The Potentially Adverse Effects of Prescription Drugs

Courtesy of:
www.meta-ehealth.com

Discovering dangers of prescription drugs after they have been marketed to the medical community and public is common. Generally, 51% of FDA-approved drugs have serious adverse effects not detected prior to approval.1 Each year prescription drugs injure 1.5 million people so severely they require hospitalization. In addition, prescription drugs cause 100,000 deaths annually.2 With these numbers, how can the public be protected from dangerous drugs?



A recent study in JAMA examined the incidence of serious and fatal adverse drug reactions (ADR) in hospital patients. An ADR is any harmful, unintended, or undesired effect of a drug. This definition does not include drug abuse nor intentional or accidental drug overdose.2 The results of this study were conclusive: the rate of severe and deadly adverse drug reactions in U.S. hospitals was found to be extremely high—high enough that ADRs ranked fourth, after heart disease, cancer, and stroke, as a leading cause of death in the U.S.2



Despite FDA attempts to incorporate various drug safety measures prior to approving prescription drugs, they often overlook potentially dangerous effects. The use of prescription drugs is often crucial; however, in order to avoid potentially harmful side effects and drug-interactions, natural remedies should be incorporated whenever possible. Herbal therapies and nutritional supplements may support the relief of many health problems without the harmful effects of prescription drugs.

Feel Good Hot Totty

1 TB manuka honey (the “healing honey” from new Zealand) or any local honey
1 TB lemon or orange juice
2 shots extra strong “Echinacea blend” tea (found in previous post)
or
2 droppers of Echinacea tincture added to 2 shots of boiling water

* optional ingredient
1 shot of bourbon or sipping whiskey

More Echinacea Please....

Biological Name:
Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea Pallida L.

Other Names:
Narrow-leaved purple coneflower, Sampson root, Black Sampson, Red sunflower, Echinacea Sacred Plant (by Native Americans), Purple coneflower

Parts commonly Used:
roots and leaves

Properties:
Alterative, antiseptic, tonic, depurative, maturating, febrifuge and is a general stimulant to the immune system

Common uses:
Canker sores (mouth ulcers)
Common cold/sore throat
Crohn's disease
Gingivitis (periodontal disease)
Immune function
Influenza (flu)
Recurrent ear infection
Yeast infection

Active Compounds:
Echinacea purpurea contains iron, iodine, copper, potassium, sulphur, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. Echinacea purpurea also contains polysaccharides, resembling bacteria, which motivate the healthy white blood cells attack bacterial invaders. Echinacea purpurea offers the body an overall feeling of well being, and for this reason studies of Echinacea continue today.

Description of Plant:
Echinacea is a perennial wildflower native to North America. While it continues to grow and is harvested from the wild, the majority of that used for herbal supplements is from cultivated plants.
The root or aboveground part of the plant during the flowering growth phase is used medicinally.
Coneflower gets its common name from the arrangement of a conical disk made up of numerous purple, tubular florets that resemble a pinecone.

Where Found:
E. angustifolia is found in prairies. Texas, western Oklahoma, western Kansas, Nebraska, west to east Colorado, eastern Montans, North Dakota, Man. and Sask. Canada.

E. Pallida is found in the prairies and glades of Arkansas to Wisconsin, Minnesota, eastern Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.

E. Purpurea is found in open woods, thickets; cultivated in gardens. -Michigan, Ohio to Louisiana, eastern Texas, Oklahoma and much of the Southwest.

All three varieties are equal in their effects, but the Angustifolia has longer tap root than the others (6-20 in.) and Purpurea has oval coarsely toothed leaves, flatter (less cone-shaped) disk, and orange-tipped bristles on the flower heads.
The distinctive daisy-like flower features 12 to 20 large, spreading rays ranging from white to purplish pink to dull-purple; they can be up to 6-inches across.

You can easily grow or harvest your own Echinacea, it is a very common garden flower, especially in the Midwest. The sturdy, bristly stems are 2-5 ft tall and bear hairy dark green leaves. Thrives in full sun throughout the year, and flowering time is June to October. The plant needs full sun and deep, light loamy soil and does best with 2 or 3 applications of balanced fertilizer during the growing season; but it will grow in poor soil. Can be heat tolerant and drought resistant. It's a good idea to mark the location of seedlings the first few years, since the plant dies back to the ground in the winter. Set out in the spring, spaced 1-1/2 ft apart. Plants from seed will take 2-3 years to flower.
For medicinal purposes, you will need to wait three years before you use the root. You can use the leaves and flowers sooner, but the root is the most potent part of the plant.

What Makes It Work?

Echinacea works with the body's own defense mechanisms. Echinacea contains a substance known as polysaccharide. In some studies, this has been known to destroy tumor cells. Research is currently being conducted on Echinacea to determine its use as an immune booster, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal agent.

