Hello Creola, you are absolutely correct. The health business is a monetary cash cow for many companies. Altruism has its place in the world, but when it comes to health, there is a fine line. It would be nice if we could count on the high net worth individuals to not be worried about the bottom line with regards to making more money than they could possibly spend in a life time. But they are far and few between, I wouldn't even know where to look for one of them. I am not naive with regards to the need to make a profit...and the 'cures' are out there, believe me, I know...I have been in this field for 30 years. It is the system and greed, that prevents them from being brought to the forefront. I myself have a protocol that has been very successful in treating cancer, however I do not have the funds to bring it to the market. I would love to do more research on what I have, but I have had no luck finding anyone to fund it, because (and this is the key to what you are bringing up) what I have is not proprietary. In that it isn't a 'new' molecule, it is a formula that destroys cancer cells and stimulates the immune system. The only thing that large corporations want is propriatary IP, and I get this also, because as soon as they put a product into the public domain, everybody that can 'knock it off' will. So, you see the dilemma, if you have something that can help the world, and do not have the proper funding to do what is needed from a business standpoint, the guys with the deep pockets and the distribution channels are just waiting out there to take all your hard work, and literally steal it. Everyone that has a potential cure for something may be sitting on it for this very reason. So, if you run into a 'funding Angel' let me know, and maybe we can change the world!

This question is a matter of pure opinion; no one knows the real answer.

Companies typically serve their own interest.

But, many large pharm companies are involved in a variety of ventures, that may include natural products. Plus, many of the problems addressed by pharmaceuticals are not realistically replaceable with natural products so these companies are no danger to get rid of "natural" competition; for a pharm to be used, a doctor must consent and aware of patient needs.

Additionally, the same may be said of companies that promote natural products; many use propaganda against pharm companies.

I have yet to witness a pharm company used propaganda against natural products.

I respectfully disagree with your assessment, Do you work in the health/herbal industry, as above and as I have stated, I do. The natural health industry is made up of many kinds of people, there is literally no barrier to entry into the market, Anyone can sell these products, many have good intentions and some do not. We can't control who jumps in, but even with this issue, our industry can truthfully say that no one has died from taking nutrition products (direct correlation), while hundreds of thousands of people have died in just the past couple of years from taking drugs. Don't get me wrong, there are times when they are needed, but for the most part, the industry is more dangerous than the natural health industry will ever be.

It wasn't long ago that big pharma was trying to put the natural foods industry out of business. If it was not for DSHEA it would be very difficult to have made the progress we have. Big Pharma owns the FDA as they are a major contributors to their yearly budget. The congressman that have been bought and paid for by big pharma even today are still trying to put this industry out of business (Durbin). The only reason that the drug companies got into the game is because they developed an 'if you can't beat them, then join them' attitude. This is a multi billion dollar a year business now, they wanted a piece of that. I am not sure what propaganda you are referring to when you say "companies that promote natural products; many use propaganda against pharm companies", if you made reference to something more specific that would be helpful. I can tell you that the drug companies set themselves up as targets most of the time, and from what I have seen much of what is written is referenced and substantiated when the drug companies are discussed in the press. Your comment "I have yet to witness a pharm company used propaganda against natural products" is hard to even know how to address..., they do it directly and indirectly through the media and by promoting badly designed research, and with the help of the press that references this badly designed research.