Managing Your Health: A Balancing Act by guest author Kathleen
I’m a Registered Nurse and enjoy researching medical news and sharing my findings with my readers. Accurate and updated information will always be available for anyone interested in health news and events, along with suggestions for self help and well being.
This is a response to timethief’s post Natural Health Products and Me
The problem is when the pendulum swings too far in one direction or the other. If you cut your risk factors, you shouldn’t need natural products or prescriptions, except occasionally. – in each instance.
Certainly antibiotics are overly prescribed, but most often it’s consumer demands that lead physicians to do so.
There is no natural cure in the world that will save you from stroke or heart attack, and “natural” products are based on what we already can get from food, daily exercise and sunshine.
Relying on natural products is no different than relying on prescriptions. It’s the same idea. Does anyone think there’s not BIG money in the sale of natural health products? The safety issues really do vary. Too many people think more is better because something is “natural”. They take natural products and don’t tell their doctors, complicating their medical care.
One of the biggest challenges to healthcare providers, as well as a contributing factor to rising healthcare costs, is non-compliance with medication. Too many people refuse to take what is prescribed, even after a major health event, believing that pharmaceutical companies, and prescription medications carry too much risk. Some do – some don’t. It’s up to the consumer to advocate for medications that they are comfortable with, and to ask about studies and side effects.
The answer lies somewhere in the middle. You have to know what you’re taking, and whether any studies at all have found benefit. Vitamin C supplements are a prime example. There have been many studies, that show Vitamin C does not prevent colds, except in extreme conditions and during intense athletic training, but the first thing everyone does is gobble vitamin C supplements in response to the sniffles. If we ate properly, washed our hands, and keep our immune systems intact through daily healthy practices, we’d have a lot less problems.
The truth is, educating yourself thoroughly, and using conventional medicine in combination with natural cures is likely the better approach to managing your health.
TT is correct when she says we have to take more responsibility, and yes, the mind body connection is real. How many people really practice what we already know about health maintenance?
I didn’t mean to make an essay out of this…..
Kathleen‘s blogs are:
Lydia
June 20, 2008
I was attended to by two young RNs at my local emergency room two days ago. I surprised my dog by touching her side while she was rolling happily in the back yard, and she took a nip. It was one puncture wound to the bone of my wrist. My doctor’s office sent me to ER and there my wound was cleansed and Rx written and gone over in great detail… They did the right thing by going over instructions more than once, because in the moment I wasn’t really on track. But when I got the meds home and looked at the labels the additional comments by the nurses came right to me. It was a lesson to me that there are times when you might not always hear important information concerning meds.
btw, they said they see much worse dog bites, and noted that if she had really wanted to harm me it would be obvious to them.
Dr. Rob
June 21, 2008
I’m not debating what you’re saying – just being inquisitive.
you wrote: it’s consumer demands that lead physicians to overly subscribe antibiotcs
- I always thought this was just medical propaganda, similar to the press saying we give people bad news because it’s what they ask for.
You wrote: Too many people refuse to take what is prescribed, even after a major health event
. . . why would consumers demand antibiotics, but refuse to take what is prescribed.
I have not studied this; I am just speaking from gut feeling.
timethief
June 21, 2008
@Lydia
It sounds like you had a bit of bad luck. I’m glad to hear you got medical attention promptly and that the instructions for the meds were clarified for you. I hope you have a great weekend. I probably won’t get over to read your blog until mid-week next week.
Cheers, TT
timethief
June 21, 2008
@Rob
I dropped a message into Katleen’s shoutbox letting her know that your questions are here.
Kathleen
June 21, 2008
Hi,
Thanks TT, for the “heads up”. Lydia, you are correct. Sometimes you don’t remember everything about medications when you’re overwhelmed. Pharmacists offer counseling also, and their wealth of information should be tapped.
Rob,
Re: consumer demands for antibotics. The comment about antibiotics actually came from a survey of physicians themselves. I wrote about it on my blog, after doing some research about antibiotic overuse and antibiotic resistance, which is actually a global health issue as more people die from antibiotic resistant infections. It’s other forms of prescription medicines that cause patients to balk, though, I’m sure you could find studies that say some people won’t take antibiotics when they’re really needed also.
http://grabsomehealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/childhood-asthma-linked-to-early.html
If you don’t want to read the whole entry, the findings were as follows: Twenty percent of doctors were more likely to prescribe antibiotics when they perceived that parents expected it – 24% of parents question doctors when antibiotics are not prescribed for childhood respiratory infections. Seventy five precent of prescriptions were written just because parents want their children to take them.
In practice, I see the same thing with adults – many people have pre-conceived notions of what medications they should take, and what they don’t want.
Re: “major” events. I spent years as a Cardiology nurse. I can’t tell you how many discussions I’ve had regarding why someone doesn’t want to take their cholesterol medication, or the expense of the VERY necessary drug, Plavix following placement of a heart stent in a coronary artery (it’s expensive). I’ve had patients with atrial fibrillation refuse to take the blood thinnner Coumadin, telling me it’s “rat poison”, only to watch them suffer from a stroke, which is what Coumadin therapy is designed to prevent, as examples of prescription non-compliance.
So, consumer expectations, and overall compliance with traditional medicine recommendations can indeed become a problem, especially when we try to pick and choose, without a broad knowledge base.
Just for the record, I too seek natural health products whenever I can. I welcome the relief of a cough from elderberry syrup and honey. I thing Neti pots rule for sinus and allergy – forget all those medicines that make you feel bad and can harm. (lol). It’s just that I see the need for balance and genuine information.
Did I just write another essay!!!!
Nita
June 21, 2008
I agree with what has been said in this post. One needs a balanced approach. Too often we see people swinging one way or the other, which can perhaps arise from their insecurity and fear. People need to believe that they can be cured of their problem and those who prescribe medicines are usually very insistent that they only are right and therefore the patient can get influenced.
Nita
June 21, 2008
oops, I think a comment I sent just went into spam!
Lydia
June 23, 2008
TT,
I referred “a little bird told me,” to your blog as she recently wrote about affirmations. She has visited and raved (no surprise there!).
mariamichelle
June 23, 2008
My father ALWAYS said the key is moderation!