Throughout history there have been many treatments promoted with unproven medical benefits. The promoters of these treatments tend to have either an emotional, physical, or financial stake in the treatment, and as a result they exaggerate the benefits.
With skin care products, or with any product for that matter, companies will exaggerate the benefits of their product. This stems from the fact that a corporation's purpose is to "Maximize shareholder wealth."
In response to this, the medical industry is structured in a way that only treatments with hard evidence showing effectiveness will be supported. Hospitals do not have the time or money to verify which treatments work. Instead they look to a third party to verify a treatment's effectiveness. That third party is the FDA.
There are established protocols about how to show if a treatment is effective through clinical studies. Clinical studies are very expensive, and in order to compensate for these costs the FDA grants patent rights and other benefits to companies doing drug research.
There are restrictions about what qualifies as patentable. Drugs are not naturally occurring substances, but are man made, synthesized through chemical reactions in laboratories.
Natural treatments on the other hand, are composed of substances that are naturally occurring. By their very nature, they are not patentable. Companies are not granted any form of compensation for doing clinical studies on natural treatments. What is the end result?
Since the healthcare industry is run almost entirely by corporations and a free enterprise system, it leads to very little clinical research on natural treatments. On the other hand, in order for doctors and the medical industry to give support for a treatment, it generally must be FDA approved.
There exists a double barrier. Not only does the FDA require clinical studies, but it requires numerous studies, and a lengthy drawn out application process that takes many years and costs millions of dollars. That's why prescription drugs are incredibly expensive.
Can you recall a time when you went to the doctor and they recommended a natural treatment? Do you find it odd that the vast majority of recommended treatments by doctors are synthesized drugs that do not occur naturally?
It's very disproportionate. There exists a large biased against natural treatments in the industry.
Is there another possible reason why modern healthcare has an undying love for drugs? Doctors and hospitals are financially supported by drug sales. You have to visit the doctor in order to get a prescription, you have to go to the pharmacist in order to buy it, and you have to pay your health insurance every month as another way of covering those costs.
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