Re: Herbs and Drugs

[Guest guest]

Byron, you are so right....many herbs interact with allopathic drugs.

I took a Pharmacy Technology class, and honestly if you take a lot of herbs,

make sure your primary doctor and other doctors know which ones you are on.

I was amazed at how many drugs do not interact well with St. 's Wort.

I have found a link for you so can check things out if you would like to.

Http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.HTML

I take my Western meds, and won't mix with herbs, unless I check with my

prescriber first...he/she may know something newer than I do.

Hugs...Martha Clausen

Boise, Idaho

Chronic Pain Sufferer for over 36 years

[Guest guest]

I understand your point,and it's an important one that pharmaceuticalsand herbs

can definitely interact-sometimes very dangerously.

And I think it's great that you took that class and still always ask questions.

I'm sorry to say I personally don't trust regular MDs about herbs, however.

They almost never know as much as I do and that is not bragging on my part, it's

just a fact. Matter of fact they rarely know *anything* about them in my

experience.

And what I always hear is " well herbs aren't standardized and the amount you

buy or take may not be right blah blah blah " .

And there's no more discussion -when I do know. First of all..

But truthfully they're usually dismissive and disinterested.

If a person new to herbs doesn't know much yet, I can understand that, but at

the same time, most doctors *don't* know either.

I understand if your prescriber is one of the exceptions and that's wonderful.

I mean that sincerely.

But most traditional medical practitioners( and I've seen scores of them)

*don't* know herbolgy or homeopathic medicine. They are by principle even,

against it.

It's not even their fault, truthfully.

Their medical training is a paradigm that by definition, makes them unable to

be open to changing the parameters they work inside.

Re: knowing what we're taking- if I want to know something I am not familiar

with, I read up on it.

I have several books on herbs that I've had since the late 60s and 70s.

I also have several more recent books(no earlier than '96 and as recent as 2011)

on Traditional Chinese Medicine and homeopathy and herbal treatments.

I do the same with pharmaceuticals. I read

up on drug interactions and side effects on them too.

We can read up on almost *anything* on the Internet nowadays without spending

anymore money than we're already paying for internet access.

And I ask people who know, as well.

There are herbalists, TCM practitioners, naturopaths/chiropractors who I trust

as much if not more so, than most MDs.

Re: Herbs and Drugs

Byron, you are so right....many herbs interact with allopathic drugs.

I took a Pharmacy Technology class, and honestly if you take a lot of herbs,

make sure your primary doctor and other doctors know which ones you are on.

I was amazed at how many drugs do not interact well with St. 's Wort.

I have found a link for you so can check things out if you would like to.

Http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.HTML

I take my Western meds, and won't mix with herbs, unless I check with my

prescriber first...he/she may know something newer than I do.