Disadvantages Of Herbal Medicine

Disadvantages Of Herbal Medicine

Medicines made from various natural herbs have been popular from time immemorial with the native folks of many countries as an alternative form of treatment. Herbal or traditional medicines are made from various plants and plant extracts. Sometimes, fungal and bee products, minerals, shells and specific animal parts are also used in the preparation of herbal medicines. Many substances found in plants are useful in treating human ailments. Among them are aromatic substances, phenols and their oxygen-substituted derivatives like tannins. Secondary metabolites like alkaloids serve as defense mechanism against microorganisms and insects. Many herbs used by us while cooking have useful medicinal compounds.

Many people prefer herbal medications rather than the regular ones while treating various physical problems. From treating acne and prostate to treating insomnia and depression, the benefits of herbal medications have been immense. In many cases, medical science had backed the use of herbal medicine to treat specific conditions. However, like any other forms of treatment, herbal medicine also has quite a few disadvantages. Often, the trouble caused by some herbal medicine can boil down to the specific herb in question. In fact, many herbal remedies have proved themselves from time to time.

Any form of herbal medicine takes some time to act. One has to have immense patience while undergoing herbal treatment. Various ingredients go into the preparation of herbal medicine. One has to be sure that none of the ingredients would cause allergic reactions. Many herbal remedies have negative side effects. Most of these side effects take months to appear. Since governments do not regulate the industry of herbal medicine, there is no chance of any quality control during the manufacturing of the herbal supplements. It is absolutely necessary to find a renowned practitioner of herbal medicine.

Regular medicines are still the best bet during serious or sudden illness or injury. Herbal medicine cannot treat serious injuries like a broken leg. Nor can it heal appendicitis or heart attacks effectively as no diagnostic tests or surgery is involved in it. Often self-dosing of various herbs leads to serious risks among users. Though one can argue that such a thing can occur with regular medicines as well, it should be remembered that those packages have specific instructions regarding dosage. This is entirely absent with herbal medications. Herbs harvested in the wild are risky. Incorrect identification of the required herb can even lead to poisoning.

Herbal medications often interact with regular medicines. The herbs that are used to treat anxiety like Valerian and St. John’s Wort can interact with antidepressants. It is best to consult one’s doctor before going for any alternative treatment while on regular medicines. Sometimes, people start using herbal medications without checking what exactly is leading to the physical symptom they are suffering from. Regular medications may have been useful in such cases of wrong diagnosis.

The disadvantages of herbal medications depend on the user as well. People need to know what they are taking, what purpose would it serve and what would be the side effects of such a medication. It is essential to remember that though herbs are often effective they are not a panacea for all kinds of diseases.

[Via http://wehealthy.wordpress.com]

Tobacco Use Worldwide

Currently, approximately one third of the global population over the age of 15 – about 1.1 billion people – smoke cigarettes. Tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, killing at least five million people each year. Trends from illness and death related to tobacco use indicate that by 2030, tobacco use will contribute to the deaths of more than 10 million people worldwide each year, 70 percent of whom live in the developing world. Though various strategies are in place, including bans on smoking in public areas, restrictions on advertisements for tobacco products, and increased taxes on cigarettes, the number of people who use tobacco has not significantly decreased. A recently released report from the World Health Organization (WHO) details cigarette and smokeless tobacco consumption and seeks to find an approach that may lessen the use of these products.

The WHO report indicates that though 22 of the world’s most populous 100 cities are now “smoke-free,” this only accounts for 5.4 percent of the world’s population. In 2008, the WHO established a set of guidelines aimed at helping nations to reduce smoking, which include:

1. Monitoring tobacco use and the policies to prevent it,
2. Protecting people from tobacco smoke,
3. Offering people help to quit using tobacco,
4. Warning people about the dangers of tobacco,
5. Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, and
6. Raising taxes on tobacco.

However, reports indicate that less than 10 percent of the world’s population is covered by any one of these measures. Additionally, only two percent of individuals live in nations that have comprehensive and widely-accepted smoke-free laws, and 94 percent are not protected by any laws against smoking.

Laws banning smoking – including the use of cigarettes, cigars, and hookahs – in public places will come into force in 2010 in many areas of the world. According the Syrian Society for Countering Cancer, 60 percent of adult men and 23 percent of women in Syria smoke, and 98 percent of Syrians are affected by second-hand smoke exposure. Other nations face similarly high rates of tobacco use and smoking-related illness and death. The high incidence of tobacco-related deaths in the Philippines (90,000 per year), Malaysia (10,000 per year), and Vietnam (40,000 per year) has caused concern in these regions, but fully effective smoking bans are not yet in place. Reports indicate that the majority of smokers in some Southeast Asian countries are men, and that as many as 75 percent of men smoke, compared to fewer than 20 percent of women who do. In Cambodia, for example, roughly half of the older women do use tobacco, but favor smokeless chewing tobacco, which many women begin during pregnancy to help lessen prenatal nausea.

