The Advantages Of Herbal Medicine

You're feeling ill or down in the dumps and you're ready to get better. Calling an M.D., a doctor of medicine, and taking a prescribed synthetic drug is only one of your options. You could try the services of health-care practitioners who are trained and, in some cases, licensed, in other types of medicine. Herbal medicine is one type of alternative or complementary therapy that's routinely used in Europe and other parts of the world. There are also physicians in the United States who use herbal medicine, mostly naturopaths and traditional Chinese medicine specialists, but you might be able to talk your M.D. into considering herbal medicine, if you can present its advantages.

Often Homeopathic

Like many other therapeutic modalities, herbal medicine is often homeopathic in effect. Homeopathic therapies work by promoting your body's natural healing tendencies, paradoxically by introducing tiny quantities of a medicine that would, in a healthy body, actually produce disease symptoms if taken in larger doses. This is different from conventional Western medicine, which is more accurately labeled "allopathic". Allopathic treatments -- the drug therapies most Americans are accustomed to using -- are substances designed to antagonize, oppose, and suppress the symptoms of your illness. This particular characteristic of herbal medicine may be intriguing, but it also is directly opposed to the way most allopathic physicians, or M.D.'s, were trained. So you may have to bring up some of herbal medicines' other advantages to entice your physician's consideration.

Low Cost

Herbal medicines can be easier on your pocketbook than conventional pharmaceuticals. This point may encourage your physician to prescribe herbals. Many Americans now do not have insurance coverage, and the price of allopathic drugs is climbing, so there are plenty of stories about patients with prescriptions they cannot afford to fill. Naturopathic physician Janet McKenzie, N.D., sees patients in her Ontario private practice where she says most supplements she prescribes cost patients an average of about $25. Even your conventional Western medicine-trained doctor might be happier to have you try a less expensive herbal medicine if the alternative is that you cannot afford to purchase and use prescribed allopathic drugs.

Two-For-One or More

Because of the way herbal medicines are made, compounds using plant parts that include roots, flowers, stems, leaves and seeds, the individual medicines typically have more than one active ingredient. That's why one herbal medicine may be used to treat more than one condition. An example is the commonly known ginseng. The University of Maryland Medical Center says ginseng is often used for circulatory disorders and memory enhancement. This multi-systemic treatment approach winds up resulting, again, in lower cost to the patient -- you can use one drug instead of two -- and it may also mean you're less likely to have drug-to-drug interactions that are adverse, an unfortunately common situation among patients who must take multiple medicines daily.

Physician Control

Unlike with allopathic drugs, herbal medicines provide physicians with options for flexibility and control of the therapeutics. That's because herbal medicines can and often are prepared individually -- in a special compounding pharmacy, not a factory -- and knowledgeable herbalists can adjust not only the dosage, but the actual ingredients per prescription. You, the patient, can have your very own made-to-order medicine that treats the specific conditions that are standing in the way of health. Your physician has the satisfaction of knowing that she's provided you with optimal care.

Professional Guidance

Though most herbal medications are as safe as food -- literally "food grade" substances -- some can be toxic. So if you're choosing to use herbals, seek expert guidance before you take anything. And if you're already seeing an M.D. for any condition, tell him about your plans to use herbal medications. You'll want to know if there are any possible contraindications specific to your health and whether there could be hazardous interactions between the different drugs you're taking.