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Integrative Medicine And Its Future
The NBC National News, quoted the Washington Post in March 2000 about the concerns that the FDA had over the mixing of supplements and conventional medications. There was concerns that millions of people are taking supplements (considered herbs, homeopathic, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and some diet products) and having reactions when they mix these things with common and prescribed medications. I have studied this phenomenon for over 20 years and do know for a fact that with conventional medications, these reactions are quite common. The AMA is calling for the FDA to reverse their ruling on supplements implemented in 1997. Is this really the best approach? Many Universities across the nation have closed their Ethno -botany and Botany labs, disallowing many with the gift in this field to aid in the search for new cures, and to determine which plants will have adverse reactions when combined with other chemicals A good example is the treatment of Gout. Mediations that are prescribed by traditional medicine are normally Allopurinal or Zyloprim and Colchicine (which, by the way, is a homeopathic remedy from the bulb of the Autumn Crocus) which decreases the reaction that causes uric acid in the blood. Allopurinal and Colchicine can be enhanced by a specialized diet and the elimination of some supplements that can cause an elevation of certain enzymes in the diet. Both of these drugs can also cause serious side effects and toxicity when taken in high doses and/or for a prolonged period of time. The deficiency of certain nutrients can provoke an attack of gout, people who take antibiotics can increase the risk of an attack and a persons diet can certainly influence not only the severity of an attack, but the frequency of attacks. There are other reactions that need to be taken into account also, and the is that Allopurinal and Colchicine has a negative effect on the liver after 6 months of use, which will make it harder for those drugs to work effectively. If you also add some supplementation, even a regular multi-vitamin into the system when the liver is already struggling to keep up with the demands of the system, this can cause an adverse reaction to the liver, in part because the liver has to work harder to absorb the micro-nutrients given in the multi-vitamin. The balance between conventional medicine and alternative medicine is a delicate one. Right now, both schools of thought refuse to work together, and the general public is who suffers. For some who suffered from allergies when Seldane was prescribed, this was a very concerning issue. When taking Seldane, patients were not told that taking the medication along with certain micro-nutrients could prove to be fatal, and was in a few cases across the United States. In 1993, the New England Journal of medicine published an article in which researchers estimated that as many as 60 million people had participated in alternative medical care. A follow-up study to that one, which appeared in a 1998 issue of JAMA, estimated that the number of visits to alternative practitioners had increased more than 47 percent between 1990 and 1997 and that expenditures in 1997 for alternative medicine services exceeded 21 billion dollars. In our small town we had a family practitioner that took care of the community needs. He was a wonderful man that always gave of his time, energy and knowledge freely. A week after he was diagnosed with Gastric Carcinoma, he called me for advice. I asked him why he would call me and ask me for help. He told me that he had watched the patients that he had diagnosed with this same disease die slow, painful and miserable death, even while they were on conventional medications. He said he knew that the traditional medications and protocols did not work, he had diagnosed cancers, informed the patients, watched them slowly die and he wanted something else. I treated him for 9 months; the cancer did not advance in that time, it did not go away either, but it did not advance. I asked him to do both treatments together, traditional and integrative, but he refused. He had a friend that was a Oncologist and this friend finally convinced him to try some clinical trials at a couple of Universities. In order to do that, the family doctor had to come off all other protocols that he had been taking. They waited a few weeks for the nutrients to leave his body, then started him on a a protocol called PP6 and Thalidomide. A few days after the first treatment, he told his closest friend, "I've killed myself". Within a few weeks, he was totally incapacitated. He passed away some 5 months later, in sever pain and agony. It's not always conventional medicine at fault....A cancer patient in N-stage was being treated by both conventional physician and naturopathic physician. Because the patient had been put on Prednisone he had become edemic. The Naturopath told the patient to come off the drug immediately, and then left town on a business trip. I got a call a few days later, the patients breathing was labored and he had fluid in his lungs. The massage therapist that called explained what had happened. I told her to call the man's medical physician immediately, the reduction of Prednisone is not suppose to be halted immediately without the patient undergoing repercussions . The patient paid the ultimate price for the bridge between alternative and conventional medicine. There is so much that can be integrated into both schools of thought and treatment. These stories are why the public is turning to other methods for treatment, most do a combination, which, as the previous story illustrates, can be detrimental to health, unless the health care giver has a knowledge of both fields and an understanding of the chemical reactions that can occur. It is always best to be responsible for your own health and treatment. No health care professional should be given total and complete control over another man's life. The need for knowledge is a necessity when deciding to integrate different methods of treatment for the health care provider involved, it could mean the difference between the life and death of a patient. D.S. Epperson is the top formulator for Home Blend Gourmet / South Pacific Health, a leader in the functional food industry in the U.S.. With 20 years of experience in Nutritional Biochemistry, she has written reference books on botanicals and manufacturing of medicines from botanicals, and published articles on health, fitness and foods. She has formulated over 240 formulas and inventions for health, the environment and agricultural uses, and continues to research and study microbial advantages in nutraceuticals and functional foods. For more information or to view the articles that she has written: http://www.sugarblend.com
