When reading the label on an herbal preparation, keep in mind that manufacturers are prevented by current law from stating that herbs can help treat or prevent diseases or symptoms. According to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), herbs are considered supplements, not drugs.

Manufacturers are able to claim that their products can enhance general well-being or that they can support or help improve body functions, such as circulation or digestion, so long as the claim is supported by scientific evidence.

A 1997 study reported in the Journal of the American Medicine found that physicians inappropriately prescribe antibiotics for viral infections 70 percent of the time, even though they know that antibiotics are not effective against viral infections.

Doctors wrote twelve million prescriptions in 1992 for antibiotics to treat colds, bronchitis, and other respiratory infections against which these drugs are useless. Researchers concluded that physicians were prescribing antibiotics because they were yielding to what they perceived to be their patients’ expectations.