Free Articles
Free articles to be reprinted or published.
WL Marketing - Your #1 link building service
Main Menu
Got a website?
Looking for a place to sell websites?WM Media is the place to go whether you're looking to sell your website or buy advertising!
Categories
- Accounting
- Beauty
- Business
- Career
- Cars and Trucks
- Computers
- Culture and Society
- Environment
- Family
- Finance
- Fitness
- Food and Drink
- Free Tools and Resources
- Health
- - Alternative Medicine
- - Diseases and Conditions
- - Medicine
- - Meditation
- - Nutrition
- - Supplements and Vitamins
- - Wellness
- Hobbies
- Home
- Humor
- Inspirational
- Internet
- Internet Marketing
- Legal
- Marketing
- Men's Issues
- Music
- Personal Development
- Pets and Animals
- Politics
- Psychology
- Publishing
- Recreation and Leisure
- Relationships
- Religion and Spirituality
- Science
- Speaking
- Technology
- Women's Issues
- Writing
Don't Leave Your Doctor Out of The Loop
Autor: dbsilva :: Views: 77 ::
:: View PDF :: Print View
It doesn't have to be black and white.
If you're like millions of others and prefer Alternative Medicine over traditional Western medicine, you don't have to give up one for the other. They can, and should, work together.
For example, what if you were faced with these questions: Should you take black cohosh to alleviate hot flashes and night sweats? Should you consider adding a nutritional supplement to your daily routine to help lower your blood pressure? How about if you should take up yoga to maintain your flexibility and balance as your rheumatoid arthritis progresses?
These are not questions that should be answered in a vacuum. Talk to your doctor first.
If you're taking medication prescribed by a doctor, or under treatment for a medical condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, asthma or any other chronic condition, your doctor should be made aware of any complementary or alternative treatments you may be considering. Nutritional supplements, exercise routines and other alternative treatments may affect the treatments your doctor has prescribed.
For instance, did you know that vitamin B6 can interfere with tetracycline? Or that it may reduce the effectiveness of drugs used to treat cancer or depression? Or that it makes certain birth control pills ineffective? Your doctor or pharmacist will know these things. However, if you don't inform them that you're taking a vitamin supplement with B6, then you place your health at risk without the doctor even knowing.
This danger isn't confined to vitamin B6. Numerous vitamins and other nutritional supplements have similar interactions, which is why it's essential for your doctor to know everything you're taking before he prescribes treatment for you.
Now, you may not have heard of this before, but some interactions can actually increase the effectiveness of medical treatments. At first thought, this sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn't it? Unfortunately, there are numerous situations in which the results can instead be dangerous. For instance, if your doctor has prescribed a blood thinner such as aspirin, coumadin or wafarin, taking ginkgo biloba (which also has blood thinning properties) can potentially cause tiny bleeds in the brain or other systems.
For a second example, there are also a number of herbal and vitamin supplements that can affect how your body uses insulin or sugar. Something you need to be aware of if you're a diabetic. Your doctor also needs to be aware of any supplements you're taking so he can adjust your insulin dosage or your schedule in order to take advantage of the difference.
And then there's exercise. If you're being treated for any medical condition, a change in your activity level can affect your medication needs. In addition, your doctor may have concerns about the form of exercise you choose. For example, if you have arthritis, taking up aerobics could exacerbate the problem, while a low-impact workout could actually help maintain and even improve your joint function and flexibility.
Always check with your doctor before beginning a new fitness or exercise routine.
One, final point that's often overlooked. If you're going to try something, such as aromatherapy to help control your migraines for instance, and you do it properly by working with your physician, he can expand his own understanding about the effectiveness of alternative medicine. If aromatherapy helps your migraines, then your physician may want to try the same treatment on other migraine sufferers. If it's successful on them as well, then perhaps enough interest will develop to conduct a study. In the long run, many people may benefit from your experience.
However, the bottom line is that you and your physician are partners in your treatment. When you withhold important information from him, you're taking chances with your health - and your life. Don't leave your doctor out of the loop.
Source: Free Articles
Other Interesting Articles
Pros and Cons of Different Types of InvestmentsTips for Choosing High Performance Mutual Fund
Tips for Choosing The Best Stock Broker
ETF Advantages and Disadvantages
Free Slot Machine Games on the Web
BMW Pros and Cons
Six Little Spending Mistakes That Can Cost You Financial Freedom
Want to Live Debt Free? Free Tips That Will Help