Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) represent one of the most important public health problems and concerns, as they are a growing cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, particularly in the elderly. Despite remarkable breakthroughs in our understanding of NDs, there has been little success in developing effective therapies. The use of natural products may offer great potential opportunities in the prevention and therapy of NDs; however, many clinical concerns have arisen regarding their use, mainly focusing on the lack of scientific support or evidence for their efficacy and patient safety. These clinical uncertainties raise critical questions from a bioethical and legal point of view, as considerations relating to patient decisional autonomy, patient safety, and beneficial or non-beneficial care may need to be addressed. This paper does not intend to advocate for or against the use of natural products, but to analyze the ethical framework of their use, with particular attention paid to the principles of biomedical ethics. In conclusion, the notable message that emerges is that natural products may represent a great promise for the treatment of many NDs, even if many unknown issues regarding the efficacy and safety of many natural products still remain.
Highlights
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) include a number of chronic progressive disorders of the central nervous system that are caused by the degradation and subsequent loss of neurons
Classifications of NDs included Parkinson’s disease, which is well characterized by a loss of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons; Huntington’s disease, in which the loss of spiny, medium-sized striatal neurons occurs; and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), due to diffuse cerebral atrophy
The notable message that emerges is that NPs may represent a great promise for the treatment of many NDs, where traditional therapies via synthetic drugs only act to alleviate symptoms, but cannot stop the progress of the disease, and are substantially inadequate
Summary
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) include a number of chronic progressive disorders of the central nervous system that are caused by the degradation and subsequent loss of neurons. The final thought is that in treatments through natural products does the culture of respect of patient autonomy, preference, and choice provide the underpinning needed to establish an effective physician–patient relationship, in which there may be space for a conscious adherence to therapies which, not yet rigorously validated, may represent for the patient a beneficial alternative or supplement to traditional treatments—of poor effectiveness This paves the way for further reflection concerning the accurate assessment of patients’ cognitive ability to give informed consent. Implementing research on the use of NPs, as well as other alternative and complementary medicine, is pivotal to the achievement of “high-quality” evidence in support of the use of NPs
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