Monday December 19, 2023
Tired of pharmaceuticals? Adverse side effects making you more sick? Plants are truly an ally along the health journey.
Don’t get me wrong, not all plants, botanicals, and supplements are “safe.” In 2019, I worked alongside my colleagues at the Colorado Ayurvedic Medical Association towards DORA recognition of Ayurveda as a complementary medicine practice in Colorado, to protect consumers who seek alternative treatment care with Ayurveda. DORA ultimately rejected our application for licensure, with the understanding that patients had the pre-existing right to pursue treatment with Ayurveda under CO Code § 6-1-724 (updated in 2022, from the 2013 statute SB 13-215): Colorado Natural Health Consumer Protection Act.
So it goes without saying that, “the longstanding belief that medicines derived from natural products are safe has been refuted by numerous reports of adverse effects associated with herbal remedies.”
Which is why it is important to seek health care from a qualified practitioner or provider.
That said, with the proper guidance and personalized recommendations including herbal remedies, plant medicines, botanicals, lifestyle medicine, nutraceuticals, and nutritional supplements, you can end the cycle of dependence on expensive pharmaceuticals and endless diagnostics testing.
I stand firm in the belief, and I practice from this perspective, that you can take control of your health to reduce symptoms, feel stronger, and receive side benefits instead of adverse impacts and side effects, all while you improve immune system function, experience more energy, better focus and concentration, and improve resilience, as you travel the path of your health journey. I have seen hundreds of people improve their health this way. You are not powerless. And plants are here to help.
Did you know?
Did you know that, for each of the top reasons people see their primary care doctor, there are herbal remedies and alternative treatments, freeing you from cycles of illness and a cascade of pharmaceutical prescriptions?
- Your joints ache.
- You’re coughing or sneezing up a storm.
- Your back’s acting up.
- Your stomach’s bothering you.
- You’ve come down with a respiratory infection.
- Fatigue is getting you down.
- You need reassurance.
- You’re keeping up with a chronic condition.
Research has increased exponentially in the past 10 years, supporting the traditional use of plants and botanicals. Evidence shows that:
- Joint pain due to inflammatory conditions such as arthritis or athletic injury can be treated with botanicals such as ginger, turmeric, pippali, and formulas containing guggul resin.
- Coughs, cold, flu, and other serious viral illnesses can be prevented and viral load reduced with botanicals such as echinacea, elderberry, licorice, and guduchi.
- Immune system function is greatly improved with simple daily self-care using botanicals such as triphala (the “three fruits”: amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki), which are also used to improve gastrointestinal health and regularity.
- Fatigue is overcome with lifestyle changes including improving stress resilience and supplementing with bio-available B-complex vitamins and botanicals such as tulsi, ginseng, ashwagandha, shilajit, and functional mushrooms such as cordyceps.
- Gout is successfully treated, and uric acid levels reduced, with treatment including botanicals such as Punarnava, bibhitaki, bhumyamalaki, and bhringaraj.
Further, of the top causes of death and debilitation in the United States, you can significantly reduce reliance on prescription drugs by up to 77% with prevention, management, and treatment using lifestyle and alternative treatments:
- Diabetes: You can reduce HBA1C levels, reverse prediabetes, prevent diabetes, and support he body’s blood sugar (glucose) metabolism and insulin production with botanicals such as guggulu, gurmar (gymnema), tulsi, and daruharidra (Indian barberry)
- Heart disease: You can improve heart health and dyslipidemia, HDL/LDL ratios, reduce total cholesterol, and avoid the use of statins and beta blockers, and their side effects, with the use of botanicals such as arjuna, turmeric, sarpagandha (rauwolfia) and kanchanar. Likewise, you can lower blood pressure with botanicals such as gokshura, arjuna, and sadapushpa (vinca)
- Liver disease: You can improve liver health and reverse fatty liver disease with botanicals such as kalmegh (Andrographis) and kutki (picrorhiza)
- Cognitive decline: You can enhance and improve cognitive processing, brain health, and memory function with the use of botanicals such as brahmi (centella asiatica), bacopa and tulsi (Holy Basil)
- Sexual function:You can improve libido, balance hormones, and improve sexual health and function with botanicals such as shatavari, vidari, ashwagandha and gokshura.
To get started on the path to healing, health, wholeness, and bliss (yes, bliss!), reach out today to schedule. I look forward to working with you and walking beside you on your health journey.
Keywords:
Cardiac, heart, lipids, cholesterol, statins, triglycerides, nootropics, brain, memory, cognition, diabetes, sexual function, liver disease, gout
Excerpt:
Tired of pharmaceuticals? Adverse side effects making you more sick? Plants are truly an ally along the health journey. Research has increased exponentially in the past 10 years, supporting the traditional use of plants and botanicals for each of the top reasons people see their primary care doctor.
References
2022 Colorado Code Title 6- Consumer and Commercial Affairs, Article 1 – Colorado Consumer Protection Act, Part 7 – Specific Provisions, § 6-1-724. Unlicensed Alternative Health-Care Practitioners. Justia US Law. Accessed at https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2022/title-6/article-1/part-7/section-6-1-724/ on 19 Dec 2023.
Ahmad MA, Mujeeb M, Akhtar M, Khushtar M, Arif M, Haque MR. Guggulipid: A Promising Multi-Purpose Herbal Medicinal Agent. Drug Res (Stuttg). 2020;70(4):123-130. Accessed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32110820/ on 19 Dec 2023.
Esposito, L. The Most Common Patient Complaints. US News and World Report. Published on 29 May 2014. Accessed at https://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/slideshows/the-most-common-patient-complaints?onepage on 19 Dec 2023.
Livingston, M. Biohacking: 8 Herbs to Fight Fatigue and Boost Your Energy Naturally. Parsley Health. Published on 4 November, 2019. Accessed at https://www.parsleyhealth.com/blog/herbs-for-energy/ on 19 Dec 2023.
Qin S, Huang L, Gong J, et al. Efficacy and safety of turmeric and curcumin in lowering blood lipid levels in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr J. 2017;16(1):68. Published 2017 Oct 11. doi:10.1186/s12937-017-0293-y
Roe AL, Venkataraman A. The Safety and Efficacy of Botanicals with Nootropic Effects. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2021;19(9):1442-1467. doi:10.2174/1570159X19666210726150432
Shetty SN, Mengi S, Vaidya R, Vaidya AD. A study of standardized extracts of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth in experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2010;1(3):203-210. Accessed at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3087357/ on 19 Dec 2023.
Xiaoyan Q, et al. The role of Andrographolide in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases. Phytomedicine. Volume 109, 2023. ISSN 0944-7113. Accessed at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711322006250 on 19 Dec 2023.