Study: Herbal Remedies Cause Problems in Surgery

Reuters

CHICAGO (July 10) - People undergoing surgery who take herbal remedies such as garlic, ginkgo or ginseng risk excessive bleeding and other complications, researchers said Tuesday.

The popular herbal medicines -- taken by an estimated 12 percent of Americans for conditions ranging from back pain to depression -- may interact with drugs prescribed for surgery and prevent clotting or increase the potency of anesthetics, even if their use has been stopped days before, a report summarizing the findings of previous studies said.

For instance, garlic, ginkgo, and ginseng can cause bleeding when combined with commonly prescribed drugs used in surgery. Ephedra can cause irregular heartbeat, ginseng may exacerbate low blood sugar, kava and valerian can exaggerate the impact of anesthetics, St. John's wort can speed up the metabolism, and echinacea poses a risk of poor wound healing and infection.

The eight herbal medications reviewed accounted for more than half of single-herb preparations sold in the United States and ''potentially pose the greatest impact to the care of patients undergoing surgery,'' anesthesiologist Michael Ang-Lee of the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago wrote in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Patients and physicians were often unaware of the risks, and some patients were hesitant to admit to their doctors they used herbal remedies, increasing the likelihood of serious complications, the report said. It drew its conclusions from studies and articles published on the subject since 1966 and examined the remedies' pharmacological effects.

As many as one-third of surgical patients used the remedies, but 70 percent did not tell their doctors, the report said.

Many patients did not meet the American Society of Anesthesiologists' guideline to stop using herbal remedies at least two to three weeks prior to surgery, it said.

''Clinicians also should recognize that discontinuation of all herbal medications before surgery may not free a patient from risks related to their use,'' it said.

REUTERS 11:05 07-10-01

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), July 11, 2001

Answers

Everything is bad for some people in some way. In the end, we all die of something. Have a lot of nice days.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), July 11, 2001.

I read this with interest until they said "and echinacea poses a risk of poor wound healing and infection." I simply do not believe that for a second! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 11, 2001.

I'm with you, Vicki! Isn't it interesting how the media wants to make sure we realize how "unsafe" natural things are? It's as though they're saying, "Just stay inside a building with all the windows closed, work at your desk or computer, drive home in your chemically air-conditioned car, watch television in the evenings, and buy all our nice drugs and chemicals for your health. After all, there's all those horrible things out there in the world like bugs and wild animals and even the SUN can kill you! Give us all your money (commercials) and we'll keep you happy (numb)."

-- Bonnie (chilton@stateline-isp.com), July 11, 2001.

Gov't Warns About Comfrey Herb

By David Ho Associated Press Writer Friday, July 6, 2001; 6:16 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON –– The government warned manufacturers of dietary supplements that comfrey, an herb in some of their products, is known to cause liver damage.

Several people have become ill over the last four years from taking comfrey as a dietary supplement or as a tea, said Christine Lewis, director of the Food and Drug Administration office responsible for dietary supplements. There have been no reported deaths, she said.

"It is a dangerous substance, and we don't think it should be marketed," Lewis said Friday.

The Federal Trade Commission also announced that it filed charges against a company for making unfounded claims that its products containing comfrey could treat and cure everything from asthma to tuberculosis. The products included herbal antiseptics and suppositories.

Christopher Enterprises Inc., of Springville, Utah, has agreed to stop marketing the products intended for internal use and on open wounds, the FTC said. The company will have to include warnings with comfrey products used externally and must stop making false health claims.

Dwight Williams, an attorney for the company, said it took the products off the market as soon it knew the FTC was investigating comfrey as unsafe.

Both agencies have been targeting companies that promote supplements and other products as miracle cures, particularly in Internet advertising.

The FDA's warning letter was sent as a broad advisory, Lewis said, but if a company continues selling comfrey as a dietary supplement the agency could take more severe action, including seizing and destroying the products.

Comfrey is not widely used, Lewis said, but it has an ancient history in folk medicine where it is generally used as a salve or an ointment.

–––

On the Net: FDA: http://www.fda.gov

FTC: http://www.ftc.gov

© Copyright 2001 The Associated Press

-- somebody (something@somewhere.com), July 11, 2001.

I don't think the original article implied herbs should not be used as a health option, just that medical personnel need to be informed of them as they may influence the standard drugs you are treated with before, during and after surgury. Your local MD needs to know this also.

For the sake of an example, say you do take comfrey on a regular basis. You go to your MD and get a standard blood work up which shows possibly liver damage/disfunction. They need to know internal herbal usage may be a contributing factor to determine his treatment regiment.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), July 11, 2001.

May drugs are made from herbs. Herbs can be potent medicine in the right as well as the wrong hands, as can any substance. I saw the doctor interviewed on TV on this subject when he said that "some people don't like to admit to their doctors that they have experimented with herbal supplements." with a grin. People must take responsibility for thier own health and that includes being knowledgable about what they choose to put into their bodies. It is not alright to pop any kind of pill because its the fad. If it didn't seem important enough to do any research, it probobly shouldn't be taken. Herbs can be a miracle cure or a death sentence. And just because it is "natural" does not make it safe, poison ivy can be pure unadulterated botanical misery. I'll get off my soapbox now and check on the garden. Have a nice evening.

-- Lynn (lynnannmb@hotmail.com), July 11, 2001.

The fact that the medical establishment often pits themselves against the "natural remedy" culture only makes it a set-up for those who wish to experiment with natural remedies. Patients are not comfortable talking over possible drug-herb-vitamin interactions with their doctor, because they expect him/her to be antagonistic toward the whole idea of herbs.

This reminds me of the experience of my husband's mother and his brother. He landed in the hospital with severe burns 35 years ago. The kid had been playing with fire, I think. His mother wanted to apply Vitamin E to the burns, but the doctors strongly warned her that it was not advisable. They forbade her to. Well, she snuck some into the hospital and put it on when she was alone with him. The burn area had not been responding to treatment before she did that, but afterward, it healed up amazingly fast. The doc was still angry with her for doing it, though.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), July 12, 2001.

It really irks me that the FDA has a panel to "study" liver toxicity related to prescription drugs,(the 6th leading cause of death in the US) but they feel free to yank comfrey off the market even though there have been no deaths. Follow the money.

-- Sherri C (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), July 12, 2001.

does the fda tell the general public of the 100,000 people that die each year of their approved drugs?? hmmmm.

-- cody (urbusted@alltel.net), November 29, 2001.

I agree whole heartedly! The medical establishment has become a huge multi billion dollar business. Of course they don't want their prey to become knowledgable about their own health. People may warn you that there can be herbs that may be dangerous to you, but, anyone want to take a bet how much more dangerous the pills are that the Dr. pushes on you? Yes, a lot of modern drugs came from plants, but, that doesn't make them safer. They usually isolate a single chemical in the plant to use, when the plant has many many more chemicals that work together. A lot of prescription drugs are synthetic. Herbs are like anything, you have to do your research, there is an allergy potential, but, as a whole, I believe them to be so much safer than prescription. They were meant for us to use. That's why they're here. You know, there is a Dr./Pharmaceutical connection that we need to be aware of. How does it profit the Dr.'s if people start taking charge of their own health? Or the pharmaceuticals?

-- Diana (rock_hunter83@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.