Suppose you have osteoarthritis, with pain and stiffness that make it difficult for you to work, or open a jar, or swing a tennis racquet?
The painkillers that your doctor gave you are tearing up your stomach, and you're worried about reports that they can increase the risk of heart disease. You'd like to find an effective alternative treatment, so you ask around. Your friends and co-workers offer numerous remedies, from copper bracelets to MSM to Zinc supplements.
You're puzzled.
Which of these approaches are backed by solid science? Not animal or lab studies, or a series of successful cases. Which are supported by clinical studies with human volunteers?
Or maybe you find yourself wrestling with a mild bout of depression. Your friends suggest homeopathy, mind-body therapies, reflexology, St. John's wort, and 5-HTP. Which of these therapies have proven their mettle in rigorous scientific studies? Which have been praised by the influential Cochrane reviews, or the Agency for Healthcare research and quality, or perhaps the prestigious German Commission E?
Unfortunately, that kind of information can be hard to find. It exists, but it's scattered about here and there, often buried under layers of misinformation and myth.
The Western medical science and practice forged ahead of other healing systems, introducing a wide range of antibiotics to cure deadly infections, procedures to remove tumors and set bones, medicines to ease pain, and much, much more. In so many ways, the modern medicine is helping to make your lives longer and healthier.
However, as we have learned in the last several decades, the Western medicine system does not offer all the answers. Doctors admit they are not successful in treating many chronic diseases and many other nagging, debilitating medical conditions. Many illnesses remain incurable, despite all the medical advances at our health practitioners' disposal. Even those powerful medicines doctors prescribe are double-edged swords that are associated with sides effects, ranging from annoying or deadly.
For many reasons, the complementary medicine, or in other words, alternative medicine - is gaining popularity. In Australia, complementary medicine is estimated to be used by 2 out of 3 Australians( be it vitamin supplements prayer, herbs, meditation, acupuncture, or other approaches) and accounts for $3.5 billion in expenditure per year. The field of complementary cures continues to grow in numbers of practitioners and adherents as well as in prestige.
Unfortunately, not every therapy is effective for every single disease. This raises the question: Which are the ones truly work? Not which might work, or which your dad's cousin once heard were excellent, but which alternatives have been proven by solid evidence to be effective?
Purchasing a herbal or vitamin supplement can be a daunting task. Which of the two, five, perhaps a dozen brands sitting on the shelf is the best to select?
Choosing a supplement can be difficult for at least three reasons. First, any herb or nutrient may take many forms. For instance, we read about Vitamin E in textbooks or websites and know that Vitamin E did this or that in the latest study, but there is no single substance we can point to and say it is Vitamin E. Instead, there are a number of substances with Vitamin E activity, that is, different compounds that do things Vitamin E is credited with doing. Second, even where there is only one form of a supplement, there are often many 'versions' of it. All St. John's wort, for example, is not the same. There is no standard 'ingredient list' for this traditional herb, and no agreement on how much of which of the many chemicals in St. John's wort should be included, so various manufacturers have produced differing extracts of St John's wort. How can you tell which one really works?
Third, sad to say. Some manufacturers use inferior materials and manufacturing procedures.The supplements they sell do not contain what the labels claim they do, or do not release their active ingredients well inside the digestive tract, or are contaminated with other substances that may interfere with the working of the active ingredients, or may be harmful in and of themselves.
How can you tell which brand to buy? Given all the confusion, it's often best to choose the brand used in the successful studies. That's why, in community pharmacy or general practice settings, our health practitioners usually indicate the name of the brand used, when that information is available. When it's not, health professionals should always exercise judgement and consider the cost-effectiveness of a complementary therapy.
By Mason,
8th Sep, Hobart
