Friday June 18, 2010
Talk to your Physician about Herbal and Dietary Supplements
Do you talk to your physician about the herbal, dietary, or natural supplements you are using? If not, why? Taking time to discuss herbal and dietary supplements with your doctor could greatly affect your health.
With nearly 70 percent of patients using some form of natural supplements or remedies, physicians, like Dr. Rodney Story, Hospitalist at Pullman Regional Hospital, are worried about interactions of natural supplements with prescription medications. " I see interactions frequently in the patients I care for," says Dr Story. For example, Ginkgo Biloba used to help with memory, is also a blood thinner and if used with a prescribed blood thinner could lead to a serious bleeding disorder. While St. John's Wort is used for depression, it can reduce the effectiveness of birth control and also reduces the body's ability to metabolize anti-rejection drugs given to transplant patients. These are just a few of many important interactions that can occur.
Many of us have fear that our physician will react negatively to our use of natural remedies. Dr Story states "most doctors are glad to discuss herbal remedies and alternative medicine with their patients." Having this conversation is an opportunity for us to discuss our lifestyle choices with our physician. We can help them understand why we have elected to use natural supplements as well as discuss fears or mistrusts regarding prescription medications. We have all seen an advertisement for a new prescription medication and it's scary to hear all of the potential side-effects. Unfortunately, even though herbal and dietary supplements are chemicals, they do not go through the same rigorous testing as prescription medications leaving side-effects unknown.
When visiting your physician and leaving out your natural supplement usage, you may be doing yourself harm. Dr. Story states "[Herbal and dietary supplements] could actually be the cause of the symptoms or problems you are experiencing." Without the knowledge of the herbal and dietary supplements a patient is using the physician lacks a clear picture in order to help take care of your health.
As with everyone, doctors are busy and may forget to ask you what herbal or dietary supplements you are taking. Having this discussion with your doctor could lead to a closer one on one relationship between you, your physician, and improved well-being. In recognition of Herbal and Prescription Awareness Month and to help you track your herbal/dietary supplements and prescriptions, you can download a free excel spreadsheet at www.pullmanregional.org/vitalvial. Keeping such information in multiple locations, i.e. in your car, wallet, and on the refrigerator, is always a good idea for emergency situations.