Reese, you're quite something in the field of alternative medicine. Thank you so much for sharing all of this information with us. First of all, the Time To Talk campaign is fascinating and I'm sure there are many women who would love to participate in this campaign.
You are so right, we need to start talking more about CAM. It is becoming more apparent that medicine is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. I for one, take an FDA-approved medication, as well as a compounded medication or what I would consider to be an alternative or complementary. (What would say compounded testosterone for women would be considered? Clearly -- you are in the know -- and I want to know.)
Why wouldn't people talk about their CAM? Because it may directly affect the FDA-approved medication and could cause trouble with that particular medicine. Do you think that the other reason is that they're afraid to tell their doctor they're trying CAM or a complementary medication? And if they're afraid, then we need to get the message out on how to advocate for themselves. And if they're uncomfortable about talking about it, then that to me is a huge red flag.
What that says to me is that they don't have the right doctor because they should be able to tell their doctor everything and anything without fear of being criticized or made to feel less than because they're trying something that their doctor may not know about or agree with...
This is something that I think happens more of the time which is why I think the NIH is doing the Time to Talk campaign.
The take away for me is that if you aren't comfortable talking with your doctor you need to fire him or her. Age doesn't matter because any drug -- whether it's alternative or FDA approved can have an interaction with other things. And an alternative medicine like an FDA approved drug can have side effects.
I think there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings but we are heading in the direction of individualized medicine and it's about time.
You're an incredible writer and an incredible resource. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you sharing this inf o with our users, not to mention me.
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Reese, you're quite something in the field of alternative medicine. Thank you so much for sharing all of this information with us. First of all, the Time To Talk campaign is fascinating and I'm sure there are many women who would love to participate in this campaign.
You are so right, we need to start talking more about CAM. It is becoming more apparent that medicine is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. I for one, take an FDA-approved medication, as well as a compounded medication or what I would consider to be an alternative or complementary. (What would say compounded testosterone for women would be considered? Clearly -- you are in the know -- and I want to know.)
Why wouldn't people talk about their CAM? Because it may directly affect the FDA-approved medication and could cause trouble with that particular medicine. Do you think that the other reason is that they're afraid to tell their doctor they're trying CAM or a complementary medication? And if they're afraid, then we need to get the message out on how to advocate for themselves. And if they're uncomfortable about talking about it, then that to me is a huge red flag.
What that says to me is that they don't have the right doctor because they should be able to tell their doctor everything and anything without fear of being criticized or made to feel less than because they're trying something that their doctor may not know about or agree with...
This is something that I think happens more of the time which is why I think the NIH is doing the Time to Talk campaign.
The take away for me is that if you aren't comfortable talking with your doctor you need to fire him or her. Age doesn't matter because any drug -- whether it's alternative or FDA approved can have an interaction with other things. And an alternative medicine like an FDA approved drug can have side effects.
I think there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings but we are heading in the direction of individualized medicine and it's about time.
You're an incredible writer and an incredible resource. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you sharing this inf o with our users, not to mention me.
June 11, 2008 - 3:06pmThis Comment
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