Other Situations that are Helped by Herbal Formulas:

Quitting HRT… Instead of just stopping cold (or hot, as case may be), an herbal formula such as zhi bai di huang wan may be given weeks or months ahead of time. Then patient's system is more balanced when HRT is stopped, and rebound symptoms are less likely and less severe.

Breaking Antibiotic Cycle… Some patients perpetually take round after round of antibiotics. Approaches based on Shang Han Lun (Cold Damage Classic) such as use of herb formula Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum) have been known to get patient well and away from constant need for antibiotics.

Complementing Diuretic Therapy… While Chinese Herbs should never be used to add to diuretic effect of concurrent drug therapy, they can boost system. Diuretic drugs reduce excess fluids, but they do not solve underlying deficiency. Herbal formulas can be prescribed to strengthen Spleen and Kidney systems.

Quitting SSRI Anti-Depressants… Of course this can be dangerous, and should be done with a psychiatrist and an herbalist. Herbs such as St. John's Wort (SJW) could be used as a cushion while quitting. SJW does not replace SSRI's… studies show that it must have some other mode of action. Herbal formulas are better anyway. See a Chinese Herbalist.

Quitting Corticosteroids... As we saw in positive interaction #4 above, herbal formulas can be used in conjunction with corticosteroid treatment (for conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, primary nephrotic syndrome, etc.). A chinese herbal formula, Bupleurum and Hoelen Combination (Chai Ling Tang) can be used for withdrawal from corticosteroid therapy. Subsequently, it can be used in place of steroids for continued treatment.

General Rules for Taking Herbs, Vitamins and Drugs:

Take them at different times. Most drugs are taken with meals to limit Stomach irritation. Take herbs between meals (at least 1 hour before and after a meal…2-3 hours would be best) for optimal digestion.

Don't take ascorbic (vitamin C) or salicylic acid (aspirin) at same time as herbs. The acids will neutralize many of saponins. Vit C will alter and neutralize herbs… so don't drink any orange or citrus juices with herbs either.

Don't take herbs that are supposed to do same thing as a drug you're on. For example, don't take blood movers like dan shen or dang gui with warfarin. Don't take diuretics like fu ling with diuretic drugs.

You can take an herbal formula to complement drugs you have to take. This can reduce or eliminate side effects. It really requires a professional… see a Chinese Medicine practitioner. This works well in chemotherapy to protect body. However, in Hepatitis C, interferon/ribavirin treatment requires some of uncomfortable symptoms of fever and feeling ill to work. Stopping those side effects with herbs has been known to inhibit drugs' effects. In case of Hep C, you can opt for Chinese Herbal therapies instead of western drug cocktail.

References: Kelvin Chan, Lily Cheung. Interactions Between Chinese Herbal Medicinal Products and Orthodox Drugs. Dunitz Martin Ltd. 2000. (Most of positive drug-herb studies mentioned above were summarized in this source. At least one of them came from Beijing Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine.) Miller LG. Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions. Arch Intern Med. 1998 Nov 9;158(20):2200-11. Review. Dharmananda, S. The Interactions of Herbs and Drugs. June, 2001. Institute for Traditional Medicine. http://www.itmonline.org.

4. Experience: Ask them about their experience treating your condition (see above caveat). This will tell you how confident they are. A good practitioner with little experience may still know how to do as much for you as possible, especially if they keep up on literature! But experience does have value.

5. Cost & Payment: Find out how much they charge for initial and follow-up visits, if they have payment arrangements, and if they will bill your insurance (if your insurance covers it). Their charge will tell you more about their confidence level, and to some degree this is a measure of competence, although I have heard of bad care given by practitioners who nonetheless charged more than they deserved. Likewise, some very good and confident practitioners may not charge exorbitantly for their own philosophical reasons. The reasonable range is from $80-300 for an initial 2 hour visit, including acupuncture, and from $50-150 for follow up visits.

6. Compare & Decide: Compare results of your phone consults, not just in numbers and data, but on your "gut" feeling. It's important to have a good rapport with your practitioner to facilitate essential communication, relaxation, and trust. People are sometimes different on phone, so I wouldn't make this your determining criteria, but it may help you decide if other factors are more or less equal.