Side Effects of Natural Remedies/Alternative Medicine

For those of you new to my blog, I have to preface this post by saying that I love alternative medicine. I am getting my MS in Acupuncture, and I will be getting an additional certificate in Chinese Medicine (which means Chinese herbalism). In addition, I think many other alternative therapies are wonderful, and after I graduate from my current program, I hope to continue to learn about many of them and to be able to integrate some of them into my practice. For more on why I love natural medicine, see my last post, Natural Medicine vs. Western Medicine.

That being said, the comments on my last post have made it clear that some people have a misunderstanding about how natural remedies work and believe that they don't have any side effects. This assumption has the potential to lead to some very serious consequences (and some less-serious but certainly unpleasant consequences), so I am going to attempt to clear that misconception up.

Let's start with a definition. According to MedicineNet.com, side effects are, "Problems that occur when treatment goes beyond the desired effect. Or problems that occur in addition to the desired therapeutic effect." Got that? Good.

Now for a very simplistic look at biology and medicine. The human body is a complicated, fascinating, and amazing machine. Take a peek in any anatomy and physiology text book, and it is likely to blow your mind. The body runs due to chemistry (such as neurotransmitters, and hormones), biology (such as the good bacteria that live in our guts), electricity (action potentials), and structure (the location of everything in the body). In order to do something as simple as blinking your eyes, there is a complicated chain reaction of events that must occur perfectly, or it won't work. The body needs to be in a state of homeostasis (which is quite complicated but can be very simplistically defined as balance) in order to keep those reactions going and to be healthy. The number of things going on in your body that are beyond your conscious control in any given moment is staggering. Like any complicated machine, things go wrong from time to time, which can be due to external factors (trauma, viruses, etc) or internal factors (genetic mutation, autoimmune disorders, etc). Usually, the body can take care of itself, but occasionally, it can't, and that results in disease, pain, and in extreme circumstances, death.

Medicine, whether western or alternative, is designed to help the body out and hopefully to fix what has gone wrong. In order to do that, it must cause a change in the chemistry, biology, electricity, or structure (or some combination of the four). Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to affect one aspect of the body without having an effect on many aspects of the body. Sometimes those effects are pleasant, sometimes they are benign and unnoticed, but sometimes they cause new problems, which is what side effects are. Some side effects are so bad, that they may be worse than the initial problem, but some are minor irritations that go away quickly.

To be perfectly frank, I can't think of a single remedy - alternative or western - that doesn't have the potential for side effects and unintended results (this is why malpractice insurance exists). Often, alternative therapies have fewer and less intense side effects than western medicine, but there is always the chance that something unwanted will happen.

Here are some examples (there are way too many kinds of alternative therapies for me to touch on all of them, so this is just a few):

Herbal remedies: Herbs, like western pharmaceuticals, affect the chemistry of the body. I said the following in a comment in my previous blog post: Licorice, for example, can cause high blood pressure. Marshmallow root can slow or block the body's ability to absorb certain nutrients, which can lead to conditions such as iron deficiency anemia. Even benign herbs like mint and ginger can cause acid reflux. If you use the wrong herb for a condition, you can make the condition worse. Some herbs, such as Digitalis purperia, are safe only for very specific and serious illnesses, and only in very small does, but are deadly when consumed in any other circumstance. Some herbs, like aconite, require special preparation in order to be safe for use. Some herbs are safe for most people but can cause a pregnant woman to miscarry. Some herbs can be addictive. Any herb can cause an allergic reaction, which can range from minor irritation to the potentially deadly anaphylactic shock.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture affects the chemistry and electricity of the body. I would like to say that my chosen profession doesn't have any side effects, but that would be a lie. When done by a trained professional, the potential side effects are minimal, but they're possible. The most common side effect is minor bruising. Other possible side effects include (but are not limited to) drowsiness, emotional upset (this is a strange one, but I've experienced it first hand), dizziness, and even fainting.

Homeopathy: My knowledge of homeopathy is limited, so I'm not going to attempt to explain what it does. Many people think that it's nothing more than a sugar pill. I have heard anecdotes of people who have had negative emotional reactions to homeopathic remedies (anxiety, irritability, and anger). But even if you're convinced that they're just sugar pills (the main ingredients are sucrose and lactose), the pills are made from ingredients that have an effect on the body. A friend of mine is allergic to cane sugar and had an allergic response to taking a homeopathic remedy.

Energetic healing: This includes things like Reiki, laying of hands, and magical healing, among others. These techniques are trying to tap into the body's energetic fields (which is part of the electricity of the body). Potential side effects of energetic healing include (but are not limited to) dizziness or vertigo, light-headedness, nausea, grogginess, fatigue, hyperactivity, emotional upset, headaches, tingling, pain, flushed face, warm or cold extremities, sweating, irritability, nightmares, depression, and mania.

Structural healing: This includes things like massage, and chiropractic, among others. Obviously, these are trying to address structural problems. Any time you change the structure of the body, you also cause chemical reactions to take place. Possible side effects include bruising, swelling, and nerve impingement among others. Massage can also spread an invading pathogen (bacteria or virus), making you feel worse if you're sick or getting sick.

Miscellaneous: There are a lot of other alternative therapies that people can do that are mostly safe but do have the potential for side effects. Epsom salt baths can increase blood pressure. According to a friend of mine who was a registered nurse with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist, Neti pots have been known to cause ear infections on occasion. Steam inhalations can cause burns if not done properly. The list goes on and on.

