims and determine the validity of the claims with respect to their products.

Dr. Arellan cautioned that some companies have set up internal tests to make claims that their products have undergone double-blind studies. It ends up being the same company doing the testing. "Of course they will find their claims backed up, it's financially profitable for them to do so."

Adding to this, Dr. Brown said that while some natural stores may have their clients' best interest at heart, they may be doing them untold harm. The doctor said that he has had countless cases of patients whose naturopathic practitioners have taken them off of pharmaceutical drugs to the patients' detriment.

"Many of them have ended up back here with their blood pressure through the roof and others have even come back after a stroke," he said.

There are many arguments for and against the use of alternative medicine in the treatment of diseases, weight loss and other ailments, everyone agrees that it all boils down to the consumers choice and good sense.