Herbal Medicines and Prescription Drugs

Oliver lived the simple uncomplicated life of a house-wife till
she reached the age of 45. Two weeks after her 45th birthday,
she started experiencing slight pain in her left shoulder. She
had long suffered from heartburn since childhood as she had been
a plump child and she constantly over-ate. She disliked doctors
and had never actually stayed in hospital as a patient, except
when she was pregnant and in labour.

Two weeks later, she suffered severe pain on her left side and
could barely dial the number of the family doctor. He had known
her, all her life and was appalled that she had not consulted
him on experiencing pain. An electrocardiogram (ECG) showed a
mild heart attack. A quick Blood Pressure reading showed an
abnormally high BP of 180/100. The real problem was revealed
only when she stepped on the weighing machine. Her weight was an
uncomfortable 110 kg for a 5 feet 4 inch frame. She had a huge
obesity problem.

For all her dislike of doctors and hospitals, she was
immediately admitted and spent a week in hospital. She was put
on cardiac drugs and underwent a few diagnostic tests. As she
recovered, she insisted on a quick discharge at the earliest.
The day finally came, but so also did the hospital dietician,
who told Mrs Olive that she was grossly overweight. And there
was an urgent need for weight loss.

As a first line treatment for obesity she was given strict diet
plans. These would ensure adequate nutrition. She had never
dieted in her life and simply could not cope. 2 months down the
line, she actually put on 2 kg. There was an increasing danger
to her health and life. She had to go for weight loss drug
therapy. Here she was given two options – Herbal Weight Loss
Treatment like Herbalife or Diet Pills like Phentermine Diet
Pills or Adipex Diet Pills or Didrex Diet Pills. She had to
decide between going in for herbal treatment or prescription
drugs.

Diet Pills are essentially diet drugs. These pills are regulated
by the Food and Drug Administration agency (FDA), their side
effects are monitored and they may be advertised and prescribed
for weight loss under certain condition and in certain dosages.

The dangers of prescription diet pills are consistent with other
similar drugs. Accidental overdose is a common problem when
taking these diet pills. This is because many diet pills contain
similar ingredients to non-prescription medications like nasal
decongestants.

Various Diet Pill reviews have documented their side-effects.
Diet pill side effects of drugs that operate on the brain to
reduce appetite include raised blood pressure, chest pain,
fever, hair loss, depression, impotence, heart damage, to name a
few.

Do Diet Pills(like Phentermine,
adipex) really work? When used under medical supervision in
conjunction with a proper diet and exercise program, diet pills
can be effective – at least in the short term. That said, the
body adjusts remarkably quickly too many diet pills, so the
benefits may quickly wear off. If diet pills are not used in
conjunction with a proper weight loss program incorporating
proper diet and exercise, they are not likely to be effective.
Indeed some pills may even disrupt our body causing weight gain.

Herbal weight loss treatment is on the other hand considered to
have lesser side-effects, but is associated with an increased
risk of certain Gastrointestinal Cancers.

However, Mrs Olive finally decide to go in first for herbal
treatment. She is not alone. Increasingly a large number of
people are shifting to herbal treatment not only for obesity but
also for other major diseases like jaundice, arthritis and
diabetes.

In the West, ancient treatments using herbs are gradually being
revived, but in India or China herbal treatment has always been
a way of life. The Indian System of Medicine – Ayurveda – is
based on herbs and certain inorganic metals like gold, silver,
etc called bhasmas. In China, traditional healing focuses on the
power of herbs, animal products and others to give the healing
balance of ying and yang.

However herbal treatment takes time and may not always be
effective. There is no clear cut scientific basis for many
preparations and very often they have been dismissed as supreme
examples of Quackery. Very often these preparations contain
dangerous levels of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, etc an have
in banned in countries like Canada and Singapore.

There is a need for objective, double blind, randomized
,clinical trials to establish a clear-cut medical basis for
usage. Very often these preparations contain more than 10
different herbs. There is also a need for studies to check how
these herbs interact with each other and documentaton of their
therapeutic effects and their side-effects..

Prescription drugs on the hand have strong scientific basis.
There is at least one good double blind randomized clinical
trial in human in the indication or disease to be treated before
the drug can even apply for final approval. Here the therapy
involves a single drug that has been documented in all aspects
for it’s therapeutic effect, side-effects, drug-drug
interactions and this has been studied for 5 to 10 years before
the drug can be promoted commercially.

There is also information on how the drug travels through the
body and into what components it breaks down into. What more
treatment schedules are well-defined with a clear knowledge of
the side-effects, which are plentiful. With qualified certified
medical practitioners and ultra modern facilities, it is not
difficult to see why prescription drugs are the most preferred
form of treatment.

Most people start shifting to herbal medicine only when
allopathy does not offer any benefits like in Psoriasis or if
the side-effects become unbearable as in arthritis, where
acidity due to pain reducing drugs can be difficult to stomach,
or where the duration of therapy is shorter than in allopathy,
like in Jaundice. Or due to the side-effects of certain cardiac
drugs like anti-hypertensives.

But herein lies the danger of embracing a therapy which we do
not know everything about. In medical terms, ignorance is not
bliss, it is an invitation to disaster.

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