|
Herbal Medications and Surgery
It has become a concern among surgeons that patients are not being candid enough about using herbal supplements and medications. While most patients going to surgery are interviewed prior to surgery regarding the medications they are taking, patients often do not mention or list herbal preparations as something they use on a regular basis.
The concern is that some herbal products interfere with bleeding control and anesthetic medications that are administered. The eight commonly used herbs that appear to effect surgical outcomes are: Valerian, Echinacea, Ephedra, Ginkgo Biloba, Kava, Garlic, Ginseng and St. Johns Wort
A new article covering this in much more detail can be found in the Online Orthopaedics Library (http://www.orthopodsurgeon.com/altermed.html).
Additional information can also be found at:
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM)(http://nccam.nih.gov/)
Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) gains wide acceptance by the public(http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/bulletin/apr01/ptvw.htm)
Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) Herb/Drug Interactions(http://www3.aaos.org/courses/cam/dhintact.htm)
Useful Web Links related to Complementary and Alternative Medicine Web sites(http://www3.aaos.org/courses/cam/weblinks.htm)
Anesthesiologists Warning(http://www.asahq.org/PublicEducation/herbal.html)
|