Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 05 Aug 2013 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding

In an article published in this month's issue of Pediatrics In Review, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) stress the importance of physicians recognizing that many mothers use herbal supplements while breastfeeding in order to make accurate health assessments for both mother and child.

In the US, no existing regulatory guidelines set a standardized risk assessment of herbal supplement use during breastfeeding. Because of the highly limited number of studies on herb use during lactation, numerous resources have mixed reports and safety recommendations, making it confusing for both mother and clinician.

After completing a systematic review of human lactation and herbal medicine literature, the researchers found poor methodology in the few available studies and concluded that further research is needed to assess the prevalence, efficacy and safety of commonly used herbs during breastfeeding.

"It is important for physicians and clinicians to be more aware that mothers are using herbal supplements and how vital it is to ask the mothers, who are seeking a doctor's opinion when having trouble breastfeeding, about their use before making an assessment," said senior author Paula Gardiner, MD, MPH, assistant professor at BUSM and a physician of family medicine at Boston Medical Center.

Although there is little scientific evidence to support the efficacy or safety of herbal supplements, it is a common practice both nationally and internationally.

"The use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding is two-sided - there are benefits, but there are also safety concerns," she added. "About 18 percent of the US population use herbs and dietary supplements. We just want to make sure physicians and clinicians are aware of this prevalent use when communicating with breastfeeding mothers about their health."

Herbal remedies may be used to increase the milk supply, relieve engorgement, treat mastitis, or for other therapeutic uses unrelated to lactation.

"Since there is very limited research, it is difficult to develop accurate information on the safety and effectiveness of specific herbs during breastfeeding," said Gardiner. "It is crucial that more research is conducted in this area, including national prevalence studies and safety and efficacy studies."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our complementary medicine / alternative medicine section for the latest news on this subject.

Gardiner is supported by grant K07AT005463 from the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine or the National Institutes of Health.

Boston University Medical Center

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Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 05 Aug 2013 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding

In an article published in this month's issue of Pediatrics In Review, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) stress the importance of physicians recognizing that many mothers use herbal supplements while breastfeeding in order to make accurate health assessments for both mother and child.

In the US, no existing regulatory guidelines set a standardized risk assessment of herbal supplement use during breastfeeding. Because of the highly limited number of studies on herb use during lactation, numerous resources have mixed reports and safety recommendations, making it confusing for both mother and clinician.

After completing a systematic review of human lactation and herbal medicine literature, the researchers found poor methodology in the few available studies and concluded that further research is needed to assess the prevalence, efficacy and safety of commonly used herbs during breastfeeding.

"It is important for physicians and clinicians to be more aware that mothers are using herbal supplements and how vital it is to ask the mothers, who are seeking a doctor's opinion when having trouble breastfeeding, about their use before making an assessment," said senior author Paula Gardiner, MD, MPH, assistant professor at BUSM and a physician of family medicine at Boston Medical Center.

Although there is little scientific evidence to support the efficacy or safety of herbal supplements, it is a common practice both nationally and internationally.

"The use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding is two-sided - there are benefits, but there are also safety concerns," she added. "About 18 percent of the US population use herbs and dietary supplements. We just want to make sure physicians and clinicians are aware of this prevalent use when communicating with breastfeeding mothers about their health."

Herbal remedies may be used to increase the milk supply, relieve engorgement, treat mastitis, or for other therapeutic uses unrelated to lactation.

"Since there is very limited research, it is difficult to develop accurate information on the safety and effectiveness of specific herbs during breastfeeding," said Gardiner. "It is crucial that more research is conducted in this area, including national prevalence studies and safety and efficacy studies."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our complementary medicine / alternative medicine section for the latest news on this subject.

Gardiner is supported by grant K07AT005463 from the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine or the National Institutes of Health.

Boston University Medical Center

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Boston University Medical Center. "Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 5 Aug. 2013. Web.
5 Aug. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Study finds physicians need to better recognize use of herbal supplements while breastfeeding'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam). We reserve the right to amend opinions where we deem necessary.

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Emergency physicians distinguish between Bell's palsy and stroke

Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 29 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Emergency physicians distinguish between Bell's palsy and stroke

Emergency physicians correctly identified nearly 100 percent of patients with Bell's palsy, the symptoms of which are nearly identical to potentially life-threatening diseases such as stroke and brain tumors. The results of a study of 6 years of California patient records were published online yesterday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Potential Misdiagnoses of Bell's Palsy in the Emergency Department").

"Even lacking established guidelines for diagnosing Bell's palsy, which is the most common cause of paralysis of one side of the face, emergency physicians make the right call nearly every time," said lead study author Jahan Fahimi, MD, MPH, of Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland, Calif. and the University of California, San Francisco. "The dramatic and distressing nature of facial paralysis often brings patients to the ER for evaluation, often with a concern that they are having a stroke. The combination of thorough history-taking and detailed physical exam allows emergency physicians to determine which patients have a dangerous condition and which can safely be discharged home. While there may be a role for imaging, such as CT or MRI, the overwhelming majority of patients can be evaluated without advanced diagnostic tests."

Researchers analyzed 43,979 records for patients discharged from California emergency departments with a diagnosis of Bell's palsy. At 90-day follow up, 0.8 percent of those patients received an alternate diagnosis, such as stroke, brain bleed, brain tumor, central nervous system infection, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Lyme disease, ear infection or herpes zoster. When restricted to only life-threatening alternative diagnoses associated with central facial paralysis, only 0.3 percent were misdiagnosed.

Patients with Bell's palsy commonly manifest partial or complete weakness of the muscles of half of the face, resulting in an inability to raise one eyebrow, wrinkle their foreheads or close one eyelid. Symptoms often progress fairly rapidly and strongly mimic the symptoms of certain types of stroke. It affects approximately 15 people out of 100,000 every year.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our stroke section for the latest news on this subject. Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

American College of Emergency Physicians. "Emergency physicians distinguish between Bell's palsy and stroke." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 29 Jul. 2013. Web.
29 Jul. 2013. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

'Emergency physicians distinguish between Bell's palsy and stroke'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam). We reserve the right to amend opinions where we deem necessary.

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here