And this is why we go to doctors

[Sapphire Silk]

She's exclusively breastfed. One thing my sister has always been good about is extended breastfeeding of her babies.

Awesome Her kids will have fewer infections, especially otitis media, better brain development, and overall be healthier as a result.

[42_42_42]

Well, we were raised by a mom who did extended breastfeeding. I was weaned around 2-1/2 years, my sis closer to around age 3. So, I don't think doing anything else ever really occured to her.

Unfortunately, breastfeeding is almost the only good parenting choice she's made (aside from taking the kids to doctors and not relying on her boyfriend's dubious herbal knowledge).

[Fudgethatkay]

My exes and current boyfriend are Asian. Half of them refused to take pharmaceuticals because "they lose affect, you get too used to it, and they become useless"

I have a lot of Chinese herbal medicines and Kherbal medicines at home.

Japanese have pills for everything. I swear.

But this thread gave me a bit of extra knowledge. Thanks guys


Btw, you can eat Aloe vera too, and its not too bad for your skin ;]

[Fire_on_High]

Btw, you can eat Aloe vera too, and its not too bad for your skin ;]

Might be bad for your underoos, tho.

[Fudgethatkay]

Might be bad for your underoos, tho.

I never had a problem with the laxative part of it, but that is just me. Some Koreans use it as a side dish, and an aloe vera gel can be used for a dessert. I found it yummy personally as well

[Divra]

St. John's Wort has been studied extensively and not proven to work. I don't recommend it.

Seems the joke kind of fell flat. Ah well...

A tincture is an extract of herbal ingredients, made by soaking herbs in alcohol.

In Swedish cuisine, St. John's Wort is one of the herbs traditionally used for flavouring vodka. Gives a beautiful orange-red colour and a spicy, faintly sweet flavour.

Personally, I have severe depressive mood-swings and take mood stabilizers to combat them. I also don't touch alcohol at my psychiatrist's recommendation, since alcohol can act as a depressant.

So yeah...

[Sapphire Silk]

Seems the joke kind of fell flat. Ah well....

Sorry. Asperger's Moment.

[auntiem]

For example, my doc wanted to put me on Lipitor last year when my cholesterol was high. I have high blood pressure and multiple risk factors for cardiac disease so I understand his point of view on this. But I told him no thanks, adjusted my diet, and brought my cholesterol levels down on their own. They've been normal my whole life, so I wasn't going to start taking a drug that is not proven to prevent heart attacks or reduce mortality/increase life span (it is only proven to reduce cholesterol, which is actually a good thing in those patients who are unable to do it through dietary changes) based on ONE abnormal lab result.

I may start taking Lipitor in the future if I can't keep my cholesterol controlled through diet. It's actually time for me to have my level rechecked, so we'll see.

Are you a musician? If so - don't take it - every musician my folks know that takes it have had their skill level drop significantly. My folks (retired doc / biochemist-musician) actually prep for their cholesterol test for two weeks prior and "juice" 20 min beforehand to make sure they "pass" the test so they won't have to take Lipitor.

[Sapphire Silk]

Are you a musician? If so - don't take it - every musician my folks know that takes it have had their skill level drop significantly. My folks (retired doc / biochemist-musician) actually prep for their cholesterol test for two weeks prior and "juice" 20 min beforehand to make sure they "pass" the test so they won't have to take Lipitor.

Now that's very interesting. I had never heard that before.

And yes, I am a musician of sorts (play flute and guitar, and sing but never professionally or even semi pro), so that's good to know.

It also makes me wonder if any literature on the subject exists, and what mechanism of action might cause this.

[Seshat]

St John's Wort can be nasty in combination with some medications, I'm told. It's definitely one I'd be telling a pharmacist about, if I were taking it.

If you want to try the placebo effect, inform your pharmacist that you wish to do so. He/she may need to have you sign a form stating that this is your intent. He/she may have to have your doctor's agreement as well.

Then have a friend, or a pharmacist, make up a pill tray for you; for a couple of months. At some unknown point during those months, your pill (or tincture or whatever) is replaced with one consisting solely of filler.
(Filler is basically the stuff used to 'glue' the pill together, and can be sugar or milk solids or gelatin or some other food-safe substance. If you're allergic to food substances, can't have pork products, or are vegetarian or vegan, make sure your pharmacist knows.)

If your condition remains unchanged over the course of the placebo trial; you can almost certainly safely go on placebo. In which case, if it's an over-the-counter, you simply keep going to the same pharmacist and he/she doesn't tell you about the difference. If it's a script medication, keep going to the same doctor; he/she will write an appropriate script.


NOTE NOTE NOTE:
There are SEVERE fines and possible loss of licence for medical professionals who lie to their patients. By definition, prescribing or dispensing a placebo is a lie. You MUST cover their ass for them, with a suitably legal document.

That said, if a placebo works, I'm all about it.

(sigh)

I accidentally did my own placebo trial a couple of months ago. Took a day and a half to discover that for me, it isn't good enough.

[auntiem]

Now that's very interesting. I had never heard that before.

And yes, I am a musician of sorts (play flute and guitar, and sing but never professionally or even semi pro), so that's good to know.

It also makes me wonder if any literature on the subject exists, and what mechanism of action might cause this.

I think my Mom did find an article in an alumni newsletter after the same symptoms were reported by fellow musicians- I think she printed it out and showed it to her doctor. Next time I talk to her I'll ask about it.
It might be like Flonase and the uninteded complications it creates for cataract surgery - no one know why it does it, but it does (even if you aren't even on it anymore).
Personally, Sperolatone (sp?) makes me severely "less creative" to the point that I had to stop doing craft swaps until I could convince my doctor to try something else.
I think things like this get under-reported because it can't be proven in any kind of scientific way and/or can be explained away by other physical issues.

[fireheart]

A little quote I thought I'd share regarding medicine, taken from a Tim Minchin beat poem:

"By definition (I begin), alternative medicine (I continue) has either not been proved to work, or been proved not to work. Do you know what they call alternative medicine that has been proven to work? Medicine."

I have generally used lavender sometimes to calm down after a long day, along with a horseradish/white willow bark/elderberry tablet for colds and flu.