Ask the Doctor On-Call: The Woman Doctors Blog

I have transferred to my new blog: http://theyouthdoctor.blogspot.com

Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:42:00 +0000


Indeed, I have transferred to my new blog The Youth Doctor.
It just came to me that the average human brain can store 10 numbers at one single moment.. how much more for a longer name such as "the woman doctor blog"???

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Why I combine hospital/ conventional medicine with phytotherapy: Combining Pills and Plant Extracts

Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:52:00 +0000
Yesterday, I have been mentioning that I belong to the rare and different breed of doctors who combine phytotherapy with conventional medicine or what you call "hospital medicine". I am really not into the thought of replacing conventional medicine with herbal remedies. What I am presently doing is INTEGRATING conventional medicine with phytotherapy. I do this for several reasons, but to make the long story short, for me a disease process has two parts. The first part is the "active sickness" part-- it is a part of the disease process when we first experience the signs and symptoms. It is the stage wherein the immune system of the body is very active. The second part is the 'healing" part. it is the stage when the body makes up for the damage brought about by the illness. It is the stage when the body replenishes lost tissues and proteins. This process requires a lot of energy and a lot of enzymes and co factors. The second part is also very important since it determines the actual health of the patient and his or her resistance to future illnesses and stresses. It determines which patient will be the most likely to get sick again and again.

During the first part of the disease process, we need symptomatic relief and conventional treatments like antibiotics and other drugs to fight off infection and control the illness. However, after the course of treatment, our body is in stress-- due to infection, injury and even the side effects of the actual medications. It is the stage when we need proper nutrition and supplementation to build and repair body tissues.

This is what I do. I treat the patient with conventional therapy. Then, I advise them on proper diet and nutrition and give them supplementation. For the supplementation part, I choose plant extracts.

Now, why do I choose plant extracts?

There are a lot of things we dont know about plants. Plants have been the ideal form of treatment to humankind. They are natural food to human beings. They act in a gentle way to supplement the body’s immune system and to stimulate healing from within. Plants have a stable chemical composition which makes them ideal as our daily food. Pants have been a part of our diet since life began and perhaps, its decreasing use among us as food is the reason for the growing need for vitamin and mineral supplementation nowadays.

We have long omitted herbs from our diet, when in fact, chlorophyll, which is present in plant cells and hemoglobin from our red blood cells HAVE AN ALMOST IDENTICAL MOLECULAR STRUCTURE. The element which serves as the core for chlorophyll is magnesium while Iron serves as the core for the molecular structure of hemoglobin. Thus this is the reason why natural buffers, fibers, latexes, starches and other substances from plants aid in the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and biologically active compounds.

Now you see the importance of a combined form of therapy. That is what integrative medicine is. Integrative medicine is healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.

These are the principles of integrative medicine:

• A partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process

• Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body's innate healing response

• Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body

• A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically

• Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms

• Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible

• Use of the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease

• Training of practitioners to be models of health and healing, committed to the process of self-exploration and self-development

With regards to the nutritional plant supplements I use, here is the store where I purchase my supplies: ONLINE STORE
woman doctor, natural supplements, doctor, the woman doctor blog, health, detox, integrative medicine, health tips, health supplements, the woman doctor, detoxification

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Question to an ICU Doctor like me

Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:22:00 +0000

I am presently on duty at the medical ICU. One of the ICU nurses approached me and asked me for advice regarding her cough and cold symptoms which persisted for 1 week despite azithromycin treatment. As I prescribed to her another course of oral antibiotics, I asked her what she was taking for her cough. She told me she was taking a herbal supplement for cough but she doesn't seem to get better. And she asked me why.

Well, I told her, I belong to that different breed of doctors who combine antibiotics and cardiac drugs with phytotherapy. I am not going to use the word "herbal". Phytotherapy for me is not herbalism, coz herbalism is ancient and quack i.e. lacking in evidence/ clinical trials/ actual laboratory testing... and is dependent on mere testimonials.Talk about heresay!

So I gave her a mucolytic,a 7-day course of oral antibiotics as empiric treatment, requested for a chest x-ray and told her a number of natural supplements she can take for her symptoms and for immune system support.

Wow. I never thought I was actually doing that! Cheers for the new Integrative Medicine/ Complementary Medicine ICU doctor! LOL!
woman doctor, health questions, doctor, the woman doctor blog, health, ICU doctor, health tips, the woman doctor

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Colour Therapy: The Role of Color in Your Health

Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Have you heard about Color therapy? Do you know that it can be used to heal and renew the mind and spirit?

Color is introduced to us early in life. We use pastel pinks and blues in our nursery decors to welcome newborn babies into a gentle and restful atmosphere. We have our own favorite colors since we were little. The history of color healing has its roots in ancient Egypt.

Avicenna (980-1037), who viewed color to be of vital importance in diagnosis and treatment, discussed chromotherapy in The Canon of Medicine. He wrote that "Color is an observable symptom of disease" and also developed a chart that related color to the temperature and physical condition of the body.

Are you suffering nervous tension, ulcers, sexual disorders, hay fever, colds, or even cancer? Then you should consider color therapy. You could begin putting your tensions away by enhancing your environment with the color green. Green gently relieves tension and mildly sedates the body. It strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, green is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions.

So, how can be sure to get benefits of green? One method of color therapy is simple: Just be sure to eat green foods. Eat any of the green vegetables and fruits such as gourds, spinach, plantain, lettuce, pea, green mango, gooseberry, pears, and beans.
woman doctor, color therapy, doctor, healthy skin, the woman doctor blog, health tips, the woman doctor

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Taking a Thought Break: The Parable of the Pencil

Date: Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000
The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.
“There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “Before I send you out into the world.
Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.”
One: “You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in
someone’s hand.”
Two: “You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.”
Three: “You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”
Four: “The most important part of you will always be what's inside.”
And Five: “On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the
condition, you must continue to write.”
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.
Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
One: “You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God’s
hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.”
Two: “You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various
problems in life, but you’ll need it to become a stronger person.”
Three: “You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”
Four: “The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside.”
And Five: “On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the
situation, you must continue to do your duties.”
Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only
you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.
woman doctor, doctor, healthy skin, the woman doctor blog, the woman doctor

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