Notes on Self Medicating
So you've read a few Natural Medicine books about a health problem
that you have been diagnosed with or that you think that you might
have. You have a friend who has read a few magazine articles on the
subject and your doctor said that you could try a natural medicine
alternative supplement from the drugstore instead of the drug you
refused to take. So here you are, taking a Fistful of supplements
everyday. And you begin to wonder - 1. I spent a whole paycheck on
this stuff?  2. Didn't I want to avoid taking pills in the first place?

Maybe I exaggerated this a little bit, but I want to show just how this
can happen. Natural Medicine, typically, is supposed to take a holistic
approach, therefore not encouraging the use of so may things  that  
they counteract each other.  The truth is, that this is more common
than you would think. I am very grateful that we still have the right to
put whatever we want to put in our mouths in there. If I want to eat a
bucket  load of chocolate it is still my God given right to make my face
break out and gain 100 pounds if I so choose. I can go to the health
food store and buy any supplement that I want and I can take as much
or as little as I please. But, I believe that this freedom is widely
overused. I'm not saying that all the Natural medicines and herbs
should be banned and taken off the shelves - by no means. I love
having herbs to take with knowledge and wisdom.

The problem is that, though supplements are food and should not be
regulated, People do not have the proper education needed to use
them wisely. And because supplements are food, it is illegal for
supplement companies to put information on the label. So, people
read magazine articles or books from frequently questionable
sources and self prescribe whatever they read about.

I had a massage client recently who asked me "Do you think I could
take a green leafy vegetable supplement, even though my medication
says that I shouldn't eat green leafy vegetables?" Of course I had to
ask - "What medication?" She was on a Dr's prescription of coumadin
- a blood thinner - for years. The Dr. Thought that it was under control
and hadn't seen her in his office for about a year. So her clotting time
had not been checked for a long time. When coumadin is prescribed -
especially as it first introduced to the body, the levels are monitored
very closely to be certain that those levels do not get to a point where
the blood will not clot or where it will clot too fast.. The danger there is
that a person could form a blood clot so easily as to have one go to
the brain or heart  causing heart attack, stroke, or death. The other
problem is that if the blood is too thin, a person could bleed from
every pore just sitting and watching TV, or they could die from a
nosebleed.

Well, I hadn't heard much about green leafies causing problems with
coumadin but they are high in Vitamin E and I knew that Vitamin E
was a problem with coumadin and I said this to this lady.  And I told
her that she should talk to her Dr.  If she wanted to take a green
supplement so that he could monitor her levels, When she asks,
"What's wrong with Vitamin E?"
Vitamin E is a blood thinner by itself. Then she proceeds to tell me
that she has been taking Vitamin E for cysts in her breasts for the last
few months because her neighbor told her that that would help it.  So,
here is a lady with a coumadin prescription med that has been
regulated for years on it, she starts taking Vitamin E because her
neighbor said so, and she wants to start taking a green supplement
too, all of which thin the blood. She could have died! Luckily she
asked me her question, and luckily I knew the answer. If she had
asked someone else, she might have been told - "Sure, Green
Supplements are good for you."

My point in writing this article is to reinforce that magazine articles,
neighbors, and even legitimate books can provide a lot of information,
but it is best to talk to someone who knows and is educated about
natural medicine and supplements and medications and always tell
your Doctor about everything that you take!
Natural Medicine
How Many Natural Medicines or Supplements
Do I Need?

OK, so you have 20 bottles of natural medicines sitting in your
medicine cabinet, all of which were purchased without reading my
above article. :) , Anyway, Now you are wondering, "I've read that all of
these things are good for me, why shouldn't I be taking them?

Here are a couple proven facts. The more food supplements you take,
the less actual food your body needs. This causes you to either eat
more than you need and waste either the natural medicine or the
food, or you aren't hungry enough for a balanced meal.
And I don't care who tells you that natural medicine doesn't have
reactions - they've never combined them with prescription
medications or paid attention to the effects that cancelled each other
out . But I'm here to tell you that the more items that can be taken
medicinally - medications, herbal teas, natural medicines... whatever
that go into a person's mouth - the higher the liklihood of having a bad
reaction or having different items cancel each other out and reduce
their effectiveness. I know that you don't spend your money to throw it
away, so I'm telling you now, that is exactly what you do when you take
too much. Strangely enough - herb sales people will tell you that
herbs are foods and don't cause reactions - well - Turkey is food , and
it makes you sleepy. The point is that you wouldn't buy the natural
medicine if you didn't want an effect. Those effects can and will
respond diffrently when other things are in the system. Too much of a
good thing is not a better thing. Moderation is the key. As a general
rule, if you are taking more that 5 natural medicines, I'd reconsider it.
And always tell your Doctor what you are taking. Speak with a
professional who knows natural medicine as well, so that you are not
playing Russian Roulette with your health.