Must herbs and medication be in opposition to one another?

Must herbs and medication be in opposition to one another? Must medication always have the last say in Western society? As in many scenarios, the answer is, "it depends."

Much of it depends on the patient. Much depends on the doctor. And from there, it completely depends on the doctor-patient relationship.

Throughout my 20 years dealing with CKD, or chronic kidney disease, none of the many doctors I have seen have agreed to alternative medicine. And by that I mean herbs, whether in pill form or tea form. Some things I have approached them with have been kindly researched by the hospital pharmacist, while other suggestions of mine have been (just as kindly) laughed out of the room. (Let's just say the doctor who did that is very lucky I like her so much and that we have such a great rapport!) A few vitamins have been approved here and there over the years. My doctors and pharmacist (the entire support team) are concerned about drug/herb/etc interactions because there has not been 'enough' research.

I have met a few people who indicated that their doctors do not forbid anything. It is because of these people that I post the following information on Brahmi, or more commonly known (in my circles, anyway) as Gotu Kola. I had no idea that it has so many wonderful healing aspects, even according to WHO - the World Health Organization.

Rather than reiterate the whole thing here, I will give credit where credit is due and enable you to click on this link for The Collector's Cup, which is an excellent site.

Remember to check with your doctor first if this is something that you are interested in, even though you can get it in tea form.

May good health come to us all and remain so, for with that we can do so much!

MARCH: National Kidney Month

Here it is, the third day of March, and I only just realized that it is National Kidney Month. So says the National Kidney Foundation. And they would know!

For anyone that is concerned about the possibility of kidney disease, they are offering free screenings. How do you know if you should be concerned? High blood pressure is one factor to consider.

If science telling you this just isn't enough, consider reading the story I just did about a woman whose husband is awaiting a kidney transplant because he didn't realize he had high blood pressure and it all crept up on him and before he knew it he had kidney disease so severe that he is awaiting a kidney transplant. I think I have the facts straight. Check out her blog: Twenty-five Seasons.

Take care of those kidneys. While it's true that you only need one (yes, this woman's husband can get a live donor!), you CANNOT live without ANY. Give your kidney(s) plenty of fluid. Be careful with that salt shaker. Eat 'live' foods - i.e.; produce. This won't just do your kidneys good, but your whole body.

Now raise your glass (of water!) up and say cheers to your kidney(s)! Love 'em and care for them because they are just one more organ or pair of organs that are working hard to keep you alive and well.