No Room in the Medicine Cabinet

Cleared out your Medicine Cabinet lately? For most of us, the cabinet's pretty full according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers from Boston University's School of Public health surveyed 2,500 Americans and found over 80% took at least one drug, remedy or supplement once a week. The heaviest users were women over 65, with 12% taking ten or more different remedies each week, while dietary supplements such as multivitamins and alternative remedies scored highly.

David Kaufman, leading the study commented, "What's clear from all this data is that there's been a considerable increase in the use of [alternative] products in the U.S population".

The same is true in Britain, but do we always understand the effects of what we are taking? The experts don't believe so. There is growing concern that, while consumers understand more about looking after themselves, they don't always understand the effects of natural remedies and supplements and how they might interact with each other or other prescription medication.

Edith Maskell of Bromley Health Management commented, "It's not just a case of 'everybody needs more vitamin C'. When we recommend a course of remedies or supplements, they have been designed to work together to address a particular problem in a particular person. Too many people I have spoken to are just taking extra supplements because they were recommended by a friend".

Taking too many medications and remedies without supervision can be dangerous, warns Edith. "We don't want to scare people away from natural remedies, but it's important to understand that they do have an effect and they can be very powerful. By taking extra drugs or remedies without telling your GP or health practitioner, you could be altering, or at best cancelling out the intended effect of your prescribed course".

For more advice on natural remedies, or for information on a screening service that tells you what vitamins and minerals your body needs, contact Bromley Health Management.

Saturday, 2 February 2002