Another example is St. John’s wort. Every year, ten million people suffer major depression in the United States, and every year 35,000 people kill themselves. For each successful suicide, eleven more have tried. Depression is a serious illness; to treat it, scientists have developed medicines that alter brain chemicals such as serotonin. Called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), these drugs are licensed by the FDA. Because they’ve been shown to help with severe depression, doctors recommend them. Practitioners of alternative medicine, however, have a better idea—a more natural,
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