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Dietary Supplements Analysis

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The use of this new type of medicine first sparked a frenzy in the mid-19th century. A competition began between conventional and CAM medical providers, however, in the mid-20th century with the increasing importance of scientific evidence and experimentation, the popularity of complementary and alternative medicine began to decline. A type of medicine that people often don’t think of being a part of CAM would be a dietary supplement such as ginseng. This root is used as a stress reducer or often seen as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and impotency. Although it is often used to treat symptoms, the adverse side effects and drug interactions should be a warning to others who ingest this dietary supplement while taking conventional medications. A possible side effect of consuming ginseng is nephrotoxicity, which is also known as a toxicity within the …show more content…

One reason a patient may not tell their physician about the use of a dietary supplement is because of the lack of information about the potential and extremely harmful drug interactions. This information needs to be stressed to the public that any prescription medication, alternative medication, or treatment must be brought to the physician’s attention. Without the knowledge of your physician, drug interactions could have many harmful side effects if you are taking a prescription drug. These interaction types can be one of two different types. One of the types are pharmacodynamic interactions, which is when a dietary supplement enhances the effects of a prescription drug. The other type, known as pharmacokinetic interactions, is when a dietary supplement changes some aspects of the metabolism, excretion, etc., causing the side effects of the prescription drug to rise or

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