The polysaccharides called Echinacins, bind to cells and prevent pathogens from invading. By protecting cells and preventing their breakdown, they fight the spread of pathogens and reduce inflammation.
Echinacin also improves immune function, this happens by recognizing an invading pathogen, our native interferon production - .an important part of the body's response to viral infections such as colds and flu. The immune cells takeover the pathogen before it can develop into something that will make you ill.

The natural antibiotics in echinacea seem to neutralize the production of hyaluronidase, an enzyme secreted by germs that enables them to penetrate body tissue and cause infections. Thus, Echinacea helps prevent germs from invading body cells, assists healing, and increases the effectiveness of white blood cells. Echinacea has been found to help reduce the inflammation of arthritus. Many herbalists use Echinacea as a blood purifier. Echinacea also seems to stimulate the flow of saliva and aid in the digestion of starches.


Historical Notes:

In the past the root was used much like an antibiotic.
Echinacea was a traditional remedy of the Native American Indians in the Great Plains, where it grows wild. The Cheyenne, Comanche, and other tribes used it for many ailments, including toothaches, sore throats, tonsillitis, coughs, and blood and lymphatic diseases.
Traditionally, Echinacea was used to help heal insect bites, diphtheria, carbuncles, acne, eczema, boils, peritonitis, typhoid, blood poisoning, bites and stings of poisonous insects or snakes, erysipelas, and diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilic conditions that affect the body's immune system; in addition to gangrenous conditions, diphtheria, tonsillitis, sores, infections and wounds.

A lay doctor, H. C. F. Meyer, "re-discovered" Echinacea in the 1870s, and within 20 years it became the most popular herb of the era. Dr. Meyer was so confident in his claims that he offered to "allow himself to be bitten by several rattlesnakes to prove the truth of his claims. Meyer claimed to know of over 600 cases in which his remedy had not failed to cure rattlesnake bites." (Echinacea: Nature's Immune Enhancer, Stephen Foster, 1991)

It was formally introduced into US. medical practice in 1887, but Modern scientific research didn’t start until the 1930s in Germany. Since it has been in continuous use for treating arthritis (both chronic and acute), certain cancers, and a variety of viral diseases. And it has been used throughout Europe in many combinations for basic immune system enhancement for most of the last century.

Current Treatments:

Common Cold: Echinacea is very popular for the treatment of common cold. Echinacea seems to work well in conjunction with vitamin C to ward off colds . It has been found effective in getting people back to health quickly as well as delaying getting other infections. Patients with weakened immune system have been found to be the most benefited from this herb.

Snake Bite: Echinacea had been used by American Indians as a remedy for snakebites. Echinacea is believed to inhibit hyaluronidase, a component of snake venom.

Wound Healing: Echinacea was found effective for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions such as abscesses, foliculitis, wounds of all kinds, eczema, burns, herpes, and varicose ulcers of the leg.

Arthritis: Echinacea's anti-inflammatory activity helps alleviate rheumatoid arthritis.

Cancer: Echinacea is used to offset the depression of white cells during radiation and chemotherapy for cancer patients. Many clinical tests have shown that Echinacea stabilized the white blood cells in patients undergoing cancer treatment, whereas, the patients not receiving Echinacea had shown a continued decline in the white blood cells.

AIDS: Echinacea had been used to treat infections for many things., now there are some anecdotal reports of using Echinacea for, more research needs to be done in that area before any conclusions can be reached by the scientific community.

Infections: Echinacea enhances the body's immune system. It has been shown effective for treating conditions such as influenza, colds, upper respiratory tract infections, urogenital infections, and other infectious conditions.

Echinacea Monologue

Now that it is getting chillier, and there is a nasty flu going around the world this year, it is a good time to start using Echinacea.

If you catch the beginning stages of a sore throat, a cold, the flu, or an upper respiratory infection, Echinacea can help before it gets too far. Combining it with other herbs like Goldenseal, Osha, Usnea, and Calendula can help – and don’t forget your 'kitchen herbs' such as lemon, ginger, garlic, rosemary, horseradish and cayenne. Get some rest, drink hot tea and soups, and cut down on dairy products – they create more phlegm.

Echinacea helps to prevent colds and flu when everyone around you seems to be sick. You can take as needed during the winter to keep your immune system strong - best if combined with regular routine of Vitamin C and Zinc.

Even if you don't start taking Echinacea at the first sign of illness, this herb can shorten the severity and duration of many common illnesses. By taking the herb you can decrease the amount of time you suffer, and rid your body of the germs and sick bodily fluids quickly.

