Hello everone! This is great news indeed. My new website has gone "live" as of 18 October 2007. Please point your web browser to http://www.jeromejackson.net/ to receive the best that modern herbal medicine has to offer. This blog has now been migrated to my own website. It may be accessed at http://jeromejackson.net/blog
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
An anecdote: My personal experiences with antibiotics and why I resist allopathic medicine.
Here's my story:
A few years ago, I came down with a bad case of oesophagitis (infection of the gullet or "swallowing tube"). I'll save you all the details, but suffice to say I was extremely distressed by what I was coughing up. I consulted a physician (I had not embarked on my studies in botanical medicine at that time) and he promply prescribed the standard 5 day course of penicillin. This I took as prescribed and the condition cleared up by the end of the course. Thinking that I was now healed, I carried on with the hum-drum of life. About a week later, my aunt passed away in Sydney, Australia, from cancer (metastatic adenocarcinoma of unkown primary origin). World renowned oncologists (I have their names on file) could not save her. Make no mistake - it was the MEDICAL TREATMENT for the cancer that killed her, not the cancer itself and she would have lived longer had she not accepted the radiation and chemotherapy. But I digress...
With the passing of my aunt, the oesophagitis returned with a vengeance as well. Angry with the original physician, I consulted my usual family physician, told him I had consulted another doctor previously and informed him I was on penicillin for the same thing. He then proceeded to prescribe a 5 day course of Amoxycillin. Having to leave for Australia to attend the funeral, I continued taking the last of the antibiotics while there. A few days later the oesophagitis returned yet again! This was now a bacterium which survived 2 courses of different antibiotics - and was probably resistant to them now to boot! In despair, I told my cousin about my problem. She listened intently, then walked over to her cupboard and produced a bottle of "Cenovis Garlic & Horseradish + C Complex" capsules which were prescribed to her by a naturopath in Sydney for her chest cold. Knowing it was an antimicrobial, she offered the bottle to me and I started taking them immediately and continued taking them after returning to South Africa a couple of days later. It cured my oesophagitis completely and it did not return.
Now you tell me: a bacterium which survived penicillin and then Amoxycillin had succumbed to a herbal capsule containing the humble ingredients of garlic, horseradish, fenugreek, marshmallow and vitamin C; which treatment would you choose?
(As an aside: the combination of the utter uselessness and draconian methods of modern medicine to treat my aunt's cancer combined with the concurrent run ins I had with the antibiotic fiasco described above, compelled me to study Botanical Medicine. GOD has provided us with all the medicines that we need to heal ourselves.)
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
A few years ago, I came down with a bad case of oesophagitis (infection of the gullet or "swallowing tube"). I'll save you all the details, but suffice to say I was extremely distressed by what I was coughing up. I consulted a physician (I had not embarked on my studies in botanical medicine at that time) and he promply prescribed the standard 5 day course of penicillin. This I took as prescribed and the condition cleared up by the end of the course. Thinking that I was now healed, I carried on with the hum-drum of life. About a week later, my aunt passed away in Sydney, Australia, from cancer (metastatic adenocarcinoma of unkown primary origin). World renowned oncologists (I have their names on file) could not save her. Make no mistake - it was the MEDICAL TREATMENT for the cancer that killed her, not the cancer itself and she would have lived longer had she not accepted the radiation and chemotherapy. But I digress...
With the passing of my aunt, the oesophagitis returned with a vengeance as well. Angry with the original physician, I consulted my usual family physician, told him I had consulted another doctor previously and informed him I was on penicillin for the same thing. He then proceeded to prescribe a 5 day course of Amoxycillin. Having to leave for Australia to attend the funeral, I continued taking the last of the antibiotics while there. A few days later the oesophagitis returned yet again! This was now a bacterium which survived 2 courses of different antibiotics - and was probably resistant to them now to boot! In despair, I told my cousin about my problem. She listened intently, then walked over to her cupboard and produced a bottle of "Cenovis Garlic & Horseradish + C Complex" capsules which were prescribed to her by a naturopath in Sydney for her chest cold. Knowing it was an antimicrobial, she offered the bottle to me and I started taking them immediately and continued taking them after returning to South Africa a couple of days later. It cured my oesophagitis completely and it did not return.
Now you tell me: a bacterium which survived penicillin and then Amoxycillin had succumbed to a herbal capsule containing the humble ingredients of garlic, horseradish, fenugreek, marshmallow and vitamin C; which treatment would you choose?
