By Bob Condor

Here’s one of the biggest reasons that the majority of Americans seek out what used to be called alternative medicine, even paying out of pocket for treatments when necessary: Taking medications can cause side effects and conditions that are frequently enough worse (or close to it) than the original illness.

Examples: One rheumatoid arthritis drug warns that a small percentage of patients develop leukemia from the medication. Another RA drug significantly raises the risk of serious infections, …