Over the past four years, smoking rates have decreased in developed nations including the United States, Japan, and Western Europe as anti-smoking laws gain momentum. However, the World Lung Foundation (WLF) indicates that “More than 80 percent of those with premature deaths [from smoking] would occur in low- and middle-income countries.” Since 1960, according to the WLF, “the global production of tobacco has increased 300 percent in low- and middle-resource countries while dropping more than 50 percent in high-resource countries.” In China and India, over half a billion men consume tobacco, and other nations are facing similar problems of mass consumption of tobacco use. Tobacco is a contributing cause to heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, cancers and asthma worldwide, regardless of how it is consumed (smoked, chewed, etc.). According to Ala Alwan, the WHO non-communicable diseases expert, more than 80 percent of the WHO’s projected cancer deaths are likely to occur in the poorest regions of Africa. To increase awareness and provide education about the dangers of smoking, the WHO is planning to establish a regional hub there in 2010.

It remains to be seen how much impact the efforts of the WHO and other organizations will have with regard to decreasing the number of individuals who use tobacco. Through newly established laws, increased taxation, and outreach and education about the dangers of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products, it may be possible to urge individuals to quit smoking or not to start at all.

Discuss This and Other Public Health Concerns in the iCons in Medicine Forums

[Via http://iconsinmedicine.wordpress.com]

Australian study: children, infants need one H1N1 vaccine dose

As the supply of H1N1 vaccine for the adult population increases, recent evidence suggests that a new vaccine formulation from an Australian manufacturer may require only one dose for effectiveness in infants and children.  CSL, Ltd, of Australia, announced that their 15 mcg antigen formulation (twice the antigen amount in use in the United States at present) resulted in effective antibody levels (immunity) in over 90% of infants and children immunized.  Many officials remain concerned about new waves of H1N1 as the winter progresses in the northern hemisphere and then begins later in 2010 in the southern hemisphere.  Next  year’s routine seasonal flu shots are already scheduled to contain variants of this  years H1N1 strain, barring any major mutations in the virus.  These modifications are already scheduled to be incorporated into seasonal flu vaccines which will be administered south of the equator beginning in March, April and May.  Here in the U.S., concerns about vaccine safety have kept many parents on the sidelines.  To be sure, there are always concerns with vaccines, but to date, the H1N1 vaccines appear to have no greater side effect profiles than the seasonal flu vaccines.  Health officials are still urging general vaccination of children.  Parents of children with special health needs and concerns have been strongly advised to have the receive the vaccine.  Parents should discuss this decision with their pediatrician if there are concerns . . . ben kazie md

Australian vaccine maker CSL Ltd (CSL.AX) said on Monday its pandemic H1N1 swine flu vaccine delivered a strong immune response after just one dose in children as young as 6 months. Global health authorities recommend children get two swine flu shots for full protection, but the CSL vaccine showed strong response with just one shot. Australian researchers find that more than 90% of those in study had effective immunity after a single dose, but the 15-microgram dose of antigen is twice that used in the United States.

Study shows one dose of H1N1 vaccine may be enough for children – http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-flu-vaccine22-2009dec22,0,7581593.story

Will One Dose of H1N1 Vaccine Be Enough for Kids? – http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1949187,00.html

UPDATE 1-CSL says its H1N1 vaccine effective with 1 dose – http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2125173820091221

One Dose of H1N1 Vaccine Enough for Young – http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/21/health/main6005618.shtml?tag=cbsnewsLeadStoriesAreaMain;cbsnewsLeadStoriesHeadlines

Immunogenicity of a Monovalent 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) Vaccine in Infants and Children:… Nolan et al. JAMA.2009; 0: 20091911-10.

www.blogsurfer.us

www.bloglines.com     www.blogburst.com     www.blogcatalog.com     www.clusty.com     www.reddit.com     www.huffington. post

www.digg.com     www.wikio.com     www.propeller.com     www.mashable.com     www.bing.com     www.wellsphere.com

[Via http://benkazie.wordpress.com]

Mesothelioma Fighting cancer with alternative medicine

Research in alternative medicine and conventional therapies to treat cancer, mesothelioma continues to be on top of trying to find a cure for this disease. Until an alternative is found, and shows promise to remove with traditional medicines and therapies, such as Alimta and other chemotherapy drugs, surgery, cancer, and radiotherapy will be used to slow the cancer.

In addition to conventional treatments may be a series of alternative medicine therapiesThe symptoms of mesothelioma can be reduced. Called complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, this heterogeneous group of medical practices and health services and are not considered a part of general practice. However, this does not mean they are ineffective. Some providers of health care practice to combine both CAM and conventional medicine, and the two with good results. This is known as integrative medicine. As Thirty-six per cent of American adultsPopulation with some form of CAM. This increases by more than sixty percent when prayer and mega vitamin therapy included in the definition of alternative and complementary. Rates using an alternative therapy is higher in patients with serious diseases like cancer, mesothelioma.