The point I am ultimately trying to make with all of this is that you need to stop and think before you treat yourself for medical conditions. Don't assume that because something is natural or alternative that it is completely safe. Do research. The internet is an amazing treasure trove of information. Ask health care providers and healers if there are any possible side effects before being treated, and tell them about all of the supplements and other healing methods you are currently using. When taking herbs, be aware that herbs can have negative reactions with each other and with pharmaceuticals. If you are taking any herbs but need to start a western medication, check with your doctor and herbalist to make sure they are safe when used together, or stop taking the herbs. Alternative medicine is wonderful when used correctly and safely, but it should not be used indiscriminately. Be safe, and be healthy.

Magic Ginger

I'm spending my summer learning all about Chinese herbs. A lot of them truly require that someone who knows what they're doing tell you what you should take and at what dosage. A few of them, however, are remarkably effective and easy to get a hold of.

So far, I'm most impressed with ginger. Most people know that ginger is good for an upset stomach. I recently learned that the most effective way of taking ginger is to make fresh ginger tea - slice up some ginger and pour boiling water over it. It's incredibly simple, and it's way less expensive than ginger ale or ginger snaps. Plus, it doesn't have anything else in it that could aggrivate your stomach, and it's pretty tasty. It's good for any type of nausea, including food poisoning and morning sickness.

What I didn't know about ginger is that if you feel like you're about to get a cold - tired, achy, congested, etc - you can drink a cup of ginger tea, and there's a good chance the cold will be stopped in its tracks. Unfortunately, it only works at the very beginning stages of the sickness, so once you feel truly sick, it's too late for ginger to be effective. I've already had a chance to try this remedy out, and it worked like a dream.

My professor told us that she has at least a pound of ginger in her kitchen at all times. I just keep a small amount in my freezer - frozen ginger is much easier to grate for cooking than room temperature ginger. If I recall correctly, the piece I currently have cost less than fifty cents.

My Favorite Drug

The following post was a response to a question posed in a friend's blog. My friend is Mormon, and she asked about whether her readers (most of whom, presumably, are also Mormon) drink coffee, which is verboten in their religion. She also asked about how "evil" it really is.

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I am not Mormon, and I don't base my actions on the words of profits, though I do recognize that there is often a great deal of wisdom in what they said. Personal wisdom comes, in part, from understanding the reasons behind rules that we are given. Once we know the reason, we can choose for ourselves whether or not the rules are just and should be obeyed.

I am a caffeine addict. At the end of March I'll be one year "sober." I had to quit drinking all caffeine because of the havoc it wreaked on my stomach. I used to drink copious amounts of coffee, tea, and soda. I still crave it at times, and I have even had dreams of drinking Dr. Pepper.

That being said, caffeine simply isn't good for you. From a Chinese Medicine standpoint, caffeine is the equivalent of a credit card (where you're talking about qi/energy instead of money). It creates false energy, borrowing from resources that you don't have, leading to exhaustion. As caffeine use increases, it becomes harder and harder to stop because you have smaller and smaller quantities of your own natural resources to draw from. Ultimately, this will lead to health problems that can range from fatigue to much more serious conditions.

I had several signs that came from divine origin (a story for another day) that indicated quite clearly that I needed to stop drinking caffeine. I chose to ignore the signs, and my health took a nosedive. I didn't follow a directive from my Goddess, and that made me less faithful. That doesn't mean that I stopped having faith and belief. It doesn't mean that I didn't strive to do my Goddess's will in other aspects of my life. It simply means that I wasn't living up to my full potential as a religious person.

In life and in religion, there are big rules and small rules. The big rules tend to be easier to follow - don't kill people, don't steal things, etc. The little rules are easy to bend because the effects and the consequences aren't as noticeable, and it's easier to justify them. Murdering someone is wrong, plain and simple. Drinking coffee... wellll... that's just not as clear. I would go so far as to say that from a moral standpoint, it isn't wrong; it's just a bad idea.

The problem with ignoring small rules - especially when dealing with religion - is that it becomes easier to ignore other, bigger rules. I know that when I don't act on what the Goddess says in one area, a lot of other things tend to slip, and it takes a lot of effort to get back on track.

The other thing that I try to always keep in mind is that if the reasoning behind a rule is sound (which, if it's coming from a deity, it's pretty safe to assume that it will be), then following it will ultimately make your life easier. Yes, it sure is convenient to have a nice, hot, grande soy no-whip white mocha in the morning to wake you up, but in the long run, there will be consequences. If you're lucky, they won't be as serious as mine, but there are, of course, no guarantees. Coffee won't keep me from heaven, but it can make life miserable.

D'oh!

There is a Chinese Medicine technique called Moxabustion (or Moxa for short) where you burn the herb, mugwort, on or over acupuncture points to introduce heat into the body. I had never had moxa done to me, and there was part of me that doubted its efficacy.

In class yesterday, we learned how to moxa patients and practiced on each other. It was fun, we played with fire, and no one got burned. One of the points that we used (ST 36) is good for a great number of ailments. One of the things that it does is to increase production of HCl in the stomach. My stomach is already too acidic, so I knew that this particular point was one that I shouldn't have anything done to. Because we were using moxa, though, and the point is below the knee rather than over the stomach, I figured I'd be fine. The amount of mugwort used was miniscule, so how could it possibly have an effect?

I have now learned the very important lesson that just because I don't understand exactly why Chinese medicine works, doesn't mean that it isn't going to do exactly what the text books claim it will do. This system of medicine has been around for thousands of years and has been fine tuned and perfected. I spent all day yesterday being absolutely miserable because my stomach was producing huge amounts of acid, exactly as promised. Oops.