Herbs have been used to treat various conditions for over thousands of years. Herbs were our first forms of medicine, and in recent years, the popularity of herbal medicine and supplements has grown again. This may be because of the ease of access to herbal supplements and their affordability. However, unlike the pharmaceutical industry, herbal medicine isn’t regulated as strictly. This can lead to people getting taken advantage of products with poor quality control. At SOHMA Integrated Medicine in Long Beach, CA, we only carry herbal supplements of the highest quality and reliability.
Herbalists can help you make informed decisions about what herbal remedies or supplements can help you with your ailments. Communication is incredibly important between yourself and your herbalist. In this article, we’ll review five questions you can ask a herbalist before starting treatment.
Have You Treated Conditions Like Mine?
Your herbalist has likely treated many conditions similar to yours, although not yours exactly. Herbal treatments consider many factors, and it’s not unlikely for two people to have different treatment protocols from the same herbalist for the same condition.
Herbal medicine’s goal is to restore your body from the inside so that it can heal itself naturally. A treatment can change based on many different aspects. For example, a young, healthy woman will likely require a different treatment program when compared to an older male with a heart condition. A good herbalist should still be able to provide the best protocol to relieve your symptoms and manage your condition.
How Do You Determine Which Herbs Will Benefit an Individual?
Much like the treatments themselves, how a herbalist determines which herbs to use differs based on the patient. As previously stated, herbal treatment protocol can vary from patient to patient. That being said, the main factors to determine what herbs to use include:
- Age
- Gender
- Physical Fitness
- Medical History
- Prescribed Medicine
- Current Symptoms
- Lifestyle
Be sure to communicate any information about your medical history to your herbalist. This way, they can make a more informed decision about your health.
Are There Negative Interactions with My Other Medications?
It’s not a certainty that your medications will have adverse interactions with herbal supplements. However, this can happen. While some interactions only mildly increase the chances of minor side effects, others may be more serious.
Milk thistle, which may be used to lower blood sugar in diabetes, may negatively interact with medications like warfarin, which is used to prevent blood clots. It’s been reported that milk thistle may affect how the body metabolizes warfarin and ultimately may even decrease the concentration of the warfarin in your body.
Do You Buy Herbs at a Store to be Used in Treatments?
Many examples of herbs used in the kitchen for meals also have medicinal effects. Chamomile tea, for example, is often drunk by those with sore throats or difficulty sleeping. An herbalist may even recommend chamomile supplements for those struggling to get a good night’s rest. Other examples of common herbs used by herbalists include:
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Ginger
These herbs can not only add flavor to a dish. They can help you manage a variety of symptoms as well.
Can I Do This On My Own at Home?
Although many herbs can be purchased at a grocery store to help with your ailments, we recommend against self-treatment. While you could search for what herbs are best suited to help you and your condition, navigating herbal supplements can be tricky. As we’ve mentioned, laxed regulations are surrounding herbal supplements. Many products can be mislabeled with the wrong ingredients or dosages. There is also no saying in what conditions the herbs were grown or processed. For this reason, we recommend you only purchase from reputable sources.
Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine
Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can contact us and ask about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health.
Located in Long Beach, CA, we help individuals from the surrounding cities.
We look forward to helping you take the next step to better health.
