Using Caution With Herbs

Herb-Of-The Week / Using Caution With Herbs

While lots of people are beginning to experiment with alternative
remedies such as herbology, nutrition therapy, oxygen therapy,
accupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy and such things, many people
underestimate the power of alternative medicine.... herbs in
particular.

This can be prove to be VERY (gravely) dangerous.

Every good outdoorsman or Boy Scout knows that you just don't go
skipping through the forest eating any kind of plant. Some are
extremely fatal. Conversely, herbs are as serious as any other type
of drug. The simple fact is HERBS *ARE* drugs. Many prescription
medications are made from herbs - after they have been "processed"
and patented. As Mark Twain once said, "Be careful about reading
health books. You may die of a misprint."

Some things to be aware of:

HERBS MAY CLASH W/PRESCRIPTION DRUGS:

EVERYTHING you ingest is either a medicine, a toxin or both. Plain
old everyday food may react in unknown ways to drugs such as
antibiotics (don't drink milk with tetracycline) blood-thinners and
drugs for treating hypertension or depression. In that same light,
many herbs don't mix very well with prescription drugs and the mix
can cause serious complications. While herbs generally mix very well
with other herbs... mixing herbs with prescription drugs is
different story. Because of this TELL YOUR DOCTOR.

Tell your doctor about the herbs and supplements you might be taking.
Sometimes we don't want to be viewed with scepticism from the doctor
or looked upon as crazy. But if you need emergency treatment, your
doctor needs to know what you're taking. Otherwise, you CAN have some
dangerous complications between your alternative medicines and any
regular/conventional care.

Heart surgery is especially problematic for herbal medicine users.
Garlic, fish oils, St. John's Wort, gingko and ginseng are some of
the herbal supplements that interfere with conventional heart
therapies. Simple vitamin C supplements may interfere with the work
of anticoagulants such as Coumadin (warfarin) or heparin.

Taking St. John's Wort seems to be the reason why the bodies of some
kidney transplant recipients rejected the new organs. St. John's wort
interferes with antirejection drugs. St John's Wort also interferes
with some drugs used to treat AIDS. Exposure to bright lights and
taking St. John's Wort has been connected with eye damage. So don't
be staring at the sun or staring inside the office copy machine while
taking St. John's Wort.

It is also good to tell your doctor is when the herbs are working!
When your alternative medicine is actually working better for you
than the traditional treatment, this may allow the doctor to reduce
or eliminate your dosage of prescription drugs. I have seen this
happen on numerous occassions. Particularly w/ diabetes and
hypertension. Telling your doctor *might* cause more research and
study to be done on the alternative treatments. Of course there is a
conflict of interest as the pharmaceutical industry does not profit
from any of this. But it seems that public interest has caused the
drug companies to start selling herbs - even though they "may be
harmful" . They really care about us don't they? In many cases,
doctors that care about your health will tell you to "keep doing
whatever you're doing". That's the most they can legally say.

THE THING IS TO FIND A DOCTOR THAT IS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT BOTH
CONVENTIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. (KNOWN AS A C.A.M. DOCTOR)
KEEP IN MIND THAT TO BE A DOCTOR ONLY REQUIRES ONE OR TWO NUTRITION
CLASSES SO IF HE DID LEARN NUTRITION IN ADDITION TO HIS MEDICAL
DEGREE, THEN HIS KNOWLEDGE IS EXTREMELY LIMITED.

EVERYBODY'S DIFFERENT:
Everybody will not react the same way to the same herb. Thankfully
there's more than one herb for the same condition. For instance for
enlargement of the prostate one might use Saw Palmetto, Pygeum Bark,
or Pumpkin Seed Oil. Not only that, but one herb can be used for
different conditions. For instance St. John's Wort is commonly used
for depression. But it also a very powerful antioxidant that reduces
free radical damage, thus helping to prevent cancer. Bright Eye is
used to keep the eyes bright and clear. But it also used to treat
coughs and colds. Flaxseed oil is used to treat depression AND
Attention Deficit Disorder. But it also a source of omega-3 fatty
acids which have been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol
AND help with menopausal problems.

Eventually you'll run across an herb that doesn't seem to help or one
that you may be allergic to. Or one that you just don't like. First,
begin by taking a little bit first to see if you're allergic. And
remember that herbs don't work as fast as prescription drugs. Herbs
are *systemic*. They are used to fix the root cause (pun intended)
over a period of time. In many cases prescription drugs are used to
treat the SYMPTOMS and not the problem. The second thing to be aware
of is that there is what's called a "healing crisis". In other words,
as a wound heals, the itching can become unbearable. This happens
with herbs. Sometimes when they first begin to work, one will
actually feel worse.

HERBS AND PREGNANCY:
Many herbs should not be taken by pregnant or lactating women. On a
related note, a study at Loma Linda University suggests that some
herbs may actually make getting pregnant very difficult. These
include St. John's wort, echinacea, and ginkgo biloba.

THINK:
You are ultimately responsible for your own well-being. It is
important to stress that I am personally not against or opposed to
traditional / conventional medicine. Go with whatever works! If you
get your ear shot off; Go see a doctor!! But after the initial
treatment, there might be some herbs that speed up the healing
process. Always consult with your doctor. Always get a second
opinion. Always get the opinion of a professional alternative
medicine practioner or a naturopathologist (a degreed professional
that is sometimes a physician as well). Sometimes a dietary change
can improve conditions. Alternative medicine and conventional
medicine both have their advantages.

OVER THE COUNTER AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS:
Far more people die from prescription drugs than herbs. To be fair,
more people use "approved" drugs. LOTS of people have died from
aspirin!! NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are
over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin.
It's estimated that 16,500 people die from use of NSAIDS each year.
By contrast 16,685 people die from AIDS each year. Almost the same
amount. One thousand people die each year from salmonella poisoning
as a result of the nasty conditions of food-processing plants. Not to
mention e. coli and listeria. Look past the hype. When you hear
skewed reports of people experiencing bad side-effects from an herb
one should maybe compare the side-effects with something else - like
aspirin, msg or apartame. Pray for guidance.