Many years ago, we relied on natural remedies to take care of our bouts with illness. Over time, we progressed into a world in which we have synthetic medications available to us to keep us alive and to keep us functioning in society. Over the last decade, there has been a huge push to go back to natural remedies to handle our illnesses. While this is a noble cause and one that we can consider for some illnesses, sometimes we need the synthetic medicines in order to be healthier than we would be without them.
Managing the Medicines
Some folks are on a lot of medicines for a variety of illnesses which many people view as a bad thing. However, if you are battling advanced heart disease or something as fatal as stage four cancer, those medicines become your life line to living a life that is as close to “normal” as possible. Can you use natural remedies while that sick? Yes, in some cases you can. We urge you to talk to your doctor before doing so because some remedies and synthetic medicines counteract one another. Many doctors love to use natural remedies and synthetic medicines together and they know more about those counteractive qualities.
So back to the solution for managing the medicines. Overall, having a schedule of some kind will help you remember which ones to take and when. You can utilize a pill finder that can identify what pill you are taking, should your medicines get mixed up. Many phone apps are created for the sake of tracking how many pills you have, when to take them, and when to refill them. It also helps to get your family on board with your pill management. Often, having more than one set of eyes track things will keep you from forgetting a medicine and making sure you are taking them timely.
Illnesses That Need Synthetic Medicines
When it comes to using synthetic medicines over natural remedies, it is often because a person is at a life or death situation. A diabetic that is controlling their insulin through diet can use more natural remedies once they look into how those remedies affect their bodies, often by discussing it thoroughly with their doctor. However, a diabetic who requires insulin pills or shots is doing so because their illness is no longer controllable by diet. Inquiries about natural remedies can still be discussed but encouraging that diabetic to abandon synthetic medicines is simply dangerous.
Cancer is another disease which people discuss controlling through diet. While we can possibly avoid some cancers by watching how we eat and which products we use (in other words avoiding carcinogens at all cost) some people are genetically predisposed to some forms of cancer. Advising anyone to control their cancer with just natural remedies is no way to be supportive of the patient. Some herbal remedies counteract the effectiveness of treatments! Discussions with the doctor about using acupuncture and acupressure to relieve symptoms is a must! While no one is a big fan of radiation or chemotherapy treatments, suggesting to a cancer patient that they avoid those treatments and use only herbal supplements is detrimental to some patients’ health. Conversations with the treatment team should be around all options, natural and synthetic alike, so that the patient can make an informed decision.
The ultimate goal for anyone suffering from an illness or disability is to make them as comfortable as possible. From making the home safe and secure, using natural remedies, and using synthetic medicines are all equally important and should be reviewed carefully for each patient.