Read the literature available to you, and most importantly, if you're really sick, go to a doctor or licensed practitioner, You should never self medicate if you don’t know what you are doing, and if you think you have something more serious than the cold or flu. Evaluate your symptoms on a regular basis. If your symptoms remain after a week or so, your condition may be more complex may require other herbs or treatment programs by your physician.

After you start feeling better, don't stop taking Echinacea, gradually decrease your dosage over several days.


Dosage:

As an immune system stimulant, Echinacea is best taken for a specific period of time. At the onset of a cold, it can be taken three to four times per day for ten to fourteen days. To prevent a cold, many people take Echinacea tablets or capsules three times per day for six to eight weeks. A "rest" period is recommended after this, as Echinacea’s effects may diminish if used longer. If preferred, powdered Echinacea, in about 900 mg amounts, can be taken. Liquid extracts are typically taken as 3-4 ml, three times per day.
Dried root: (or as tea): 1-2 grams
Freeze dried plant: 325-650 milligrams
Tincture: A 1992 German study showed that 180 drops of an Echinacea root extract significantly reduced the severity and duration of flu-like infections, "whereas 90 drops was no more effective than a placebo." (Herbalgram #30 supplement, 1992)

Follow label instructions, be sure to take enough, and take it on a regular basis. The proper choice of herbs and consistency of your treatment plan is imperative to success with home remedies.

Forms:

Tincture: Most potent form, can easily be made into teas, or mixed into beverages. Widely available in the US and Europe.

Dried powder: less potent, but very effective if fresh, and taking regularly. Can be bought at most health food stores and made into capsules. I use this form when making my own combination formulas.

Pre-made capsules: Usually the dried herb, and tightly regulated by the manufacturer for both potency and dosage. Read instructions carefully, not all pills are alike, and your regular dose of one brand, may not be for another.
* I have found that Nature Made now makes a gel capsule with an oil-based (vitamin E) tincture. This is a wonderful thing! This is also available in a Goldenseal/Echinacea combo. These offer a very convenient and potent option.

Topical: The topical use of Echinacea is widespread in Europe, but it is only slowly catching on here. It is thought to repair sun damaged skin, in addition to wounds and sores.
Echinacea creams and ointments are available at natural food stores, or you can make a poultice from powdered cosmetic clay and Echinacea tincture. Mix until it's clay-like, then apply it to boils, poison oak, insect bites, or sunburns.

Safety & Cautions:
Some say Echinacea should never be taken for more than a few days as it is an immune stimulant, not a tonic, and is not effective over long periods of time. But other researchers only caution against using for more than 8 weeks at a time, due to the fact that long term use may cause immune depression.
Echinacea is essentially nontoxic when taken orally. People should not take Echinacea without consulting a physician if they have an autoimmune illness, such as lupus, or other progressive diseases, such as tuberculosis or multiple sclerosis. It can be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems or chronic ailments,

There are no known contra-indications to the use of Echinacea during pregnancy or lactation.

Those who are allergic to flowers of the daisy family should take Echinacea with caution; it can cause allergic reactions in some people.


Buying Echinacea:

Freshness is the most important aspect of an herb. Store bought capsules can be quite old, minimizing their results, look for fresh root tincture in natural food stores, and pharmacies. Tinctures are a much more potent form of any herb, most are concentrated extracts in an alcohol base, but non-alcoholic is available . Keep in mind that these tinctures will not retain freshness very long, due to lack of preservation, the best form of a non-alcoholic tincture I have found is in a base of Reishi Mushroom broth – this fungi has a natural preservation quality in addition to added health benefits (another miracle of nature in itself!) When you buy dried root for homemade remedies (see the recipes later in this article), check its freshness by tasting a piece: it should leave a bitter and numbing sensation on your tongue.

Recipes:

Following are several recipes for remedies you can make at home.

Sore Throat Comfort
Mix 2 droppers of Echinacea tincture in 1/2 cup warm water. Gargle with it two or three times daily.
For a children's tonic, mix 1/2 dropper of tincture with grape or cranberry juice to improve the taste and provide some nutrients.
You can also add a little sea salt to the gargle for added cleansing power.


Echinacea blend Tea
Combine 4 TB of these ingredients in a non-metal container:
* Echinacea root
* Grated ginger root
Add 1 TB of these ingredients:
* Licorice root
* Orange/lemon peel or slices

The extra ingredients make this tea taste good, plus they have an added effect: ginger is an expectorant; licorice soothes your throat and the citrus is antiseptic, antibacterial, and rich in bioflavonoids which help boost your immune system.

- Steep as you would a normal tea with boiling water for 5-10 minutes in a covered pot.
- Drink 3 hot cups per day until your symptoms improve or anytime you want to boost your immune system.



Photo by
Ralf Pätzold, Berlin