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Alternative Medicine Online Pharmacies and the FDA The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is responsible for overseeing the testing, manufacturing, and distribution of prescription drugs in the United States. Bextra Recall: Lawyer Says Help Is On The Way By now, you have probably heard of the prescription drug Bextra. You may not know, however, why that a recall is in order. The reason is quite simple. The FDA has asked Pfizer to withdraw Bextra from the market because of increased risks of heart attack and stroke. The Last Line of Defense Against Medication Errors: What You Need to Know to Keep your Family Safe This is a true story. Death by Fluoride A wee bit of fluoride makes teeth and dentists happy, we're told. Dr. Happy Tooth's smiley face turns into a frown when his favorite decay buster is busted as a killer. Anything in large doses kills, bristles Drill & Fill, DDS, even Dihydrogen Monoxide, they often tease. Ha, ha, get it water H2O. Stop picking on fluoride, they say, you make us look bad. Finding the Medical Supplies you need! It's now possible to locate and purchase a wide variety of Medical Supplies on the internet. Whether you are looking for Medical Supplies for your medical practice or your looking for home health care needs, just about anything can be found through searching online. The Trouble with Tranqs There's a whole group of drugs out there called benzodiazepines.They are tranquillisers, or sedatives. They include such well-known names as Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam), Librium (chlordiazepoxide), Tranxene (clorazepate), Paxipam (halazepam), Centrax or Verstran (prazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Dalmane (flurazepam), Serax (oxazepam), Restoril (temazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), and Halcion (triazolam). Drugs like Librium and Valium have been around for a while, others such as Xanax are relative newcomers. Interestingly, whenever it appears, the newcomer is always hailed as a wonder drug as it becomes available for prescrption, until, 10 or 20 years later, the problems start to appear with those who were the first to be 'saved' from their pain by this miracle of pharmacological engineering. Acid Reflux Symptoms and Treatment Acid reflux (also known as GERD or heartburn) is a common condition -- Over 60 million Americans experience it at least once a month. Lunesta Revealed: 7 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Lunesta Prescriptions Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of insomnia symptoms. Although Lunesta is a quality medicine that has already helped many people cure their insomnia and get a better night's sleep, here are seven things you should know before you buy Lunesta prescriptions. Understanding Tumescent Liposuction Tumescent liposuction is done using a local aesthetic. A large volume of saline solution containing the aesthetic and a drug called "Epinephrine" is injected directly into the areas where there are excessive fatty deposits. Epinephrine is important in the surgical process because it shrinks capillaries and minimizes blood loss. Minor sedation may be required for those who feel a little nervous about the surgery; however the patient is usually completely conscious during the surgery. Root Canal Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions Overview Flatfeet in Children: When Are They A Problem? There are high arch feet and low arch feet and many different foot types in between. Many individuals have flatfeet, but do not have foot problems. All of us are born with flatfeet and some of the greatest athletes have flatfeet. But, flatfeet are a problem when the arch completely collapses in combination with excess inward rotation in the foot. This type of flatfoot causes excess stress on the joints, ligaments and tendons in the foot and ankle. If not treated appropriately, tendon and joint problems will develop. Study Confirms IBS Improvement Irritable bowel syndrome is a debilitating and distressing condition, which affects 10-20% of the population. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel function such as constipation, diarrhea or alternating diarrhea and constipation. Some people have occasional symptoms, which can be aggravated by stress or food intolerances. Others experience crippling symptoms, and struggle to maintain their quality of life in the absence of any targeted, effective pharmaceutical treatments. Medical Tests: What Does a Normal Range Mean? We have a marvelous array of medical tests available to us. Many of them-typically blood-tests-even come with results expressed in numbers signifying the exact quantity of something that was measured. On laboratory reports these measured quantities are often accompanied by a "normal range" for what the laboratory apparently thinks the value should have been, showing a lower number and a higher number. So if you had a laboratory test, what does it mean when your measurement falls inside or outside this range? Signs of an Addiction Addictions come in many forms. It's important to recognize the signs of addictions in order to seek out help before the problem becomes to large. Bulk Forming Drugstore Laxatives There are five basic types of drugstore laxatives you should be aware of. Some of these laxatives can be dangerous to use. In addition, some of these laxatives are combinations of these five types, which are designed to create an effective constipation product. In making this combination, a product is created that can be even more dangerous to your health. Take Control of Your Doctor: Ten Actions To Get What You Need At Your Next Office Visit Michael Richardson, MD has some suggestions on maximizing your next doctor's visit. OxyContin Addiction: Doctors & Drug Lords OxyContin is a narcotic drug, an opiate, that has been approved by the FDA to legally treat chronic pain. Chronic pain is documented medical condition, a progressive disease of the nervous system and spine that causes constant a patient to experience constant, excruciating pain. Chronic pain is caused by the failure of the body's internal pain control systems and is accompanied by changes of the chemical and anatomical makeup of the spinal cord. Left untreated, the condition will spread to unaffected areas. A patient suffering from chronic pain does not produce enough natural opiates, so a pharmaceutical opiate like OxyContin is an effective treatment for the disease. Medical Billing Software Takes the Stage Medical Billing Software Medical Tourism Opportunities in India More and more people have started travelling to India for Medical Treatment and during the past year alone, over 150000 people travelled to India for their medical requirements. Medical Tourism is finally coming of age. VIOXX Lawsuits Vioxx is a prescription medication that has been used primarily in the treatment of signs and symptoms of arthritis, but has also been prescribed to treat acute pain in adults and menstrual pain in women. It is a Cox-2 selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID. Other Cox -2 selective NSAIDs on the market are Celebrex and Bextra. Vioxx is also related to nonselective NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen.
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