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Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgH13 -- March 2007 -- Alternative Medicine
Television stations: Click here to copy and paste this text.
Intro: Herbal supplements, acupuncture, chiropractics and massage. It used to be that alternative therapies like these were ignored by many doctors. But that's changing. Thanks to public demand and an increasing amount of positive research, many doctors are embracing some alternative therapies. So how do you know if the herb you're taking or therapy you're trying is safe? Let's go to Mayo Clinic to find out.
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Total running time 1:16 |
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IS BIG BUSINESS. EVERY YEAR CONSUMERS SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THERAPIES SUCH AS HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS, MASSAGE AND ACUPUNCTURE. |
MANY OF THESE THERAPIES DO WORK. FOR EXAMPLE, RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ACUPUNCTURE DOES CONTROL PAIN AND REDUCE ANXIETY. AND ST. JOHN'S WORT HELPS SOME PEOPLE WITH MODERATE OR MILD DEPRESSION. |
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Brent Bauer, M.D. |
"BUT THERE ARE ALSO THINGS OUT THERE THAT CAN CAUSE REAL HARM. SOME OF THE DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS HAVE LEAD TO REAL INJURY OR EVEN DEATH FOR SOME PEOPLE." |
LIKE EPHEDRINE, OR MA-HUANG FOR EXAMPLE. THE SUPPLEMENT USED FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND INCREASING ENERGY WAS BANNED FROM OVER-THE-COUNTER USE. |
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SO HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE ALTERNATIVE THERAPY YOU'RE USING IS SAFE? DR. BRENT BAUER IS EDITOR OF THE MAYO CLINIC BOOK OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. |
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Brent Bauer, M.D. |
"WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE GOOD INFORMATION SO THEY CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO USE WHAT'S CALLED ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE." |
Standup |
THE BOOK TELLS YOU WHAT'S SAFE, WHAT SIMPLY DOESN'T WORK AND WHAT TO AVOID. IT ALSO EXAMINES HOW MANY DOCTORS ARE USING SOME OF THESE THERAPIES IN THEIR PRACTICES. |
Brent Bauer, M.D. |
"WE'RE TAKING THE BEST OF EVIDENCE-BASED, CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE AND THE BEST OF EVIDENCE-BASED ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND INTEGRATING THE TWO. BRINGING THEM TOGETHER FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PATIENT." |
THE BENEFITS OF TREATING THE PATIENT AS A WHOLE. FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. |
Anchor tag: Dr. Bauer says you should talk to your doctor before you try any type of alternative therapy. That's because some therapies, like herbs, may be safe but may interact with other medications. For more information visit our Web site at ...
STATIONS: Per the licensing agreement, please provide a link from your station's Web site to www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge or voice tag "mayoclinic.org/medical-edge" for more information.
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