Should We Treat Our Own Ailments with Alternative Medicines?

[Ewigkeit]

The use of herbs and other alternative modes of treatment can indeed be quite salutary; but one should be very much aware of the potential negative effects of such treatments.  You should not go off treating yourself willy-nilly unless you know what effects the treatment you choose may have, or what interactions it might have with conventional medications you use, be they prescribed or over-the-counter.  Some herbs can interact with conventional medications in ways dangerous enough to be life-threatening.  Moreover, herbs and other alternative concoctions, if not properly processed, can in themselves be poisonous.

[sopranette]

Absolutely true, Ewigkeit!  Thank you for saying so.  People think that just because the government is not keeping track of herbal remedies, they are harmless.  For example, many of the "natural" weight loss pills can alter your heart rhythm.  Very dangerous.

love,

Sopranette

[Ewigkeit]

Sopranette, are you a nurse or other health care professional?

[sopranette]

Not a nurse, but I worked in health care for ten years.

love,

Sopranette

[Imabear]

My mom sees a nutritionist.  The nutritionist reviews my mom's lab work and bone density tests, and then prescribes vitamins, minerals, and various nutraceuticals.  My mom then goes and discusses this with her doctor.  The nutritionist actually requests that the doctor order certain tests, so she can adjust my mom's supplements.

[Ewigkeit]

Complimentary/Alternative Medicine (CAM) is indeed gaining wider acceptance in the conventional medical world; and when the CAM practitioner and the medical practitioner collaborate, some very good things can happen; but the consumer must play his/her role on the team to make sure the CAM and conventional medications are "in sync"...not having untoward interactions with one another.