Discussing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) asthma treatments with your doctor is not easy but very important. Be prepared and make the most of the time you have with your healthcare provider. Consider these key points from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) about discussing alternative medicine treatments with your healthcare provider:
- Inform your health care provider of all the CAM practices you utilize.
- Be proactive. Your health care provider may not bring up your CAM use.
- Try to make the most of your CAM discussion. (More on this later on.)
Why Is Talking With My Provider About Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Important?
- Safety: Some alternative medicine treatments can effect conventional medical therapies and cause unintended side effects. Discussing alternative medicine use with your provider will help ensure safe care.
- Knowledge: Your healthcare provider can provide you with information regarding whether a particular a therapy may be helpful for your asthma and also suggest other sources of information.
- Gives Your Doctor/Provider a Complete Picture: Your health care provider wants to help you manage your asthma and providing him/her a complete depiction of all you do to manage your asthma makes them a fully informed partner.
Make Sure All Your Providers Are Informed
Bring a medication/treatment list with you to every healthcare visit, not just for your asthma. Or even better, bring the actual medications including all of your prescriptions, over-the-counter and CAM therapies every time you visit a healthcare professional. Make sure you discuss all CAM therapies and treatments with your health care provider and include CAM therapies and treatments on any forms you may fill out at your healthcare provider’s office.
Be Proactive With Your HealthCare Provider
Complementary and alternative medicine is just making its way into the U.S. medical school curriculum. Many physicians do not have a significant experience with complementary and alternative medicine treatment and may not even bring it up despite its common use in asthma. Bring up the conversation with something like “I am considering using Ma-Huang to improve my asthma. What do you think and will it affect the treatment I get from you?” The NCCAM also suggests you might also consider discussing the following topics related to CAM therapy:
- Why you want to use this CAM therapy
- How you found out about it
- Is it safe for me to take/ use? Will it interact with any of my medications?
- Is it likely to help me?
- What else should I know about it? Where can I find more information?
- Should I try this therapy or treatment? If not, why not? Would another therapy or treatment be better?
Make the Most of Your CAM Discussion
The following tips will help you get the most out of the time you spend discussing CAM with your provider:
- Print out and bring CAM information for your provider so you can refer to it and your provider can help you evaluate it.
- Write down specific questions.
- Ask questions to improve communication with your provider.
- Ask a friend or family member to attend your visit and compare what you understood after the visit.
- Take notes during your discussion with your provider.
Sources:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Consumer Information. Accessed February 20, 2009. Tell Your Health Care Provider About Your Use Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine.
