Dr. Blonz: ‘Talk to your doctor’ advice always applies – The Mercury News

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I always read your answers with interest, especially as regards herbs and alternative medicines, but grate whenever you advise people to “touch base with your physician.” Yeah, right. None of the physicians I’ve approached know much about alternative medicine. When I need to learn about possible herbal/pharmaceutical interactions, I locate the relevant studies — but because I’m not a physician or pharmacologist, I can’t interpret them. I would suggest that you think twice before you assume that physicians know or care about herbal medicines and interactions. I’ve found them to be clueless, so I just make up my own mind. This is a very dangerous status quo, as so many people are taking herbal medications.

S.P.

DEAR S.P.: You have outlined a definite problem. An understanding of herbs, supplements and alternative medicine is not a specialty with most physicians, although change is underway. This being the case, however, I cannot be the one to provide medical advice. I am a trained scientist — I read the research and will refrain from commenting unless I have a reasonable grasp of the science — but I am not a medical doctor. I must toss it back to the questioner, advising that they take the new information and discuss it with their doc — the one who is charged, not to mention licensed, to provide medical advice.

My answers must be presented in a way that informs and empowers, but does not dictate. The advice to consult one’s doctor makes sense on a number of levels. For example, I do not know much about a questioner’s medical history, or any intervening variables that might affect the appropriateness of a recommendation.

Granted, you are not taking issue with my role so much as complaining that there is no one at your end to pick up the ball. Physicians’ knowledge about herbal medicines might be lacking in some cases, but this is mostly due to the lack of definitive research in this area. There are also concerns about quality control of alternative medicine products. These concerns include: knowing what the active ingredients are; understanding how they interact with other substances, medications and coexisting health conditions; determining whether the correct amounts of the “key components” are present in every serving of that manufacturer’s version of the product, and so forth.

To attribute a lack of caring on the part of your physician is unfair and inappropriate. We remain in a period of “knowledge transition,” where consumers are becoming activists on their own behalf. This requires homework on the patient side of the equation — searching science-reliable sites, checking possible interactions, health conditions and existing medications, and possibly speaking with others who have gone down the same road — all before having a dialogue with your physician. It is a lot of work to be your own advocate, but there is no reason it can’t be done.

The bottom line must always be to inform your doctor of your choices — and be willing to accept responsibility, if you have chosen to act independently.

Kensington resident Ed Blonz has a Ph.D. in nutrition from UC Davis. Email him at cctimes@blonz.com.