Determining Herb and Drug Interactions
By Helene Pulnik | Published on August 12, 2010 | 0 Comments
Naturopathic physicians know a lot about herbs, but they also have to know a lot about conventional medicine as well to know how herbs and drugs interact. Knowing about one but not the other can be downright dangerous, says Dr. Helene Pulnik ND, LAc, a naturopathic physician who owns Glastonbury Naturopathic Center and Wholistic Spa in Glastonbury, CT.
Determining how herbs can interact with drugs is really important for naturopathic physicians. In fact, they all should be able to do that, especially nowadays. More and more people are going out and buying things at the health food store, trying to help themselves by buying what they consider to be entirely safe herbs. But sadly, many are unknowingly causing pretty severe drug interactions.
Many people believe that because herbs are not drugs, they are completely safe. That is true to an extent, but there are some herbs that have side effects when they are being used along with conventional medications without supervision.
It’s really important for anybody who wants to start taking herbs, or is on medications and wants to take herbs, to check with someone who is knowledgeable, such as a qualified and certified naturopathic physician.
Western Doctors Lack Training
For the most part, Western doctors do not get any training in herbal medicine whatsoever as part of their medical training. What they do get is training in Western medicine only, so oftentimes the Western doctors will just tell patients not to take any herbs.
That may sound like a safe thing to do, but under supervision of a naturopath who has training in both Western medications as well as herbal medicines, you may find that herbs that can be of immense value to your overall well-being.
Information Not Widely Available
The other thing that is a concern when it comes to herbs is that there is not a lot of information about them that is widely available. It is very hard to study herbs, as compared to drugs, and oftentimes herbs have double components to them. We don’t have a very large database of information about herbs, although on a whole, those databases are growing.
For this reason, caution is your best bet with herbs and drugs. Visit only a qualified naturopathic physician, and make sure you make a full medical disclosure and discuss all the conventional – and other herbal – medications you may be taking so that the two of you can make an informed choice together.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.