[marianne237]

In discussion with friends, it was noted that a herbalist doctor is in the area.

Has anyone ever used a Chinese herbalist doctor? If so, how were you examined and how were you treated with herbs?

Have read about these doctors, but just curious if anyone has experience they can share...good, bad, indifferent.

[Marilyn1009]

I have high blood pressure and I saw that a new doctor was offering the herbs but I have gone to Dr. Cheshire for years so I asked him as his degree from his boards is in Chinese herbology. He told me the reason he doesn't prescribe them is that they are completely unregulated. He works with many primary care doctors here and says he can't ethically give a patient Chinese herbs due to all the medications we take. He said the interactions are too risky and wouldn't want his patients to get ill. He said that if he gave me something for my blood pressure and he had to talk to my doctor it wouldn't do any of us any good to explain the herbs. He said that he could give me a pharmaceutical supplement if I was interested but wouldn't suggest it without me asking my primary care first. I didn't think it could be that terrible but then I looked up some stuff online and it was saying how they can be laced in pesticides and people could get very ill. Great Britain has banned them I read (although that was 2013). Even Cleveland Clinic said that although they are "testing" them they do not recommend them, especially the raw ones at this point. I suppose if you are curious it's worth a try but my primary care says that Dr. c is the only one he would recommend for anything alternative because he only does safe and scientific alternative medicine in the area when it came to aomething like my blood pressure. I don't want to wind up in a hospital not being able to tell someone what I was taking or where it came from but that's just me.