Holistic and natural medicine dates far back in history, but has recently re-emerged as a very popular alternative to prescription medication. Many decide to use natural remedies, such as dietary supplements, to avoid the high cost and extensive list of unwanted side effects of prescription medications, but these alternatives are not always an effective equivalent. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate holistic medicine such as dietary supplements, which pose concerns about the content and efficacy of the active ingredient.5 It is very difficult to standardize herbal remedies because herbs are usually complex mixtures and the constituents responsible for the claimed effects are often unknown.2
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is a widely used dietary supplement in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is a urological condition common in men over the age of 50, caused by the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.4 As the prostate enlarges it causes there to be pressure on the urethra, resulting in lower urinary tract symptoms.4 The most common symptom of BPH is difficult or painful urination.4 Saw palmetto has been used as an alternative to prescription medication to treat the symptoms of BPH since the early 1900s, and is still a top choice for the over-the-counter treatment of symptoms by patients today.6 The active ingredient of the saw palmetto plant is it’s ripe berries. Clinically evaluated products are standardized based on the content of fatty acid. Supplements usually contain 70 to 95 percent of free fatty acids and phytosterols. 3 Although researchers are not sure of the exact mechanism of action of saw palmetto, the dietary supplement is said to inhibit 5α-reductase isoenzymes...
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2. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Saw palmetto. http://0-naturaldatabase.therapeuticresearch.com.millennium.midwestern.edu/nd/Search.aspx?cs=SCHOOLNOPL~SFS&s=ND&pt=100&id=971&ds=&name=SAW+PALMETTO&searchid=46224023 (2014 April 2014)
3. De Smet P. Drug therapy: Herbal remedies. N Engl J Med. 2002; 347(25): 2046-56
4. American Urological Association. Benign prostatic hyperplasia. http://www.auanet.org/education/guidelines/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia.cfm (2104 April 14)
5. Bressler R. Herb-drug interactions: Interactions between saw palmetto and prescription medication. Geriatrics. 2005; 60(November): 32-4
6. Ehrlich S. Saw palmetto.http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/saw-palmetto (2014 April 14)
7. Agbabiaka T, Pittler M, Wider B, Ernst E. Serenoa repens (saw palmetto): A systematic review of adverse events. Drug Safety. 2004; 32(8): 637-47
One piece of evidence that helps shape the story being told in “The Poisoner’s Handbook” is a primary document that says “Injection No. 369 use three or four times a day” for Pinkston and Scruggs Pharmacists. Another piece of evidence is a document that says “For the hair-
...is still research to be done, but for now it is up to the individual to decide if he or she is healthy enough to take these products safely or if it is even worth taking,given the long-term effects.
Phytotherapeutic treatments for menopause related symptoms. (2011, June 22). Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism, 1, 12-21.
In today’s world, many people assume that the latest medical technology and treatments are always the best option. However, all over the world, different techniques for curing diseases and aliments are being used. These methods fall under the category of complementary and alternative medicine.
Prostate cancer has been the number one diagnosed cancer today. According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in every ten American men will develop prostate cancer during his lifespan. This cancer has been very common in the last few years. American Cancer Society reported over 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer. Huge number of population suffered severely. The prostate is significant for reproduction. It helps the substances that are involved in fertilization and transporting of sperm as well as survival. Prostate tumor is developed in the prostate gland, which is found in the men’s reproductive system. Prostate is the size of a walnut, which is located inferiorly in the penis and anterior to the rectum. It contains the connective tissue, which includes the glandular and fibrous tissues. This tumor starts to develop during their adolescent year due to the control of the male reproductive hormones. When the tumor starts to develop, it begins at the urethra, which is a tube that releases the urine from the bladder. The tumor is a slow development yet it is contagious to the other parts of the body, such as it does affect the pelvic bones, lungs, liver, and the lower vertebrae (Zenka, 2009).
The major use for herbal medicines is for the promotion of health and for therapy for chronic conditions, instead of being used for life-threatening conditions; except in the event of say advanced cancer or new infectious diseases when conventional medicine practices no longer are working an individual may use traditional remedies. While traditional medicines are often mistaken that because they are natural that they are safe, non-toxic, which is not always the case. In cases when an individual is taking herbs with prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or other herbs that may cause some adverse side affects. As a flourishing commercial enterprise, it doesn’t matter why an individual uses traditional medicines, it provides important health care services for individuals that have access physically or finantually to allopathic
Henderson, L., Yue, Q. Y., Bergquist, C., Gerden, B., & Arlett, P. (2002). St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum): drug interactions and clinical outcomes. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2002; 54(4):349-356.
For many centuries, humanity has been on an eternal quest for cures and treatments for many chronic conditions. At the present time, conventional medicine is mostly performed by doctors and other health care professionals, with the extensive use of pharmaceutical drugs, surgery or radiation treatments for disease treatment. Conversely, even though not as popular, complementary and alternative medicine and treatment options are slowly gaining popularity and becoming an addition to traditional medicine.
Alternative medicine can also be defined as the result of a series of important changes occurring within the American health care system today. For example, health care practitioners are coming to the realization that conventional biomedicine cannot solve many of America’s health problems. Therefore many doctors have begun to accept the idea that Holistic Medicine is based on, that is, that health involves more than just the physical body. They have also found many alternative medical treat...
What is the difference between a'smart' and a'smart'? 3 Sept. 2002: C-1. 2. What is the difference between a.. Jambora, Anne A. “Obesity and Bariatric Surgery.”
Lindberg, D. (n.d.). Herbal Medicine: MedlinePlus. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbal
Today, prostate cancer is usually detected through screening, and there are two methods for early detection. The prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) is used, but there are many factors that can influence the outcome of the PSA test. Medications such as antihistamines, physical exertion or recent ejaculation can raise a PSA level (Gray, 2009). The test itself was intended for staging the presence of known prostate cancer and is less reliable when used alone (Oliver, 2007).
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
Herbal medicines are sold in different ways from tablets, teas, extracts, capsules, powders, and fresh or dried plants. Many consumers believe that these products are safe and free of harm due to the labeling of the product with words such as “all natural.” The downside of taking these “natural” medicines are some ingredients can cause harm to a consumer’s health. According to the U.S .National Library of Medicine, some herbs, such as comfrey and ephedra, can cause serious harm. It is also reported that herbal
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.