mckenzie summed up the pitfalls in your logic well. The arguments you present are the same tired arguments that are continuously presented by those who believe in the religion of CAM medicine. I do have to point out one common misconception that Besharp has repeated in his post. The idea that traditional medicine is always expensive and always highly profitable for pharmaceutical companies but not so for companies that sell herbal and CAM remedies.
Because many of the most popular drugs are now available as generics, the majority of medications that I prescribe for common ailments like hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and common infections can be purchased at large chain pharmacies for about $3/month without insurance. Herbal remedies would be hard pressed to match that. The sale of CAM remedies is a mulitbillion dollar/ year business. CAM purveyors are no more altruistic than any other large business and perhaps less so, especially when you consider the almost total lack of investment they make in research.
