Vitamins and Supplements vs. the Doctor

Vitamins and Supplements vs. the Doctor

Medical doctors have very strong opinions about the value of vitamins and supplements. Some of them view vitamins and supplements as helpful with preventing illness. Others see them as a new way to practice alternative medicine. Then there are those who discourage their use entirely, except for taking a standard multivitamin.

This leaves the patient in an awkward situation. This is because if a person is serious about finding an alternative to traditional western medicine, a doctor canít help them. Doctors canít prescribe vitamins and supplements like they would medication. In fact, they canít even recommend that you take them. The vitamin and supplement industry isnít regulated like the drug industry, so if a doctor tells you to take vitamin C for a cold, it is really just an informal suggestion and not a prescription.

Talking to a doctor puts them in an awkward position as well. Whether they believe in the healing powers of vitamins and supplements or not, if you come to them with a medical condition, they have a legal obligation to prescribe the correct medication to remedy your situation. If not, they open themselves up to all kinds of malpractice suits. Even when doctors do get creative and try to prescribe an alternative drug or treatment that they know will heal someone, the insurance companies will refuse payment.

This leaves patients who want to explore alternative treatments for illnesses off on their own. However, there is alternative help if you want to try options other than traditional medicine. While a doctor canít recommend a heavy vitamin regimen, he can give you tests to monitor your progress. If you decide to treat an illness with vitamins or supplements, it takes a lot longer to slow down or regulate a medical condition than with traditional medicine. For example, it can take up to two years to lower high cholesterol using only vitamins and supplements. As long as you get regular tests from a doctor, you can monitor your progress.

Always tell your doctor what vitamins you are using and how much you are taking. He may not like it, but unless he has a valid medical reason why you canít take them, heíll have to understand. If he doesnít, then find another doctor. Alternatively, you can also talk to your pharmacist about what you are taking and what you hope to accomplish. They can be very helpful in assisting you with choosing the right vitamins and supplements and check to make sure that any vitamins you are taking donít conflict with your current medication.

You can also go to a holistic practitioner if you are looking to remedy a minor situation or are looking for preventative medicine. Holistic practitioners are licensed professionals who can recommend more specific vitamins and supplements and more radical forms of alternative treatments. The vitamins and supplements they will recommend will be more organic and potent, so make sure to follow their directions specifically and seek medical attention immediately if you experience any side effects or other symptoms. Holistic practitioners are caring knowledgeable professionals, but unfortunately they still arenít substitutes for doctors.

This is the right way to go about using the healing power of vitamins and supplements to help prevent or cure a serious illness. If you suspect you have a medical condition, you should never try to heal it by yourself by using vitamins and supplements. Not only is this dangerous, it can also be life threatening. Vitamins and supplements are mainly used to prevent illnesses and promote overall strengthening of the body. They are not to be used as a substitute for medical drugs or treatment. Even when they are, they are used under a doctorís supervision, usually in addition to more traditional medicines. Taking vitamins and hoping they will cure an illness is not ever recommended by anyone. If you want to use vitamins and suppliants to cure illnesses, it is much better to go to a doctor who believes in their incredible and natural ability to heal.