(As an aside: the combination of the utter uselessness and draconian methods of modern medicine to treat my aunt's cancer combined with the concurrent run ins I had with the antibiotic fiasco described above, compelled me to study Botanical Medicine. GOD has provided us with all the medicines that we need to heal ourselves.)
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
Antibiotics vs Antimicrobials
Hello again to all my dedicated readers. Today's topic covers a very important and highly controversial topic as far as botanical medicine vs orthodox medicine is concerned, so this may turn out to be an unusually long post for me. It is truly sad when people think that botanical medicine is inferior and/or cannot deal with serious infections and illnesses caused by pathogenic agents like bacteria, fungi and even viruses. This can not be further from the truth! In fact; botanicals are far SUPERIOR to antibiotics in many respects; these I will deal with later in this post. Deadly diseases like pneumonia, cholera, rabies, tetanus etc., which most people unfortunately now believe can only be treated by a physician with the strongest antibiotic in hand, was and still is teated herbally with antimicrobials. What do you think doctors gave patients with pneumonia in the 1800's? -HERBS! It also needs to be borne in mind that botanical medicine predates modern allopathic (orthodox) medicine by thousands (yes, THOUSANDS) of years. This invariably means that you can normally find a parallel in botanical medicine for almost any modern day drug including chemotherapy drugs - believe it or not. Most modern medicines were originally plant based. Modern medicine has been treating mankind with pharmaceutical drugs (mostly non-plant based) now for only about 100 to 150 years. Because these drugs are artificial, they are sometimes accompanied with grave and serious side effects. (Perhaps a topic for another post...?)
Getting back to the topic at hand; antibiotics are drugs prescribed by an allopathic physician which kills pathogens (bacteria), while antimicrobials are prescribed by the herbologist and are the botanical medicine "equivalent" to antibiotics - or is it? Allow me to give a brief overview to show the major differences between these two protocols of treatment:
Orthodox (allopathic) approach:
Antibiotics are prescribed by physicians for bacterial infections. It is important to note that antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, and a specific antibiotic is usually only effective against either gram negative or gram positive bacteria or a specific strain of bacteria. The reasons for this is beyond the scope of this post. If you happen to be infected by a fungus or yeast, then a fungicide has to be prescribed. Antibiotics are NOT effective against viruses in any way or form. Therefore, antibiotics are useless against influenza, colds, herpes, HIV and, in fact all viruses, PERIOD. Because antibiotics have been so overprescribed in the past, bacteria have become highly resistant to them and some strains of bacteria are now totally immune to certain antibiotics. A serious case in point, pertinent to South Africa is extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB). It is deadly within a couple of weeks and is resistant to the TB drugs used in its combat. Antibiotic side effects are another story altogether. Antibiotics are indiscriminate in that they kill bad as well as beneficial bacteria that your body actually needs! They kill off the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract giving you diarrhoea, amongst other digestive tract problems as well as opening you up to further infections because the beneficial bacteria that keep the pathogenic bacteria in check has been destroyed. In my humble, yet educated opinion, antibiotics has its place, but should be more strictly controlled and only prescribed in life-threatening conditions.
Botanical approach:
Antimicrobials are the natural "alternative" to antibiotics, but it is so much more than that. As a practitioner of natural medicine, I also do not believe the name "antibiotic" is apt for a botanical medicine. The name "antibiotic" actually means "against life" and we, as herbologists, certainly are not. We use "antimicrobials" and they only kill bad (pathogenic) bacteria. Not only that, but certain antimicrobials kill viruses! YES - viruses! This is something which modern medicine still has to duplicate - but due to their approach to disease I think this is still a very long way off. So, in effect, if you have a cold or flu and you consult your herbologist, he can actually CURE the illness itself, by prescribing an antiviral (please note that botanical antivirals do not work like the anti retrovirals used in treating HIV and has non of the associated side effects). Futhermore a botanical antiviral kills a virus directly, just as a botanical antibacterial would kill a bacterium. That is the major key here. Herbal antimicrobial medicines CURE viral diseases, killing the virus itself - not just treat the symptoms. The side effects are also very minimal, if any. We treat the causes of disease - not just symptoms. The point that I am trying to make here, in a very simplistic way, is that antimicrobials can kill all pathogenic organisms be they bacteria, viruses or fungi while, surprisingly, not affecting the beneficial bacteria in your body. Another plus is that germs do not develop resistance to natural antimicrobials. Added to this, your herbologist may also prescribe an immune stimulator or immune modulator to strengthen your immune system itself - two further types of treatments that western medicine can not duplicate.
