There have been so many errors about alternative medicine in the last few
days, I felt I had to clarify a few things.  I thought carefully about
doing this.  It seems every few months I am called on to "defend" my
profession, and forget that I have been spoiled by my alt-med lists I
participate in.  So, I am explaining in the hopes of educating the
readers of this list.
 
I am a Dr. of Naturopathy.  This means I can use some 20 different
disciplines available in the field today.  I choose herbs, vitamin and
mineral correction, nutrition, homeopathy, and flower essences.  My
dissertations and articles on The Athena List are on herbs.  I have also
written for some other alt-med sites.
 
First of all someone used "herbs" and "supplements" in the same post.
Herbs are not supplements.  Some supplement formulations may contain some
herbs.  A natural food supplement can contain a variety of products.
They are composed of, derived from, or byproducts of, foods that provide
health benefits.  They can be high in certain nutrients and what they
call "active" ingredients.  Examples would be aloe vera, fish oils,
fibers, and brans.  Different companies have better or worse reputations,
and yes are unregulated.  When I helped a friend update her health food
store we would call different suppliers and ask what was in a formulation
and why.  This is the same thing I did while buying for the pharmacy for
4 years, an AMA pharmacy.  If the supplier could not answer my questions
we did not carry the product.  The 2 who did fly the owners out to see
their operations were Solgar and Nature's Way, so I always recommend
them.  They have very little fillers.
 
Someone mentioned the uselessness of Glucosamine.  Well it may be you
were given the wrong supplement.  There is Glucosamine Chondroitin (which
"helps" the body rebuild collagen and reform bones).  It takes up to 6
weeks to begin to work, but I have had 2 orthopedic doctors refer clients
to use it in lieu of surgery.  Glucosamine Sulfate is an amino sugar,
and is a component of the carbohydrates that are incorporated into the
structure of body tissues.  It is involved in the formation of nails,
tendons, skin, eyes, bones, ligaments, and heart valves.  Again,
knowledgable cardio surgeons do put patients on this supplement.  It too
takes some weeks to render an effect.  Most people decry alternatives as
not working because they are either uninformed as to the length of time
for an effect to become apparent and stop after a week or two, or too
impatient.
 
The medicinal benefits of herbs have been found in the writings of the
Romans, Egyptians, Native Americans, Persian, and Hebrew Medical
practices.  There is a huge text called "Herbs of the Bible."  An herb
is a plant.  It does not have any supplemental properties whatsoever.  It
has medicinal constituents that can either be isolated out (as in AMA
pharmacy).  It can be used as the whole plant with the plant's "natural
buffering agents" counterbalancing and harmonizing the body's reaction to
the plant.  Herbs can take up to 6 weeks to work.  They are very subtle
and because they provoke no "immediate" bodily reaction (say 2 hours like
an aspirin), it is hard to tell if one is working.  One slowly feels
better without any vast change.  We are so used to coming out of a
doctor's office with a prescription that works within hours or days very
few have the education and dedication to good health to put up with the 6
weeks' wait.  Most of the bad-press we have on herbal interactions have
occurred because the patient did not either tell his physician he was
using an herb, or did not have his pharmacist check for interactions.
 
There is a wealth of uneducation out there.  But there are good natural
health practitioners who have a bad rap because of the companies who get
on the bandwagon to sell supplements without any of the actual herb in
it, and from folks who are in it for the big bucks.  I treat some
patients for free and we have a free clinic day each week for those who
cannot pay.
 
Vitamins are essential to life.  They regulate metabolism and assist
biochemical processes that release energy from digested food.  They are
considered "micronutrients" because the body needs them in small amounts,
compared to nutrients such as carbs, fats, proteins and water.  If you
check your formulas some ferret foods contain vitamins.
 
Every living cell on this planet needs minerals for proper structure and
function.  Minerals contribute to body fluids, the formation of blood and
bone, maintenance of healthy nerve function, the regulation of muscle
tone, including that of the cardiovascular system.  They can function as
coenzymes, helping the body to function, producing energy, helping growth
and healing.  They greatly assist animals.
 
There are others I use in nutritional enhancement, but this is enough to
assimilate for now.
 
I want to thank Bill for his unbelievable patience in allowing the
discussion of alternative health care to proceed.  I hope we can educate
folks on the safe way to be consumers of this emerging field and to see
that it can do valuable good for our pets.
 
Warmly ~
Mary L. Conley, ND, Herbalist
Conley Farm Organic Herbs ~ Mystical Forest Children's Formulations
Online Classes
 
To see articles on herbs and how they traveled around the world go to:
www.medicinegarden.com; pull up "Faculty"; then "Mary Conley."  There you
will get a link to some of my articles.  (It's an old pic, and an even
older bio).
[Posted in FML issue 4167]