On May 13th, a dinner program on “Herbal Medicine/Supplements” was presented at the Holiday Inn East in Forest Hills, by Dr. Petrow pharmacist from UPMC - Passavant Hospital. He noted that today, more alternative medicine is surfacing in the U.S., despite the fact that other countries have been using herbs for years. Germany has 70% of their physicians prescribing over 700 herbs, the government of China has endorsed herbs and now the U.S. has 500 different herbs available. Surveys show that more women and more individuals over the age of 35 use herbs. Most of the costs were paid out-of-pocket and the higher the socio-economic level, the more the use. There is no proof that natural products are of no value. Consider that one third of the drugs that are currently being used in this country are of plant origin (Belladonna is Atropine, Foxglove is Digitails, etc.). However, herbs are expensive, they are not approved, they are not pattented products, there is variation in purity and source and side effects (anxiety, depression, fatigue, insomnia, back pain, arthritis and G.I. problems) do occur. Especially important for diabetics to know is that green tea, chromium, ginseng, dandelion and myrr can cause hypoglycemia. Bee Pollen, Glucosamine, Royal Jelly and Gotu Kola can cause hyperglycemia. Patients must be informed of the lack of a body of evidence for herbs. Individuals must disclose all medications that they are taking to avoid interactions and caution must be exercised by monitoring while taking herbs. The program was hosted by Med-Press, Diabetes Management Support Services.
