There is a sentiment in the modern world that “natural” is synonymous with safe. It fuels reticence to use statins for lowering cholesterol and reducing mortality, in conjunction with unfounded faith in the healing power of goji berries or coconut oil. It fosters vaccine opposition and a never-ending quest for the most super of superfoods. But the entire premise is misguided. Natural does not mean safe and scientifically does not mean dangerous.
Rattlesnake venom and botulinum toxin are natural. So, too, the rabies virus, the smallpox virus, and the polio virus. The vaccines that have eradicated smallpox and nearly eradicated polio are, of course, science, as is the germ theory that enabled us to understand the underlying cause and effect in the first place. Hurricanes and earthquakes are natural and unsafe; meteorology and seismology are science that makes us a bit safer. Statin drugs,…
