Question

How does the FDA regulate complementary and alternative medications (herbals and dietary supplements, not therapies like acupuncture, aromatherapy or magnetic therapy)? Some patients are hesitant to divulge their use of alternative medications to health care practitioners. How would you ask a patient about their use of alternative medications? If a patient does divulge their use of alternative medications, how would you react? What are your opinions of alternative medications?

Answer 1

All the drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. Drugs should prove for the safe and effective usage before coming to the market. The dietary supplements are not considered as drugs and they will not undergo safe and effective methods. The FDA must approve the drugs after the clinical trial. The approval process of FDA is based on the condition of the drug, side effects of the drug, contraindication, interaction of the drug, package, dose, route etc.

The dietary supplements come under the category of the food substance. The FDA approves the supplements if all the ingredients are safe to use. The FDA has the authority to stop the supplements if they found the health risks or side effects on persons due to that particular supplements.

while collecting medical history from the patient, the nurse must also ask about the diet, lifestyle habits, alternative medicines. Nightingale pointed the importance of caring as a whole person to enhance the individual abilities through encouraged interventions. The Nurse plays a unique role in the implementation of alternative medicine in the healthcare system.

The American Holistic Nurses Association(AHNA) enhances the nurses to follow certain principles and techniques in the Complementary and Alternative medicine. The nurse must work for the benefit of the patient with the use of the complementary and alternative medicine within the scope of Nursing practice.