By Heuga Center Nurse Educator Pat Kennedy, RN, CNP, MSCN
In June, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health launched a campaign called “Time To Talk” to encourage both patients and health care providers to discuss the use of complementary and alternative treatments (CAM).
The concern behind the campaign is that up to 60 percent of people living with MS use some form of CAM but only one-third report it to their health care providers. Because many forms of CAM interact with conventional treatments, the health care provider, not knowing what is being used, could make recommendations for medications that could cause harm to the patient. Part of the problem is that patients don’t think of CAM as being relevant to a prescription therapy. There is also a concern among patients that telling their physician may lead to criticism. Part of the “It’s Time To Talk” campaign is to inform health care providers about their role in CAM.
When you go to an appointment with any of your healthcare providers, be sure to take a list of all medications, supplements, herbs and over the counter medications you use. You could also take the containers of each of your medications and supplements for your provider to see. That way, he can read the labels for content.
Ideally, it would be best to ask your provider about various CAM therapies before you start them. You need to know about safety, evidence of effectiveness and possible interactions. If your provider is not informed, seek your own answers. Resources include Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis by Allen Bowling, MD, Ph.D. from Demos Medical Publishing and http://nccam.nih.gov/timetotalk/.
General recommendations when considering a CAM therapy:
- Evaluate the content of the information you have. Does it report any scientific review of its effectiveness?
- Be suspicious of claims of “cure” or “new discovery” that are advertised by someone other than a reliable source such as the National MS Society or panels of MS experts.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it generally is. There is no conspiracy out there to keep “the good stuff” on the back shelf.
- If a product is advertised as “natural”, it is not necessarily safe. Many natural products can be toxic or lethal.
- Over the counter medications are not always safe. Usually they are if taken in the correct dosage recommended, but too many people take more than what is advised which can cause major problems with toxicity and interactions. A good example is acetaminophen which has potential for liver toxicity, especially when mixed with other products that also do. Acetaminophen is used in many over the counter treatments such as cold products, sleep aids, and allergy treatments. Read labels carefully.
Join the “Time To Talk” campaign and discuss your CAM use with your providers.
CAM and my Neuro
My MD is board certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians, and by the American Board of Holistic Medicine.She works with her patients in an integrative, preventive approach to optimize health through nutrition and healthy lifestyle. With her background in Clinical Nutrition, she joins a growing body of health care professionals in exploring the specialty of Functional Medicine. This specialty aims to look at the underlying biochemical pathways involved in the development of disease and aging, and to modify health through those same pathways using knowledge of biochemical effects of nutritional, herbal, hormonal and other biologically compatible molecules. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Holistic Medical Association, the Orthomolecular Health and Medicine Society, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and ACAM, the American College for Advancement in Medicine. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at Western University of the Health Sciences.
She is working with me on CAM treatment. I am open to other treatment but my Neuro is not convinced I have MS yet, (He said he will not give a dx without lesions present, even though history and symptoms are "classic MS", so I can't receive any other treatment until he gives me a dx or I receive one from a different neuro. (Seeking a second opinion) I have noticed improvement as I have been using CAM. I am focused on what I "CAN DO" and this is assisting me to feel more empowered and like I am doing my part, ie; all I can do. My GP/MD does feel I have MS so she is treating me with CAM for it. (This based on test results done from the Neuro Science center)
My point in sharing this is that I went to my neuro last week and I brought with me all of my CAM prescriptions. My neuro rolled his eyes and said, "These are JUST vitamins". Two of them are prescriptions strength; B12 shots and D, which we discovered my cells are not absorbing properly. I felt small and discouraged. He was also frustrated with me that I had discontinued taking Cymbalta and Lyrica (In case I have Fibromyalgia and to see if I feel better). I reacted to the Lyrica and it was the Rheumatologist HE referred me to who took me off of those, not my GP/MD.
Anyway, the article stating that patients are hesitant to share the CAM therapy with docs for fear of criticism is something I now get. I didn't hesitate or think for a minute I would get this reaction. I absolutely look at CAM as beneficial to me, especially when most docs are willing to put me on heavy meds without a dx to "see what happens".