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How can you say that herbs are unsafe when you nothing or next to nothing abut them?
Doctors admit to knowing little about herbal medicines yet they believe the public is wrong to place any faith in herbal remedies.
A recent study family doctors and hospital consultants found that three in every four doctors felt they were “poorly informed” about herbal medicine.
Almost half of the doctors surveyed described their current knowledge and understanding of herbal medicines as either “quite poor” or “very poor”.
They also believe, however, that the public is equally badly informed with 70% of doctors saying patients have misplaced faith in the power of herbal medicines.
Not a single doctor in the survey considered the public to be well informed.
More than 80% of those surveyed by the “Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin” were family doctors and hospital consultants with pharmacists making up the bulk of the remainder.
The overwhelming majority of the doctors worried that their patients would take herbal medicines and not tell them but despite these concerns few made a point of asking patients themselves.
Only one in eight “always” asked their patient this question but more than half (55%) either never asked or did so only occasionally.
Where they knew a patient was taking herbal remedies 70% of the doctors said they would seek further information before starting or adjusting prescription drugs, mainly because of possible interactions or side effects.
Those who would not look for further information said this was because they were uncertain as to where to find reliable information (60%) or how to assess it (43%).
Only 3% of respondents said they knew “a great deal” about the regulatory arrangements for herbal medicines yet 85% considered they were not well regulated.
Commenting on the findings DIB editor, Dr Ike Iheanacho said: “It’s obviously worrying that doctors in general seem to know so little about herbal medicines, given the widespread use of such products”
More than one in three people have used a herbal medicine at some time, according to an Ipsos-MORI poll carried out for the UK drugs regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Dr Iheanacho added it was “unsettling that even when doctors don’t know the effects of a herbal medicine a patient is taking, many won’t try and look these up”
Ref: www.dtb.bmj.com
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