Tuesday, July 06, 2004
New Alternatives - The Other Side
I'm of course a big fan of alternative and complementary medicine. The thing is, they can still be quite dangerous, because so little is known about how or why they work. Side effects are not well catalogued, interactions are mostly unknown, and dosages are hard to predict due to lack of standards.
Recent research has found some disturbing effects: Herbal diet supplements often contain ingredients which seem to harm the liver and kidneys; St. Johns Wort alters the bioavailability of other medications. St. Johns Wort is one of the most dangerous of the herbal remedies, because it's used so widely and is so potent. It's a MAOI, which have many dangerous side effects, though most people using SJW are unaware of these risks, or the precautions necessary to avoid them.
Recent research has found some disturbing effects: Herbal diet supplements often contain ingredients which seem to harm the liver and kidneys; St. Johns Wort alters the bioavailability of other medications. St. Johns Wort is one of the most dangerous of the herbal remedies, because it's used so widely and is so potent. It's a MAOI, which have many dangerous side effects, though most people using SJW are unaware of these risks, or the precautions necessary to avoid them.
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