Preferring to choose natural therapies is something doctors hear more frequently.
Usually said with good intentions – a desire to choose something safer, gentler, more “natural.” Unfortunately, disease, cancer and death are natural too.
It’s understandable that with age and increasing health awareness, we tend to become more selective about what we put into our bodies.
However, in medicine, words like ‘unnatural’ and ‘natural’ don’t always mean what people think.
Terms like dangerous, toxic, hazardous and risky are often used interchangeably – but shouldn’t be.
A danger or hazard, is something that has the potential to cause harm. A risk is the likelihood that it will be harmful. That distinction matters.
Take sunlight, for example. It’s completely natural and essential for life. But it can also be a hazard – too much exposure damages cellular DNA, causes premature ageing and skin cancer. In the short term it can cause heat stroke, severe burns, dehydration, overheating and death.
The risk of sunshine depends on how much, how often, and in what context. The same applies to medications, supplements, and everyday substances.
There’s a long-standing principle in medicine: the dose makes the poison.
Even clean water, which is about as natural as it gets, can be harmful in excessive amounts. Caffeine, alcohol, salt – all common, all “natural” in some form – can cause harm at the wrong dose.
What it means is that safety isn’t just about what something is. It’s about how much, how often, and who is taking it.
The idea of something being “chemical-free” sounds appealing but it’s not scientifically possible. Everything is made of chemicals.
Water is a chemical – with two hydrogen atoms to one oxygen known as H2O. Oxygen is a chemical. The human body is made up of thousands of them.
When people say “chemical-free,” they usually mean “I don’t want anything harmful,” which is entirely reasonable. But the word “chemical” itself isn’t the problem. I would argue that NOTHING is chemical-free, so beware of false claims.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The human body naturally produces – and contains – substances that would sound alarming if you saw them on an ingredient list.
Formaldehyde, for example, sounds like a toxic chemical, but is produced as part of normal metabolism and plays a role in building DNA.
In higher concentrations, it’s also used in industry to make resins, adhesives and plastics, and as a preservative in laboratories and mortuaries. It can be found in some vaccines in minute doses as a sterilising agent, but in lower quantities than a baby naturally produces.
Similarly, ammonia is generated when the body breaks down protein and is safely processed by the liver. But you wouldn’t drink a bottle of ammonia. Again, the dose makes the poison.
Hydrogen peroxide, better known as an antiseptic and bleach, is produced by cells and helps with immune defence.
Even small amounts of alcohol and carbon monoxide are produced naturally within the body.
At normal levels, these are not harmful. In fact, they’re part of how the body functions. It’s at higher levels that they become dangerous.
Which brings us back to the same principle:
The presence of a substance doesn’t determine risk.
The dose and context do.
Many of the most toxic substances in the world are completely natural. Certain mushrooms. Snake venom. Arsenic. Cyanide.
All natural.
All dangerous.
I’ve once heard a beautician berate a customer for complaining of burning eyes because it couldn’t possibly be caused by the ‘only natural ingredients’ eyelash dye. Most people know not to put onion juice in their eyes, so why do we tend to believe natural products are all safe?
At the same time, many of the medicines we rely on today began in nature.
Aspirin originated from willow bark. Digoxin, used for specific heart conditions, comes from the foxglove plant.
The difference is that these substances have been refined, studied, and measured into precise doses – designed to maximise benefit and minimise harm. Which is why taking the correct dose as prescribed is essential.
“Natural medicines” generally refer to products derived from plants, animals or minerals – things like herbal remedies, vitamins, fish oil or traditional medicines.
In Australia, many of these are classified as ‘complementary medicines’ by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. They can have real effects on the body – which means they can also have side effects and interact with other medications.
The key difference is that natural products can vary in strength and composition, while prescribed medicines are manufactured to consistent, carefully measured doses.
Instead of asking:
“Is it natural?”
It’s often more helpful to ask:
What does it do?
How strong is it?
What are the risks and benefits?
Does it interact with my prescribed medications?
Because in medicine, safety isn’t determined by whether something is natural or synthetic. It’s determined by how it behaves in the body.
“Natural” and “chemical-free” sound reassuring.
But they’re not reliable indicators of safety.
Understanding the difference between hazard and risk helps explain why something can be safe in one situation and harmful in another.
And why many of the medicines we rely on today began in nature – but became safer through careful refinement and dosing.
The most important question isn’t:
Is it natural?
But: Is it safe, appropriate, and effective for me?