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Patient nondisclosure of CAM use to conventional providers is a significant public health problem. Several studies have found that between 40% and 80% of patients do not report CAM use. Nondisclosure of CAM use increases the likelihood of an adverse interaction with conventional treatment and obscures the diagnosis and treatment of adverse
interactions. Cultural competence may increase reporting of CAM use and reduce the prevalence and impact of this public health problem.
Unintentional overdose of jin bu huan, a traditional Chinese herbal product used as a sedative and analgesic, was found to result in rapid onset of life-threatening bradycardia and acute hepatitis (Kaiser Permanente 1999).
Combining herbs with certain Western drugs can have dangerous effects. For example, the combination of ginkgo and warfarin (Coumadin) increases the risk for bleeding, and glucomannan (used for weight loss) affects diabetes drugs such as glyburide (Micronase, DiaBeta) (Kaczmarczyk and Burke 2003). |
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