The dangers of drugs and herbal interactions

Every day, millions of people combine herbal preparations with prescription drugs, in some cases with disastrous results. Almost one in three Americans takes herbal preparations and often the individual's treating physician doesn't know.


In spite of this explosion in use, herbal remedies are not new. They’ve been used for thousands of years. Plant medicine, made from leaves, flowers, roots and stems of plants has provided relief from a host of diseases and ills throughout human history.


Although modern man is “discovering” the health benefits of herbals, primitive man relied almost exclusively on plant medicine. Today, traditional doctors are often dismissive of the benefits of herbal remedies and many are ignorant of the harm combinations of herbal preparations and prescribed drugs may cause.


It’s up to the patient to take charge in these situations. Suppose, for example, you’re taking one of the anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners) such as Coumadin, Ticlid or even aspirin and you decide to add ginkgo biloba as a memory enhancer without telling your doctor. An ancient remedy used in China, ginkgo’s blood thinning properties, combined with those of the drugs, will increase your risks of severe bleeding and stroke. Avoid the herbals dong quai and ginseng also if you’re taking blood thinners.


Popular herb St. John’s Wort helps relieve mild to moderate depression, but don’t mix it with prescription antidepressants, especially the serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac, Serzone, Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft. This is a case of getting too much of a good thing, which can be a bad thing. You may wind up feeling weak, tired and confused if you combine St. John’s Wort with antidepressants, hardly the results you want if you’re already depressed.


Be aware that one of the world’s most popular herbals, echinacea, which fires up the immune system, doesn’t mix well with corticosteroids or any other drug that suppresses the immune response. In addition, echinacea hides in many preparations such as cough drops and muti-vitamins, so train yourself to read labels.


Can’t sleep at night? Like millions of people, you may be taking the herb valerian to help you nod off. Word of caution--people who take herbal preparations are often ingesting prescription or over the counter drugs as well. Combining valerian with prescription and non-prescription sleep aids and/or alcohol can create a dangerous state of oversedation.


The vitamin and herb industry is largely unregulated; manufacturers can make extravagant claims that have not been disproven with research. Often, warnings about mixing herbs and drugs do not show up on labels. Pharmacists and doctors aren’t yet up to speed on what the dangerous combinations are. Too often, these traditional health care practitioners don’t even ask if the patient is already taking herbal preparations or vitamins.


Patients have a responsibility to bring up the subject. Don’t worry if your doctor scoffs at alternative healing practices; it’s your health and well being that’s on the line. Use your physician's knowledge to work out the best treatment plan and to avoid making dangerous assumptions about herb and drug combinations. Especially prior to surgery, tell your doctor what you’re taking. Just because herbals come from nature, don’t assume they can’t hurt you, especially with the double whammy you may get with the wrong combinations.


Consult a qualified herbalist for more information about herbal and drug contraindications. Buy your herbal products from a reputable dealer who is knowledgeable on this subject.


Use the Internet to gain in-depth knowledge about dangerous combinations of herbs and drugs. The Good Housekeeping Web site has an excellent article and accompanying chart. Use a good search engine and type in “drug interactions by drug” on the search line; this will take you to an awesome A to Z index of hundreds of drugs and how they interact with commonly used herbal preparations. The Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) for Herbal Medicines, providing in-depth information on 700 herbal supplements, is an indispensable resource. (by glenda patton/essortment.com)

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Tips to Cure Your Acne With Natural Herbs

If you are trying to control your acne and are looking for an acne herbal cure, you might want to proceed with caution. There are many herbs and supplements you'll read about on the Internet that will promise to cure a pimpled face, but few actually work. What's worse, some herbal cures can actually worsen the condition of your acne than if you had left it well enough alone.

You also need to put some parts of your diet into the equation. Even though it hasn't been proven that your diet is what does or does not cause acne, certain foods can make your face flame up with zits faster than others. For instance, you might find certain vitamin qualities to help acne in peanuts and almonds, while other nuts will give you a complete opposite reaction with other nuts. Some doctors and dermatologists might tell you to stay away from chocolate and caffeinated drinks, while others hold that there is no way these foods can actually cause acne.

For some, acne is hormonal. There's nothing you can do to fix it unless you're willing to take contraceptives or other harsh medicines, which cause separate problems on their own. Another popular "fix" doctors like to put acne sufferers on is Accutane, which has caused infections in the skin of some users, and actually makes their hormonal acne worse.

Thus, if you want to try an acne herbal cure, start slowly, and only try products that don't break the bank. Things like tea tree oil, flaxseed, and licorice root have been known to soothe acne and not cause abnormal side effects, so you might try some of these.

Other cures include an internal cleansing of the body, which basically amounts to colon cleansing. As undesirable as this might sound, many people have actually seen great results using this method. But don't just jump in and stock up on the highest amount of laxatives and fibers you can; you need to have a sound idea of how you're going to proceed with your acne herbal cure.

The typical cleanse should usually take no longer than 3-5 days. Any more than this, and your colon won't let you sit down. Play it safe and stay away from harsh drugs by taking the route of natural acne relief.

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Home Remedies for Sunburn

What's Sunburn? Home Remedies for Sunburn?

Sunburn is literally a'burn' to the skin that's due to overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. A short exposure can cause tanning, longer exposure can cause burns. This means that all you want to do to prevent sunburn is restrict your UV exposure - and there's lots of ways to do that.

home remedies for sunburn

probabilities are if you're studying this report that you've already gotten burned and are searching for pain alleviation and healing advice. You do not want to get worse your burn, but you do not need to miss out on fun in the sun either, right?