In conclusion: If people were more informed and educated about botanical medicine, they would not be as surprised when I tell them that the antimicrobials I have stocked in my dispensary are more effective than the penicillin and amoxycillin their physician has just given them. (Please see the next post for my personal experiences with these two antibiotics and why now prefer antimicrobials to antibiotics anyday.)
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
Getting back to the topic at hand; antibiotics are drugs prescribed by an allopathic physician which kills pathogens (bacteria), while antimicrobials are prescribed by the herbologist and are the botanical medicine "equivalent" to antibiotics - or is it? Allow me to give a brief overview to show the major differences between these two protocols of treatment:
Orthodox (allopathic) approach:
Antibiotics are prescribed by physicians for bacterial infections. It is important to note that antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, and a specific antibiotic is usually only effective against either gram negative or gram positive bacteria or a specific strain of bacteria. The reasons for this is beyond the scope of this post. If you happen to be infected by a fungus or yeast, then a fungicide has to be prescribed. Antibiotics are NOT effective against viruses in any way or form. Therefore, antibiotics are useless against influenza, colds, herpes, HIV and, in fact all viruses, PERIOD. Because antibiotics have been so overprescribed in the past, bacteria have become highly resistant to them and some strains of bacteria are now totally immune to certain antibiotics. A serious case in point, pertinent to South Africa is extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB). It is deadly within a couple of weeks and is resistant to the TB drugs used in its combat. Antibiotic side effects are another story altogether. Antibiotics are indiscriminate in that they kill bad as well as beneficial bacteria that your body actually needs! They kill off the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract giving you diarrhoea, amongst other digestive tract problems as well as opening you up to further infections because the beneficial bacteria that keep the pathogenic bacteria in check has been destroyed. In my humble, yet educated opinion, antibiotics has its place, but should be more strictly controlled and only prescribed in life-threatening conditions.
Botanical approach:
Antimicrobials are the natural "alternative" to antibiotics, but it is so much more than that. As a practitioner of natural medicine, I also do not believe the name "antibiotic" is apt for a botanical medicine. The name "antibiotic" actually means "against life" and we, as herbologists, certainly are not. We use "antimicrobials" and they only kill bad (pathogenic) bacteria. Not only that, but certain antimicrobials kill viruses! YES - viruses! This is something which modern medicine still has to duplicate - but due to their approach to disease I think this is still a very long way off. So, in effect, if you have a cold or flu and you consult your herbologist, he can actually CURE the illness itself, by prescribing an antiviral (please note that botanical antivirals do not work like the anti retrovirals used in treating HIV and has non of the associated side effects). Futhermore a botanical antiviral kills a virus directly, just as a botanical antibacterial would kill a bacterium. That is the major key here. Herbal antimicrobial medicines CURE viral diseases, killing the virus itself - not just treat the symptoms. The side effects are also very minimal, if any. We treat the causes of disease - not just symptoms. The point that I am trying to make here, in a very simplistic way, is that antimicrobials can kill all pathogenic organisms be they bacteria, viruses or fungi while, surprisingly, not affecting the beneficial bacteria in your body. Another plus is that germs do not develop resistance to natural antimicrobials. Added to this, your herbologist may also prescribe an immune stimulator or immune modulator to strengthen your immune system itself - two further types of treatments that western medicine can not duplicate.
In conclusion: If people were more informed and educated about botanical medicine, they would not be as surprised when I tell them that the antimicrobials I have stocked in my dispensary are more effective than the penicillin and amoxycillin their physician has just given them. (Please see the next post for my personal experiences with these two antibiotics and why now prefer antimicrobials to antibiotics anyday.)
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
Friday, May 25, 2007
Paradoxical Reactions
Today, I would like to touch on “paradoxical reactions”. No…you are not having a flashback to chemistry lab practicals. Paradoxical reactions are just when a medication induces the opposite effect in certain individuals than what it was prescribed for. A very good and relatively common example of this, is the herb valerian. Most people will recognise valerian as an herb which induces tranquilizing and anxyolitic effects. It is therefore prescribed to counter anxiety and stress states in persons. Well, some people react in the complete opposite way when they are given valerian. It produces an agitated and anxious state in some individuals, actually making the original problem worse. This phenomenon is even more common in the more elderly population.
With this in mind, it is therefore imperative that the patient or practitioner start with a minimal dose first, evaluating the patient’s reactions to the specific herb, before taking a larger therapeutic dose. Believe me; you do not want to overexcite an already overexcited and anxious patient.
