After several reported deaths and illnesses, the blood-thinner heparin was recalled and has been under intense FDA scrutiny for several months. Federal drug regulators revealed this week that they have found the contaminant in the medication. An inexpensive and unapproved ingredient was included in the medication; it eluded detection until recently because the ingredient mimics the proper component.

At this point federal officials are not certain if the contaminant (an altered form of chondroitin sulfate) was introduced accidentally or if it was included intentionally. The contaminated heparin was sourced in China; traders and producers there say that the chondroitin sulfate is significantly cheaper than heparin -- as little as 1/20 the cost of heparin.

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It's hard to understand when those visiting a hospital are given drug amounts (for whatever reason) that are completely inappropriate for the need at hand. In the case of actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, the couple's recently twins were born and then were subjected to some blood thinning drugs. That's not out of the ordinary.

What is, though, happens to be the amount of the product -- heparin -- which was administered to the twins. Reportedly, a dose 2,000 times stronger than what was prescribed was given to the twins after they were born. 2,000 times? How on earth did that happen? Coming from LA's Cedars-Sinai hospital, that is a shock.

First of all, heparin is a high-risk drug -- one that should have extra-careful attention paid when administered. An investigation into why Quaid's twins were given such high doses of the drug found that the hospital did not adequately educate staff about the safe use of heparin. I wonder if jet engine mechanics receive 'adequate education'? If not, we'd have planes falling from the sky every day, right?

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With herbs becoming more and more mainstream, it stands to reason that more people will use them. That's good, right? Well, yes and no.

On the one hand, I think it is a huge step for anyone to seek and try an alternative remedy before choosing drugs or surgery. I love that my generation is beginning to question doctors, listen to their bodies and to try and do what works best for themselves. Here's to self-empowerment!

However, self-empowerment also comes with great responsibility. The reason many doctors aren't more herb-savvy or don't recommend many alternative treatments may be because they simply don't know enough to do so. Perhaps they haven't been trained in alternative remedies, and maybe the studies they read aren't geared toward natural healing. So when it is up to us (or of course your local and preferred natural practitioner) to decide what herb to take to help ourselves, we really need to know what we are doing.

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