As several people have already pointed out, all drugs and medical treatments have the POTENTIAL for side effects. Supplements, herbs, dietary modifications, and natural remedies also have the potential for side effects; as does doing nothing and allowing disease to take it's course. Since anything that causes a metabolic change has the potential to cause an undesirable "side effect", we all have to make informed choices everyday about what we choose to put into our bodies. We also have to make informed choices about what we chose to let go untreated. I would view with suspicion any treatment that claims to have "no side effects".
For me, and many others, the benefits of medications outweigh the risks. I have made an informed choice to treat my medical conditions with pharmaceutical products. Others have zero tolerance or tolerance only for what they perceive to be natural. That is their right. As intelligent humans, we each have the right to make the best possible choice for ourselves. We also have the responsibility to accept our own choice. If we choose medication, demanding the right to sue over side effects seems nonsensical IF the potential benefit of the drug exceeded the potential risk. If we choose only natural or alternative, we need to accept the reality of side effects** or the possibility of slower or less disease control. If we choose no treatment, we choose whatever long term consequences our disease has in store for us. What is the point of seeking the opinion of allopathic practitioners but refusing traditional or pharmaceutical treatment? I would not even dream of going to a homeopath with my laundry list of medications. Obviously they would not approve.
Although we each make choices, sometimes we do need to act on faith. I am not advocating blind faith, but sometimes closing your eyes and putting your faith in a TRUSTED advisor - whether that advisor is an MD, DO, Homeopath, Chiropractor, Shaman or Fairy Godmother - becomes necessary to live our lives. Regardless of the choice we make, each individual's perception of their individual quality of life is what is most important.
** A good example of side effects of supplements is the recent decision to stop a clinical trial of Niacin use to control blood lipids in patients at risk of cardiovascular events. The Niacin group showed no decreased risk of overall cardiovascular events, but did have an unexplained increased incidence of stroke. **
