Why Informed Consent is Important

If you've ever been prescribed drugs by a doctor for a medical condition and have picked up the prescription at the pharmacy, discarded the packaging and started taking the pills as recommended, all the while, never asking a single question about side effects or contraindications, never reading the package insert or the warning labels, I am here to ask you to consider evaluating your actions differently.

The truth of the matter is, this is human nature, to trust. We want to trust that our healthcare providers know what is best for us when we don't seem to know ourselves. This is the problem however; we don't know ourselves. We are putting the trust of our bodies into the hands of a virtual stranger. Perhaps our doctors are people we have known all our lives, but they have not had intimate experience with our bodies as we have, and while they are professionally trained, they do not know everything.

It is important to take back the knowledge of our bodies, to reclaim the intuitive wisdom of our ancestors and begin taking responsibility for what we ingest, put on our skin and use for therapeutic or medicinal purposes.

There have been over 420,000 recorded deaths related to prescription drug contraindications and possibly many more which have been undocumented. FDA does not regulate all pharmaceuticals that are placed on the market. Only a certain percentage of drugs are regulated prior to being placed for general use, the other percent is only regulated after it has gone to the public.

When we step into a doctor's office and are prescribed a pill, we must ask if there are common side effects, we must ask if there are alternatives, we must ask if the drug is absolutely necessary. We must be informed. Only then can we give consent to allow another person to guide us in our decision making.

This same philosophy holds true for herbalists. As an herbalist, I evaluate your health through a series of interview questions related to your health history, allergies, prescriptions, supplements, activity level, stress level, family and social life, and conduct a pulse test and tongue evaluation (the tongue is a mirror to health, as are the eyes). When I ultimately make recommendations on the herbs that can be incorporate into diet, the supplements and vitamins that can be taken, the foods that can be eaten and the activities that can improve health; I want you to ask me questions, I want you to read the literature on the subject, I want you to search the Internet. Because this is your health, not mine and you need to feel confident and comfortable, in case you do have an allergic reaction to something, that you have gone forward with all of the research possible and have an awareness of what you are putting in or on your body.

It's not always possible for either doctors or herbalists to know that a person is allergic to something until an allergy appears, in which case, you should discontinue use immediately. Unlike prescriptions however, herbs are generally safe and the side effects are very rare. Because I work primarily with pregnant mothers and children, I make it a point in my practice to use herbs that have no known toxicity.

Another reason that I feel informed consent is valuable is for our children's sake. When your child sees you being assertive and communicating your thoughts, desires, expectations and concerns to your healthcare practitioner, it empowers them to do the same. In this day when authoritarian rules seem to dominate free thought, it is important for our children to know they too have a voice. Because our children are people too, they deserve to be able to ask questions and feel validated in their communication with adults who are authority figures. When our children are given the opportunity to express their fears and concerns with support from us, their loved ones, we begin to cultivate in them the ability to stand up for themselves and be in their own power which develops strength, courage and leadership skills for the future.

While we can't always go the natural route for all of our healthcare needs, we can always ask questions in order to truly understand our choices, because choice is one of the most important assets we possess as individuals.