In 1992, three Canadians developed a standardised method of measuring the strength of UV radiation from the sun at any particular time and place. It ranges from one ; the weakest - to eleven ; the strongest. Listen to your local weather prediction to see how intense the sun is supposed to be on the days you intend to tan and prepare accordingly.

If you normally don't spend a lot time in the sun, do not expect to be ready to spend twenty four seven tanning at the beach without burning because you will be in for a painful surprise! Use high-SPF sunscreen and start tiny with 15 minutes to an hour in the sun and then see how you feel some hours later. You can then build up from there primarily based on your level of sensitivity.

if you would like to make the best of a holiday at the beach, consider visiting a suntan salon for a week or so before the tangible vacation to prepare your skin for the sun. Most tanning salons will make a schedule for you to delicately ease your maximum time exposure up.

if you're taking any regular medication, visit your doctor before leaving on vacation as some meds can increase sensitivity to the sun's rays. Your physician may be ready to swap you over to medication that doesn't have that side effect for the time that you are on vacation.

warning : Babies under 6 months should not be exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time! Keep them cool and in the shade. Suntan lotion should not ever be used on youngsters this young either.

* Use a sunscreen with an SPF ( sun protection factor ) of no less than 8. Rub it thoroughly into your skin paying special attention to delicate areas that don't typically get much sun ( under your arms, the guts of your knees, and the bottoms of your feet )

* Re-apply your sunscreen each 30-45 minutes while you are skin is still acclimating to the sun. Once you are used to it you can re-apply each 2-3 hours. If you venture into the water or start sweating you need to re-apply your sunscreen more frequently.


* If you think you're at risk of burning but don't want to pack it up, move into the shade and put on some light, loose clothing. A wide-brimmed hat will shield your face and neck.

After tanning

For an extra-soothing feel you can store the bottle in the refrigerator to keep it cool.

* When washing, use a loofah or other exfoliant to remove dead and peeling skin.

* Cocoa butter applied directly is claimed to help preserve your tan while moisturizing your skin.

three. Sunburn discomfort alleviation

Luckily , there are lots of tactics to relieve the pain. It is important to stay out of the sun until your burn has healed as you can make it much worse! Refer to the prior section for tips on shielding yourself from worsened burns.

Topical Sunburn remedies

A general rule of thumb when choosing or making a topical sunburn cure is this : If it promotes clammy and healthy skin, it's good. The sole exception to this is blistering sunburn. Blistering sunburn shouldn't be covered in any lotions, creams, or balms as it can cause the wound to get infected. Do not attempt to pop the blisters - wait for them to go down on their lonesome.

Extreme sunburn must be treated timely to eliminate pain and prevent permanent skin damage Stop suffering! Find the relief you desperately need 5 minutes from now home remedies for sunburn.(source:articlebase)

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Using Carrot Juice for Relieving Constipation

Carrot juices contain certain oils that work on the mucus membranes of the stomach and colon. This helps with digestion and starts your bowels functioning properly. Carrots are high in fiber and beta-carotene, an antioxidant, which the body converts to vitamin A. Carrots can make your stools softer and larger.

Why are larger stools better? Because larger stools dilute toxins, exposure less toxins to colon walls, and press against colon walls to promote peristaltic action.

Drink carrot juice twice daily, once in the morning and in the evening before bedtime.

You can drink more carrot juice if you like. Its action on the body produces enormous benefits since it contains a good number of vitamins and minerals - B, C, D, E, K, carotene, sodium, and potassium. These nutrients help to clean out your colon and speed up fecal matter movement.

As you increase the carrot juice you drink, chances are you will feel a little uncomfortable. This happens when carrot juice reaches your intestines and colon and begins stirring up the toxic layers and materials in that area. This feeling will pass and is nothing to worry about.

If you are pregnant, drink carrot juice daily to build up your breast milk and to provide your baby with the nutrients that it needs

Carrot Juice, Carrots and Celery

An effective way to clear constipation is to combine vegetables that are high in fiber and that have laxative effects.

Celery is high in fiber, potassium, sodium, and many other minerals. It can reduces inflammation and protect against cancer. Celery has a chemical call polyacetylene, which reduces prostaglandins that cause inflammation.

Celery has a calming effect on the nervous system. If you have been using laxatives, which have overworked your colon nerves, celery will help to relax these nerves and give them a rest.

Adding carrot juice to celery juice provides an even better nutritional drink. This drink will help to restore nerve function in your colon and improve its health.

Celery has the highest content of organic sodium. This sodium is used throughout the body as lymph saline liquid allowing cells to work and live properly.

Celery is also beneficial for the stomach. The stomach lining is filled with sodium and this sodium is necessary to prevent ulcers.

Here's what to do,

Eat carrots and celery during the day and for your salads; drink a glass of carrot juice in the morning and one in afternoon. By eating slightly steamed carrots you can increase the carotene available from the carrots by up to 4 times. However, by cooking carrots, you destroy the enzymes that will help you to digest them quickly and completely.

Boost your carrot juice by juicing with it a few stalks of celery, which includes the leaves. The leaves have more nutrients than the stalk and are part of the nutritional value of celery.

Tomato, Carrot, Celery Drink

Here's a drink you can take in the afternoon to activate a bowel movement.

With a juicer, juice some tomatoes, carrots, and celery. By experimenting, you can discover the amount of each vegetable to use according to your taste. Mostly likely you will want equal amounts of tomatoes and carrots and you will want to add a few stalks of celery including the leaves.

Now, let's add a few more items to give your drink more pushing power. Squeeze in a small amount of garlic, onion, and radish. While juicing your carrots, juice a small bunch of spinach or parsley.

Drink 1 to 1 ½ cups in the morning and see the results soon after.(By Rudy Silva/naturalhealthweb)

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