Is Your Doctor Supplement Savvy?

Is Your Doctor Supplement Savvy?

If you are an intelligent, educated adult with a concern about modern healthcare- specifically your own- you've probably heard the news about the dangerous side effects of modern pharmaceutical drugs. You've probably even heard the side effects announced on television ads touting “new drugs to ask your doctor for”. What does this mean to you? Does it make you think that taking these medications is something akin to playing Russian Roulette?

All those side effects might make you think. Why aren't there remedies out there that will alleviate my (fill in the blank here- diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, headache, PMS, allergies...) without my having to worry about ending up in worse shape than when I started? Isn't there a way I can feel better without somehow paying a drastic health price for it in a different area?

So maybe you began reading about more natural remedies. Maybe you even talked to your mother or your grandmother about what THEY did to find relief. You might have been told that they drank apple cider vinegar to speed up weight loss, then mixed it with honey to soothe a cough, or sucked on peppermints for indigestion and drank ginger tea for nausea. Whoever you got your information from, the biggest appeal it held for you was the lack of dangerous side effects. Well, in this case, Grandma's advice is excellent. Those gentle remedies worked back then, and they still work today.

So on your next doctor visit, you might consider asking your doctor about which herbal supplement would most likely help prevent your particular condition. If your doctor is like mine, you might get a blank stare before he or she suspiciously asks, “And just exactly what is it you've been taking”? If that's the case for you, don't feel bad- it's a common reaction. The truth is, more and more people are exploring the gentler, more natural options in self-care. Doctors are hearing these types of questions more often- and some of them are sitting up and taking notice. Your doctor may even have some pretty good advice to give about home remedies, if you're lucky.

Home remedies and natural healing is not a fad. It is a quiet rebellion by millions of people all over the country against modern medicine's reliance on treatments and therapies that they perceive as being more harmful than helpful. If you feel that way, you are not alone.

Doctors are not stupid. They are simply trying to fulfil a desire by their patients for the fastest relief possible. The drug companies send them products that supposedly do just that. Pharmaceutical reps develop close working relationships with doctors with the newest drug samples, literature, incentives and just plain old good customer service.

Not only that, but for years medical schools have taught new doctors a certain method of healing that concentrates on chemical manipulation of body systems with the use of pharmaceuticals. They also teach attacking disease after it has occurred instead of concentrating on preventing its occurrence. Very few medical students studied nutrition, but that is changing. The demand these days is for doctors to have a broader knowledge base. Patients are asking questions and trying things on their own. The best doctors are now the ones with a conventional and homeopathic education.

These days the alternative medicine business (which includes holistic, homeopathic, chiropractic, naturopathic practitioners as well as Chinese and Oriental Medicine practitioners) has gained so much popularity that it seems to have engendered a second look from mainstream medicine. Alternative medicine practices are thriving because people recognize the difference between "building a solid health base with gentler treatments that treat the whole person" approach versus "treating the symptoms by manipulating bodily systems with drugs and chemicals" approach. It's becoming more important for professionals to consider as they recognize the drawbacks and limitations of drug-based medicine.

And so it appears that alternative medicine is coming back into its own, its popularity fueled in no small part by dissatisfied patients- or friends and families of patients- who have fallen victim to the drawbacks of modern medicine (I.e.: side effect damage). There is a growing awareness of the wide range of chronic diseases preventable with the proper dietary nutrients and readily available supplements. It's even being suggested that conventional medical doctors become more familiar with dietary supplements so they can knowledgeably (and impartially) discuss them with their patients.

Some of the concerns expressed about dietary supplements by mainstream medicine regarding ingredients and quality may actually have some validity. The companies manufacturing and bottling herbs and vitamins should definitely have to conform to a standard requirement for purity and for content, and just like any other drug manufacturer they should have to meet quality and potency control requirements. There are good supplement companies out there, who are stringently careful about the potency and quality of their products. Finding them (and weeding out the others) is the tricky part. But a bit of research today can pay off for years down the road- drug free and healthy.

Eliason BC, Kruger J, Mark D, Rasmann DN. Dietary supplement users: demographics, product use, and medical system interaction. J Am Board Fam Pract 1997;10(4):265-71.