Tell Your Doctor About
Herbs and Supplements
Many people use herbs or dietary supplements as part of their regular healthcare. Some take a daily vitamin, while others use Chinese herbal formulas, sleep aids, digestive products, or supplements intended to support the heart, joints, or immune system. Yet patients do not always mention these products during medical appointments.
Sometimes they assume that herbs are simply foods and therefore not medically important. Others worry that their doctor will disapprove or dismiss anything outside conventional medicine. A few may not even remember to mention a supplement when asked what medications they take.
However, herbs and supplements can affect the body in significant ways. Some may change blood pressure, blood sugar, blood clotting, or liver function. Others can increase or reduce the effects of prescription and over-the-counter medications. St. John’s wort, for example, can reduce the effectiveness of certain medicines, including some used for heart disease, depression, seizures, organ transplantation, and birth control. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends discussing supplements with a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional because interactions can sometimes be serious.
The simplest approach is to treat every herb and supplement as part of your healthcare record. Before an appointment, gather the bottles or take clear photographs of the front and back labels. Include vitamins, minerals, herbal teas used medicinally, powders, tinctures, traditional formulas, and products taken only occasionally. The exact brand and ingredient list are useful because two products with similar names may contain different substances or amounts.
Tell the doctor how much you take, how often you take it, why you use it, and who recommended it. If it is a Chinese herbal formula, provide its Chinese and English names if possible, along with a complete ingredient list. Saying “I take Chinese herbs” does not give the physician enough information to evaluate possible interactions.
Timing is especially important before surgery, dental procedures, or medical testing. Certain supplements may affect bleeding, sedation, blood pressure, or laboratory results. Do not stop a prescribed medication or begin or discontinue an herb solely on general advice found online. Ask the physician, surgeon, anesthesiologist, or pharmacist what should be continued and what should be paused.
The conversation should not feel like a confession. You are not asking permission to have an interest in complementary medicine. You are giving your healthcare provider information needed to make safer decisions. A useful opening might be, “I use several herbs and supplements and want to be sure they do not interfere with my medications or upcoming treatment.”
Your doctor may not be familiar with every traditional formula. That is understandable. Pharmacists are often particularly helpful with medication interactions, and a qualified herbal practitioner may be able to provide more complete product information. Ideally, each practitioner should know what the others have prescribed.
Patients also deserve respectful communication. A physician should not dismiss a product merely because it is unfamiliar, but neither should an herbal practitioner claim that “natural” means completely safe. Both attitudes interfere with responsible complementary care.
The goal is not to make your doctor an expert in every healing tradition. It is to make sure that everyone involved has the same information. Complementary medicine works best when treatments are not hidden in separate worlds, but considered together as parts of one person’s care.
Sources: FDA guidance on dietary supplements, FDA guidance on medication and supplement interactions.
