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Most physicians are reluctant to recommend herbs and or vitamin supplements. However what is their personal consumption of these products.

An interesting study was published by the The Journal of Herbal Pharmacotherapy in 2006 (PubMed), on the use of herbs by health care professionals. Now this doesn’t necessarily apply to all such workers. The survey was for those with an interest in herbal therapies. These individuals who took the initiative to enroll in courses on herbs would be higher than the norm. However the number of these participants using herbs was extremely high and the breakdown was most interesting.

Results of the survey of 1249 health care professionals -
51% reported using an herb in the last week.

The breakdown –

• physician assistants or
• nurse practitioners (63%)
• clinical nurses (59%)
• HCP students (52%)
• physicians (48%)
• dietitians (40%)
• pharmacists (37%)

Common herbs taken were -

• green tea (24%)
• flax seed (18%)
• chamomile (11%)
• aloe vera (8%).

Factors associated with herb use among others included having increased knowledge of herbs and dietary supplements.

The impressive part is that knowledgeable health care workers including physicians take herbs even with the continual negative propaganda that spews forth from the Medical Establishment through the Major News Media backed by Federal Agencies and Big Pharma, that tries to paint such products as dangerous.

Cardiologists Take Vitamin E to Heart

Despite the scare that has been in the literature by the Medical Establishment that caused many people to stop taking Vitamin E, Cardiologists (heart doctors) continued to take Vitamin E for prevention. According to a 2001 American Journal of Cardiology survey almost 50% of these specialists take this supplement, more than double the general population. As reported in PRNewswire/ via NewsEdge Corporation-

“More cardiologists take antioxidant supplements than take aspirin as a preventive measure against heart attacks,” the Cornell publication noted, citing a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

“Among l8l doctors surveyed, 44 percent take Vitamin E, Vitamin C or beta- carotene (alone or in combination) while 42 percent take aspirin. About 28 percent take both
antioxidants and aspirin.

“Vitamin E was the most common antioxidant vitamin taken, most often at a daily dose of 400 IU (international units).”

Perhaps this is because they are aware of the properly done studies that showed the good results in prevention of heart attacks, like the study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients studied - “…39,910 U.S. male health professionals 40 to 75 years of age who were free of diagnosed coronary heart disease, diabetes,”

They achieved – “…lower risk of coronary disease among men with higher intakes of vitamin E…”

The results – “…provide evidence of an association between a high intake of vitamin E and a lower risk of coronary heart disease in men.”

What was surprising was that about 40% of Cardiologists recommend Vitamin E supplements, which is much higher than family physicians.

Many physicians may not say to take vitamins and or herbs but - Do As They Do, Not As They Say. Take supplements if you need them.