The "traditional medical establishment" and those who manufacture or use dietary supplements, herbs and other "nontraditional" medicines sometimes draw a line in the sand, then stand toe-to-toe and makes faces at each other.
Not Gene Newsome. He stands on a bridge between the two approaches to health care and calls the view beautiful. A pharmacist for more than 30 years, he's also a practicing herbalist and one of the first pharmacists in the country to be recognized by the American Herbalist Guild, the culmination of a two-year process and 400 hours of supervised study. He believes that both traditional Western medicine and herbs and supplements, used properly, can promote health and healing.
Herbalism is not a licensed profession yet in America, though that may not be too far off. Being recognized by the guild is a form of peer review, promoted by those in the industry who want to keep educational standards and safety high, he said.
Patients are cautioned to tell their pharmacists what medications they are taking, including herbs, natural supplements and over-the-counter medications. Most people don't. But Newsome's customers know that he takes supplements seriously; they tell him all sorts of things.
"I think sometimes they won't tell the doctor they're taking herbals. That's a mistake. Occasionally, there are drug interactions. And I think some members of the medical community have a bias against herbals."
He defines "herbals" as "mainly biologicals, plants and animals used as dietary supplements that have had a positive effect on the body."
Central Chi, a Chinese patent medicine, for instance, gives the body more energy. "The ancient Chinese found harmony between the organs, which they tried to put in proper balance. It was rudimentary. If (someone was) too hot, like a fever, giving cooling herbs. Someone with low back pain, cold all the time, they might give a yang tonic, which tends to be building."
The ancient Chinese, he said, didn't dissect people but were "very much empirical observers."
Most herbals are tolerated well, but the most common side effect is an upset stomach, Newsome said. And "herbals only work with some lifestyle changes. It's not fast. If you want a quick fix, use Western medicine. Get a prescription."
General good health requires a bunch of different things, he said. Exercise. Healthy lifestyle changes. Diet is incredibly important. Often, "foods do the job, kill two birds with one stone." Sometimes, only a trip to a doctor will do.
As a pharmacist, Newsome works for Harmons. As an herbalist, he does consultations with Dr. Bryan Turner, who sometimes recommends supplements and herbal combinations for his patients.
Because herbals and supplements are not regulated the same way prescription and other medications are, they are more readily available. But it's not legal to claim they "cure" specific conditions, since they usually haven't been subjected to the same level of testing.
It's a good thing that supplements and herbals do offer health benefits in specific instances, Newsome said, because they are, for the most part, inexpensive, especially compared to the cost of some prescription medications. "Here in the pharmacy business, I see the price of stuff. It can be high. If you don't have insurance, you've had it."
He quotes Genesis, in the Bible, where it says that grains and herbs were given for mankind.
And he continues to study. Right now he's in a doctorate program in holistic nutrition. He has mentors. And he does a bit of mentoring himself, participating in a regular lecture series at various Harmons Whole Health stores.
His own lifestyle changes have been pretty basic. His diet is mostly plant-based, with plenty of fish, too. He cooks with spices like turmeric, which he believes have health benefits. And he tries to stay away from ice cream, "but I do indulge. It's high in fat, sugar, congesting. It's one of the worst foods there is. And I love it; it's so good."
E-mail: lois@desnews.com