Some treatments offered by alternative medicine, including acupuncture, pain after surgery to remove tumors, ginger, treatment of nausea and vomiting to relieve the causes that chemotherapyMassage the pain of all types of cancer treatment, and to extract of mistletoe in combination with chemotherapy to treat cancer. Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, is becoming more common. In this therapy as biologic response modifiers are substances used to detect the immune system's ability to improve and destroy cancer cells, and to combat other diseases.

Photodynamic therapy uses a drug, the tissue sensitive to light, destroys tumor cells by exposureThey stopped in a laser at a specific frequency. Gene therapy is a new field, but that support the potentially fatal disease by altering a single gene therapy treatment. Herbal medicines, traditional practices of countries like China and Japan, and spiritual treatments are also used in CAM. Not all of these therapies have the ability to be directly related to mesothelioma and its effects are more likely to vary from patient. You can, however, a great help in managing symptoms andThe side effects of using conventional treatments.

If you are using complementary or alternative medicine in cancer treatment should ask their doctors. It is important to get answers to some questions when considering any treatment, whether alternative or conventional. Information such as the expected benefits of therapy in comparison to the risks, possible side effects, and, in the case of alternative or complementary treatments, if treatmentTreatment is with you are already interfering with the useful. If the treatment is part of a clinical study to find out who is the sponsor. Many alternative therapies are not fully covered by health insurance. Some are not covered. It 'important to know before beginning any CAM therapy, whether or not to pay the insurance. A good place to start finding information on the options is the NCCAM Web site at http://nccam.nih.gov. From there you will be able to informto decide what treatments, both conventional and alternative, it is right for you.

[Via http://mesotheliomaasbestosclaim.wordpress.com]

H1N1 Vaccine recalled.

The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis recalled 800,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine because it was not “strong enough.” Media pundits assure everyone that their children are “not in danger” since they require a second vaccine anyway—even though we were told two vaccinations were not required.

Parents should be assured that the vaccine has the appropriate level of Mercury, I suppose.

[Via http://donthategcdaz.wordpress.com]

Healthcare in HMI

The Health Medicine Institute (HMI) is a comprehensive center for health and healing. Medical director, Len Saputo, MD, and executive director, Kay Sandberg, MA, guide the integration of the best strategies from mainstream, complementary, and alternative medicine in all HMI healthcare. This highly collaborative approach is based on the four principles of Health Medicine—preventive, person-centered, integrative, and holistic care. Our 14 practitioners offer “high-tech” modern medicine in tandem with the “high touch” of complementary therapies.

While they treat most healthcare conditions, they offer six specialized programs:

• pain management
• the treatment of complex chronic conditions
• women’s health services
• thermal imaging for breast cancer risk assessment
• integrative sports medicine
• wellness programs

At the HMI, they are accustomed to helping people with health problems that have been considered unsolvable, sometimes for decades. In part, our success results from our use of state-of-the-art technologies such as infrared light therapy. For example, more than 95% of their patients with long-standing back or neck pain experience major improvement. They also see exceptional results in the treatment of conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neuropathies, and sports injuries.

They are the only physician-supervised facility in California that provides both infrared light therapy and infrared imaging for the treatment of pain disorders. In many cases, severe pain vanishes in just a few treatments, without the need for medication or surgery.

Because our practitioners work collaboratively, treatment often succeeds beyond the limits of what is possible through any single discipline. Many of their patients have experienced impressive results in the treatment or management of disorders such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, digestive conditions, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, and depression. Their approach pairs Western medicine with therapies such as Chinese medicine or bodywork, depending on the needs of the individual.

Another critically important ingredient in their success is the compassion of our practitioners and staff. They make every effort to provide the finest quality care possible and to create a warm sense of community. Many of their patients have commented positively about the HMI’s healing atmosphere and the personalized care they receive.

They consider the greatest reward is to see their patients get better and resume healthy lives.

[Via http://dmedicine.wordpress.com]

Monday Morning JetLawg

In the news . . .

First U.S. inmate executed through new intravenous method.

Too much sex in television ads recently?

Critics slam Saturday Night Live for being insensitive toward domestic violence after Tiger Woods skit.

Actress looks for lifesaver after $1.7 million tax lien.

Fearful of long prison sentence, 22-year-old pleads guilty to accidental child pornography download.

Google brings trademark infringement lawsuit against work-at-home spammers.

Woman seeks $5 million from Burger King for text message advertisements.

Amidst Homeland Security probe regarding White House party crash, reality tv husband Tareq Salahi resigns from government job.

Porn king Larry Flynt wins lawsuit against nephews over use of family name in title of porn company.

Mascot for New England Patriots arrested in sex sting.

Sports Illustrated has conversation with NBA Commissioner David Stern about legalizing gambling in professional basketball.

Countersuit filed against the band No Doubt in Band Hero avatar dispute.

[Via http://jetl.wordpress.com]