Prescribed Natural Medicine Vs Prescription Drug Medication

Your Choice – Your Health
Medicines, both natural and pharmaceutical medicines, are a big business, it is overwhelming, confusing and can be totally over the top expensive, ineffective if you don’t know what you are doing or who you can trust.
It has been my commitment throughout my career as a Naturopathic Practitioner to bring to the table for my clients, the best and most effective treatments, and medicines that will assist with their return to health. More often than not getting on top of your health problems is like peeling an onion, it is working through one layer at a time.
When I talk to you about prescribed natural medicine, I will be explaining to you the range of natural medicine that would be prescribed when engaging with Naturopathic consultation with me.
As a Naturopathic practitioner I have been educated in both prescription drugs/medications and the prescribing of natural medicine that involves: herbal medicine compounds and formulas: homeopathic remedies, nutrition , nutrition as medicine, nutritional supplements. Also assisting people with Counselling and Coaching to help with understanding the core elements of disease and the effect to each area of the body.
No doubt if you have read any of my previous blogs you would have noticed that I go over this time and time again. The reason being that it is important for you to know and something that many of you are not made aware of. The reason for its importance is that not only does this help you to understand your line of treatment should you choose to work with a Naturopath, it also gives you confidence that when you are prescribed natural medicines, that any other prescribed drugs, vitamins or medications are taken into consideration both with the treatment and also to prevent further harm or side effects.
It is important for me as your Naturopathic Practitioner to have a full understanding and knowledge of the medicines that you are taking to also know if they are responsible for any of the underlying causative factors to your illness.
Natural medicine is about treating the body with a holistic approach, understanding the connection and interconnection of all your body parts and how they are affected.
It is of vital importance to take into consideration the underlying cause of any illness or disease not just the symptoms in order to assist your body to heal and become well.
It is the underlying causes may have come about by a number of reasons such as- life experiences, loss of emotional or mental balance due to trauma, loss of spiritual awareness, negative life habits = losing sight of one’s self, purpose in life. If these underlying causes are not addressed and treated then it is not possible for the body to return to an optimal level of health.
Natural medicine includes the prescribing of herbs , homeopathics, essential oils, nutrition and nutritional supplements derived from plant and food extracts. Prescribed natural medicine treatments are individual to each person’s health requirements in assisting the body to become well. These medicines will be formulated to treat your specific signs, symptoms, underlying causes and affected organs or tissue.
The success of Herbal medicine science believes comes from the fact that these medicines contain a variety of different compounds necessary to support the body to heal. Plant substances such as polysaccharides, mucilage’s and tannins may modulate and modify the effects of “active components”. It has been shown that the whole plant extracts cannot be mimicked by administering purified and isolated constituents of the herbs that is said to be done with pharmaceutical medications.
Scientists believe that it is in the use of the whole plant that makes herbal medicine as effective as in comparison to isolating the constituents into a single medicine.
The use of herbs and homeopathic medicines does not generally involve “drug” actions or adverse effects and are known to be safe when prescribed by a Qualified Naturopathic Practitioner., this will also determine the safety and efficacy of the natural medicine you are being prescribed.
Please Note:
There can be interactions of herbal medicines and vitamin supplements with prescribed drug medications so it is of vital importance for you to declare any other treatments or medicines you are taking with your Naturopathic Practitioner and other Health Care Professionals. When prescribed by a Qualified Naturopathic Practitioner these remedies are known to be safe and effective. I source all of my natural remedies within Australia for this very reason.
It is in my humble opinion during the 27 years of clinical practice, treating thousands of people with the Naturopathic medicine and principles that I have mentioned. It is the only way to optimally heal your body successfully without creating further problems and ensuring an improved quality of life.
The natural health industry not unlike the pharmaceutical industry has taken on a huge role in the treatment and prevention of health problems. The important thing I want you to remember is that the secret to achieving optimal health is in avoiding chemically derived medicines. Many of your over the counter vitamins and supplements are chemically derived and therefore can have similar implications of drug prescribed medication.
I believe that it is important to consult a Health Care Professional that you can trust, not to just rely on one opinion and lay all of your cards on the table, as becoming well is a two-way streak.
Prescription Drugs/Pharmaceutical Medication
A pharmaceutical drug is usually designed to draw out a specific reaction and its “side or adverse effects” are usually traded as a “risk” against the “benefit” of the primary effect.
All pharmaceutical drugs are manufactured from synthetic compounds and as mentioned only target one area of dysfunction, not giving support to any other referred area. No matter which way you look at it pharmaceutical medicine is “Drug” therapy and as I reformed drug addict once pointed out to me, when he decided to break free from being a drug addict, “the last thing he wanted was to be treated by drugs:”. The other concern with pharmaceutical medication when administered long term may block normal processes happening within the targeted organ, this is where further damage and health problems occur.
Herbal Medicine in Comparison
Whereas Herbal medicines usually tend to have several broad complementary or synergistic actions on physiological systems, organs and tissues at the same time. This being what is commonly referred to as the “Holistic approach”, giving the therapeutic benefits of herbal medicine. It is documented that these therapeutic benefits rarely have adverse effects or side effects that are going to cause harm to you. Herbal medicine actions are extremely complex and will not be described as for example a diuretic. Herbal medicines don’t block normal processes within the body, they support normal processes enabling all your body’s systems to function optimally together.
Candidly Speaking
Being candid here, I am not going to say that there is not a place for pharmaceutical medication, when properly monitored and used on a short-term basis, it can definitely have a positive effect in saving your life. The major concerns are the long term use with prescribed medications, not having them properly monitored and the over use and the numerous amount of medications that are prescribed to one person. If you are on more than 3 or 4 medications you really need to consult your pharmacist, I would recommend in Australia National Pharmacies, then they can refer you to a GP who can begin to wean you off the unnecessary medications.
Case Study:
I co-treated one of my clients in intensive care. A 71 year old, lady who had, had a triple bypass, then contracted Golden Staph. Her family asked if I would go in and treat her. They communicated with the head Doctor in intensive care, signed documentation and I went ahead to treat her. I was told by the head Doctor of the problems and implications. These were that if she didn’t die from the Golden Staph, she would die from the medication they had to put her on.
The Lady was put into an induced coma, where the plan was that in 6 days they would undergo investigative surgery to see how much damage had been done with the Golden Staph, then in three weeks, they may be able to do reconstructive surgery.
I went ahead treating her with herbs through her naso-gastric feed to support her immune system, also to support her liver and kidneys. I complimented that with a homeopathic formula, which was given still under her tongue and provided her with a massage every day for the six days with a pure essential oil blend.
At the end of the six days the surgeons were able to do the reconstructive surgery. The head Doctor said to me – “This lady wouldn’t have lived without you, I replied, she would have lived without your machines either”. This is the True meaning of “Complimentary medicine”.
Herbs used – Golden Seal, Echinacea, Paeoni, Pau’d’arco, Globe Artichoke, Couchgrass & Cornsilk
Homeopathic Formula: Staphylococcus aureus 30c Echinacea 6 x Mercurius 6x, Arsenicum 6 x and Sulphur 6x
You might well say why use homeopathics and herbs together. Herbs work at organ & tissue level and homeopathics work at an intracellular level. The combination of the two together is a powerful treatment.
“ Miracles Do Happen When Everyone Works Together”
To read other blogs and articles by Julie go to juliedoherty.net/blogs