Women who use herbal medicines, known as women’s health herbs, may be saving tens of thousands of U.S. dollars each year by avoiding the prescription drug and over-the-counter medicines that they would otherwise have to take, according to a study.
Researchers surveyed nearly 200 women who have been using herbal remedies since 2005, and found that nearly half of them have avoided taking prescription drugs such as the anti-depressant Prozac and the antidepressant Paxil, or about half of the women who take these drugs, according the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The study, which looked at the effectiveness of the herbal remedies, also found that the women did not use these medications regularly or for extended periods of time, even if they used them regularly.
“It’s really about the individual, and how the women use their health to manage their symptoms, not the prescription drugs that are available,” said lead author Dr. Lisa Fagan, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
“We know that women who are using herbal medicine are more likely to be able to manage chronic illness,” Fagan said.
“But we also know that they’re also more likely than women who aren’t using herbal medicines to be on a waiting list to get an additional medicine.”
The problem is that we have to make sure that women are getting these additional medicines, and that women don’t have to wait for an appointment with a doctor.
“The study examined prescriptions of Prozac, Paxil and other antidepressants from 2008 to 2016 for women ages 45 to 69 in Washington, Oregon and California.
The researchers compared the use of these medications with the use among women without health problems, those who used the remedies regularly and those who were on a wait list.
The women who used herbal remedies were significantly less likely to have taken prescription drugs, the study found.
The women who were not using these medications were more likely, on average, to use them once per month or less than women in the other groups.”
I think it’s a little bit of a surprise to hear that women with health problems are more at risk of having to use prescription drugs,” Fagin said.”
Dr. Steven Novella, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the results suggest that some women are using the herbs to manage symptoms.””
There is some evidence that women have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer, and there are some studies that show that when women are prescribed certain medications, they are more prone to having adverse health outcomes, including heart disease.”
Dr. Steven Novella, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the results suggest that some women are using the herbs to manage symptoms.
“This study is an important piece of the puzzle, and it adds to the growing body of evidence that herbal remedies may help women manage their health and their health care,” Novellas said.
Women who take the herbs may be taking more than one medication, he said, adding that there is evidence that this may not be the case.
The authors suggest that women should be aware that they are potentially taking more prescription drugs than women of the same age who are not using herbal therapies.
“Women who are taking the herbs have higher risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, and they have higher risks of having a higher rate of breast cancer, stroke, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and a higher incidence of cancer in the lung,” Fagen said.
A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the federal government, said that in general, herbal remedies are not covered by the Medicare prescription drug plan.
“Medicare reimburses a percentage of prescription drug costs and the same applies to women using herbal supplements,” said spokeswoman Karen DeAngelis.
The researchers are now conducting a follow-up study with more women, but they don’t know whether they will see similar results.