I am currently collating my research and case studies and writing my thesis, so I do apologise for the irregularity of my postings of late.
Till next time.
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
With this in mind, it is therefore imperative that the patient or practitioner start with a minimal dose first, evaluating the patient’s reactions to the specific herb, before taking a larger therapeutic dose. Believe me; you do not want to overexcite an already overexcited and anxious patient.
I am currently collating my research and case studies and writing my thesis, so I do apologise for the irregularity of my postings of late.
Till next time.
Yours in health,
J Jackson, Dherb (cand.); MHONERI(SA)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Herbal Medicines and Dosage Forms...
I think that it is important to deal with dosage as far as it applies to herbal medicines in it's various forms.
It is true that the public may be led to believe that one can buy an herbal medicine over the counter (OTC) and follow the dosage as described on the container. This can not only be ineffective, but outright dangerous! How can that be if it's a natural, herbal preparation? Surely it has to be harmless? I hear these statements made far too often and it is sad, to say the least. No person knowledgeable in herbology would take a non-homeopathic strength tincture of Belladonna or Digitalis, for instance, unless they were suicidal and no longer wished to live. Yes, these two examples are very important herbal preparations, with very clearly defined clinical uses like heart failure, as is the case with Digitalis, but deadlier than the uninformed person on the street could ever imagine. It is for this reason that these medicines can only be taken under the very strict supervision of a licenced health care professional. Luckily, in South Africa and most countries, you cannot buy full strength tinctures of these two herbs over the counter, but there are other herbal preparations which you can buy over the counter, but which should really only be taken under supervision of a herbal practitioner who understands how they work and what dangers, side effects, contraindications etc. they may carry. I've also heard medical practitioners say to patients:"Oh, you don't need to worry if you take herbal medicines or supplements with such-and-such prescription drug. It won't do anything with the drugs I've prescribed - IT'S ONLY HERBS". This is absolutely dangerous! A good example is taking the herb St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which can be bought in supermarkets these days, while you are on a certain class of drug called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Please, just don't ever do it!
On the flip side, we have the opposite problem:
Usually, by law, herbal preparations, especially tinctures, have dosages that are far below the therapeutic dose. Most OTC tinctures are a 1:10 preparation, which is a very weak titration by clinical herbal medicine standards. Some of these preparations that I have come across have a dosage of 10 drops of tincture per dose, which is way below the therapeutic dose of most herbal medicines, which would normally be around the 5ml (or higher) mark for a preparation of this low strength. Therefore the suggested dose is sub-therapeutic and sub-clinical and may not bring about the desired effects. This is purposefully done by the manufacturer to protect the patient from overdosing. The patient then underdoses himself and his disease may progressively get worse. He is then convinced that herbal medicines are useless and loses faith in them. His disease may progress to a very dangerous stage. An herbologist would usually prescribe a stronger tincture and adjust the dose according to the underlying disease and other factors taken holistically. Moreover, one dose does not fit all as we are all of different constitution, weight, height, build, etc. and an adult dose may differ from one person to the next. Dosage for the young are even more of a problem and qualified herbalists use a specific formula to calculate it.
There are some patent herbal medicines with a fixed dose and these can be trusted because they have been subject to clinical trials and the dose has been scientifically determined. This is not the case with over the counter preparations, which differ in strength from one manufacturer to the next. A dispensing herbologist will be able to control the dose accurately as the medicinals he dispenses to you will be well known to him and will usually be of a much higher quality and strength than an over the counter preparation.
Finally, herbal medicines may be natural, but that does not mean that they are completely safe and without side effects and contraindications. They should still only be used under the supervision of a qualified herbal practitioner - especially if you are on other medications. Certain combinations of herbs with prescription drugs can be fatal! So be warned.
In conclusion, please consult with a qualified herbologist before just self-diagnosing and treating conditions with OTC herbal preparations.
