Herbal Doctors
Herbal supplements are
now entering mainstream medical practice,
with one in three primary care doctors
recommending them to patients at least
weekly, most frequently for people with
mood and emotional complaints, according
to a national survey released by Bruskin
& Goldring Research.
Doctors also practice
what they preach, with the survey showing
that one in four doctors personally
consume herbal supplements. The herbal
supplement doctors find most useful and
effective is St. John's Wort (27
percent), which helps provide emotional
balance, followed by ginkgo biloba (18
percent), which helps mental alertness.
"Primary care
physicians are not as resistant to herbal
supplements as some might think and, in
fact, are recommending herbs and using
them personally to a surprising
degree," said Derrick DeSilva Jr.,
MD, a practicing internist who teaches at
JFK Medical Center in Edison, NJ, and is
author of Ask The Doctor: Herbs &
Supplements for Better Health
(Interweave Press 1997). The survey of
herbal attitudes among family
practitioners, general practitioners and
internists revealed that doctors most
frequently recommend herbs for people
seeking emotional balance (20 percent).
About as many doctors recommend herbal
supplements for fatigue and lack of
energy.
While patients seek
advice about herbal supplements more
frequently from younger doctors, it's the
older doctors who are more likely to
consume herbs themselves. Overall, 67
percent of patients ask doctors about
dietary supplements at least once a week,
with most questions directed at doctors
age 50 and under (73 percent vs. 60
percent over age 50).
At the same time, 28
percent of doctors personally use herbal
supplements, with higher use among
physicians over age 50 (35 percent vs. 20
percent age 50 and under). On average
these doctors have been using herbal
supplements for 5 years, and they are
most popular among family physicians (39
percent vs. 25 percent for general
practitioners vs. 18 percent for
internists).
Personal experience
with dietary supplements strongly
influences a doctor's willingness to
recommend them to patients. Overall, 33
percent of doctors recommended herbs to
their patients each week, with those who
use supplements themselves twice as
likely to suggest them for their patients
(57 percent vs. 23 percent who do not use
herbs themselves).
(From Bruskin/Goldring
Research)
FYI: Viagra,
African Style
If you are a man who
has not found glory with the American
male anti-impotency drug, Viagra, then
you should try the indigenous Zimbabwean
version, Vuka-vuka. The traditional
Zimbabwean herb is reputed to cure
impotence among men. Vuka-vuka, a Ndebele
term for "wake-up, wake up" is
currently the most popular and
top-selling drug in Bulawayo.
Users of the herb say
there is no American or European drug
that can beat it. Vuka-vuka is available
at a very cheap price at the local open
markets and in surgeries run by
traditional doctors (izinyanga). Most men
who used the herb said Americans should
forget about Viagra and come to Zimbabwe
where traditional healers will prescribe
them vuka-vuka.
"Vuka-vuka
performs wonders for men in bed. My
clients always come back to me saying
their batteries are now charging,"
said Vuka-vuka specialist, George Moyo.
Moyo's surgery in Tshabalala is always
full of clients who have become impotent.
According to Moyo, white people who have
not heard about vuka-vuka are not serious
about improving their sexual problems.
"If you drink
Vuka-vuka, it will keep you awake all
night. Ours is stronger than
Viagra," said Moyo, who is also the
chairman of the Matabeleland Cultural
Society, Vukani Mahlabezulu.
American tourists have
been flocking to Mr Moyo's house to buy
Vuka-vuka. The Americans say they saw a
Zimbabwean program about Vuka-vuka on CNN
two months ago. The program was filmed at
Mr Moyo's surgery in Tshabalala. The
Vuka-vuka program was screened more than
four times by CNN and became a hit with
Americans who started inquiring about Mr
Moyo and the Zimbabwean Vuka-Vuka
aphrodisiac. Vuka-vuka has been in
existence for many decades but the herb
only became popular after the
much-publicized Viagra.
At Makhokhoba market in
Bulawayo, herbalists who sell Vuka-vuka
have put up advertisements aimed at
attracting American tourists who visit
the township regularly. A bottled
concoction of Vuka-vuka costs $10.00,
compared with the single-pill price of $9
for Viagra. Moyo says he treats both men
and women when they have sexual problems
at home.
Those
who use Vuka-vuka say the drug has no
known side effects and is only needed to
be taken once for it to work for the
whole month. There are times however when
women complain about the excessive sexual
appetites displayed by husbands who drink
Vuka-vuka every week.