Yours in Health,
J Jackson, DHerb. (cand), MHONERI(SA)
It is true that the public may be led to believe that one can buy an herbal medicine over the counter (OTC) and follow the dosage as described on the container. This can not only be ineffective, but outright dangerous! How can that be if it's a natural, herbal preparation? Surely it has to be harmless? I hear these statements made far too often and it is sad, to say the least. No person knowledgeable in herbology would take a non-homeopathic strength tincture of Belladonna or Digitalis, for instance, unless they were suicidal and no longer wished to live. Yes, these two examples are very important herbal preparations, with very clearly defined clinical uses like heart failure, as is the case with Digitalis, but deadlier than the uninformed person on the street could ever imagine. It is for this reason that these medicines can only be taken under the very strict supervision of a licenced health care professional. Luckily, in South Africa and most countries, you cannot buy full strength tinctures of these two herbs over the counter, but there are other herbal preparations which you can buy over the counter, but which should really only be taken under supervision of a herbal practitioner who understands how they work and what dangers, side effects, contraindications etc. they may carry. I've also heard medical practitioners say to patients:"Oh, you don't need to worry if you take herbal medicines or supplements with such-and-such prescription drug. It won't do anything with the drugs I've prescribed - IT'S ONLY HERBS". This is absolutely dangerous! A good example is taking the herb St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), which can be bought in supermarkets these days, while you are on a certain class of drug called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Please, just don't ever do it!
On the flip side, we have the opposite problem:
Usually, by law, herbal preparations, especially tinctures, have dosages that are far below the therapeutic dose. Most OTC tinctures are a 1:10 preparation, which is a very weak titration by clinical herbal medicine standards. Some of these preparations that I have come across have a dosage of 10 drops of tincture per dose, which is way below the therapeutic dose of most herbal medicines, which would normally be around the 5ml (or higher) mark for a preparation of this low strength. Therefore the suggested dose is sub-therapeutic and sub-clinical and may not bring about the desired effects. This is purposefully done by the manufacturer to protect the patient from overdosing. The patient then underdoses himself and his disease may progressively get worse. He is then convinced that herbal medicines are useless and loses faith in them. His disease may progress to a very dangerous stage. An herbologist would usually prescribe a stronger tincture and adjust the dose according to the underlying disease and other factors taken holistically. Moreover, one dose does not fit all as we are all of different constitution, weight, height, build, etc. and an adult dose may differ from one person to the next. Dosage for the young are even more of a problem and qualified herbalists use a specific formula to calculate it.
There are some patent herbal medicines with a fixed dose and these can be trusted because they have been subject to clinical trials and the dose has been scientifically determined. This is not the case with over the counter preparations, which differ in strength from one manufacturer to the next. A dispensing herbologist will be able to control the dose accurately as the medicinals he dispenses to you will be well known to him and will usually be of a much higher quality and strength than an over the counter preparation.
Finally, herbal medicines may be natural, but that does not mean that they are completely safe and without side effects and contraindications. They should still only be used under the supervision of a qualified herbal practitioner - especially if you are on other medications. Certain combinations of herbs with prescription drugs can be fatal! So be warned.
In conclusion, please consult with a qualified herbologist before just self-diagnosing and treating conditions with OTC herbal preparations.
Yours in Health,
J Jackson, DHerb. (cand), MHONERI(SA)
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Echinacea (It's proper use)
Most people have heard about echinacea and its effectiveness in treating colds and its symptoms. In fact, when visiting a health food store and enquiring about the uses of echinacea, one usually gets the same answer...and it's not always the same as the answers you would ordinarily get from a qualified herbologist. For instance, did you know that echinacea should not be used continuously for a period longer than 6 to 8 weeks? That it should not be used in progressive diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis and other auto-immune disorders and that it should not be taken with immunosuppressive drugs? This is information that you are only likely to get from a qualified herbologist. The fact of the matter is that if you use echinacea for more than 6 to 8 weeks, it will cause immunosuppression, which is exactly what you want to avoid at all costs when suffering from the above-mentioned diseases! Herbologists know that there are deep immunostimulants and surface immunostimulants. Echinacea falls into the latter category. Therefore echinacea may not be the ideal herb in every case of the sniffles or colds and flu. The modern herbologist, being trained in distinguishing the different diseases, is very capable of prescribing the correct herb(s) for the ailment. There is no one size fits all in the field of herbology and the public needs to be made aware of this fact which the manufacturers use as a marketing ploy. Herbal medicines should not be treated lightly just because it may be available over the counter or as a "supplement" and that it is a plant extract. Castor oil, for example is useful in treating many ailments, but ingest a few castor beans and death may be imminent. It is also important that you follow the dosages as prescribed by your herbologist and not the dosage as indicated on the container of the herbal medicine, but this would be another topic which I will cover in the next post. So please, consult your herbologist before just buying an over the counter herbal remedy without consultation.
Yours in Health,
J Jackson, DHerb. (cand), MHONERI(SA)
Yours in Health,
J Jackson, DHerb. (cand), MHONERI(SA)
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