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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
Integrating Naturopathic Care and Western Medicine: Managing Your Prescriptions

Integrating Naturopathic Care and Western Medicine: Managing Your Prescriptions

Here at Richmond Natural Medicine, we see many patients that are under the care of an MD, PCP, pediatrician, or specialist, in addition to the care they receive from their naturopathic doctor (ND). Each patient’s needs are unique to them, and having a strong, well-rounded team of practitioners is something that our NDs strongly encourage.

Embracing this comprehensive team approach means that many of our patients are also taking prescription drugs, either temporarily or permanently as part of their long-term care. It is important that your naturopathic doctor is fully informed about any prescription medications you are currently taking so they can make appropriate recommendations when developing your care plan. When you incorporate a naturopathic approach into your health care team, you can rest assured that your naturopathic doctor will be capable of working with your medical team, your current prescriptions and supplements, and your own personal health goals.

Your naturopathic doctor will never work to remove or replace prescription medications from your health plan unless you express that as your goal, and they confirm that it can be done safely and effectively with the oversight of your prescribing MD.

Can I continue taking my prescription medications while seeing a naturopathic doctor?

Absolutely. Licensed naturopathic doctors are well versed in the use of prescription medications alongside any recommended herbs, supplements, homeopathics, dietary suggestions, and lifestyle adjustments. In licensed states where NDs have a wider scope of practice, they can even prescribe medications themselves, if necessary. Your naturopathic doctor can help manage or reduce any side effects caused by prescription medications through appropriate modalities such as herbal formulas or homeopathic remedies. This can be common practice for patients with autoimmune disease, pain, cancer, or other chronic conditions where some prescriptions may be necessary for their health recovery, but cause unwanted side effects.

Your naturopathic doctor will never ask you to choose between one type of medicine or another. Instead, your naturopathic doctor will work seamlessly alongside other members of your health care team to provide you with the comprehensive support and education you need in your health journey.

Read More: A Naturopathic Approach to High Blood Pressure

Will the recommendations of my naturopathic doctor interact with my medications?

No. Naturopathic doctors are trained to understand the interactions between drug therapy and natural non-toxic therapies. They have a firm grasp on the intricacies, interactions, and possible contraindications of drug therapy, herbal medicine, and nutrition. In addition, naturopathic doctors consistently remain up-to-date on the newest research related to possible drug interactions or nutritional deficiencies that can manifest when a new drug appears on the market.

Read More: Healing Autoimmune Conditions Through Naturopathic Care

My doctor has concerns and reservations about taking natural supplements with my prescriptions. How should I proceed?

One of the strengths of a naturopathic doctor is their ability to confidently communicate information about your health with other medical practitioners and provide relevant research to support their recommendations. ND’s are also prepared to educate you and the other practitioners on your care team on the effects of herbs, homeopathic remedies, or supplements and how they may improve your current state of health.

Your naturopathic doctor, like any other medical practitioner, will make recommendations for your health using an evidence-based approach. These recommendations will vary, and often your ND will provide a few options for you to choose from. Their goal is always to educate you on any new or alternative approach that may improve an existing health condition or support your overall health.

Are you interested in incorporating naturopathic medicine into your healthcare team? Request an appointment with one of our naturopathic practitioners and begin your journey to comprehensive wellness with the support of our licensed ND’s.

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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
The Benefits & Cautions of Collagen Supplements: Animal-Based vs. Plant-Based

One of the most popular supplemental products on the market this year is collagen powder. Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the body, making up a large portion of our skin – over 70%. It is also present in our bones, tendons, and connective tissue. It is abundant in proline and glycine, two amino acids that support repair in our bones, tendons, and joints. Overall, collagen is required for maintaining our skin elasticity, moisture content, and overall youthfulness of skin tone, as well as providing thin protective barriers around some of our organs, including the kidneys.

As we age (and especially after menopause), we break down collagen more quickly, thus developing the appearance of drier skin, wrinkles, and less skin elasticity, along with weakened joint cartilage. This is a completely normal process, and not something that necessarily needs to be fixed by supplementing with collagen. However, collagen is also being studied for its clinical benefits in easing symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis, support in wound healing, and connective tissue health. Much of this clinical research is just emerging, and people today are most likely to supplement with collagen powders for the supposed “anti-aging” benefits for their skin.

Is collagen worth supplementing with, and if so, what are the real benefits?

The Benefits of Collagen

As mentioned above, our natural production of collagen is an essential protein that helps form connective tissue throughout the entire body – from the bones to the skin. It maintains our joint flexibility and skin elasticity. In addition, our regular internal supply of natural collagen promotes healthy, hydrated, smooth skin. The naturally occurring collagen protein is rather large, fibrous, and hard (1). For the most part, collagen proteins outside of the body are too large to be absorbed through the skin via topical products. Thus, there has been recent popularity in supplemental powdered collagen peptides that can be consumed orally. Collagen peptides are also known as hydrolyzed collagen peptides, meaning they have been broken down into smaller molecules making them more absorbable.

The touted benefits of supplemental collagen range from younger, firmer-looking skin, to extra hydrated and youthful skin tone and elasticity. Supplemental collagen can also be taken as a bioavailable dietary source of extra protein. Current research does support the following benefits of supplementing with collagen peptides:

  • Improved body composition and increased muscle strength when combined with resistance training (2).
  • Therapeutic dietary support in the management of osteoarthritis (3, 6).
  • Improving wound healing and skin aging (4).
  • Increasing skin elasticity, hydration, and dermal collagen density (4).
  • May reduce visible signs of skin aging (5).
  • May reduce activity-related joint pain in athletes (7).

More research is still needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of long term supplemental collagen use. These initial studies are promising, and overall it is becoming easier to consume extra collagen through our diets and via high-quality supplements.

Plant-based vs. Animal-based Collagen

One of the most common forms of dietary and supplemental collagen is from animal sources, specifically the hides and connective tissue in cows, which are usually discarded in the meat industry but are now being “upcycled” into collagen supplements. Collagen may also be sourced from fish. Animal-based collagen supplements closely mimic the structure and bioavailability of our own and are effective in “replacing” collagen in our own body. And, just like anything coming from the meat industry, it is susceptible to contamination from pesticides, herbicides, steroids, antibiotics, and glyphosates stored in the bones of conventionally-raised animals. However, the ease and bioavailable nature of high-quality animal-based collagen peptides make them the most common collagen available on the market today.

Plant-based collagen is a bit of a misnomer because plants do not specifically contain collagen. Some plants, however, do contain all the minerals and nutrients necessary to give our body the building blocks to make our own collagen. We require three things to make collagen from our diets: vitamin C, minerals, and complete proteins. Plants can provide some of these essential collagen-producing minerals, including silica, calcium, and magnesium, along with antioxidant-rich sources of vitamin C and proteins. The philosophy behind choosing a plant-based collagen supplement over an animal-based one is that plant-based collagen supplements encourage our bodies to continue producing our own internal supply of collagen, even as it decreases as we age.

Choosing the Right Collagen

When choosing an animal-derived collagen supplement look for brands that are USDA organic, non-GMO, cage-free, free-range, and antibiotic-free. Choose brands that are completely transparent about their collagen amino acid profile and specifically list proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. These are often the more expensive brands, but they’re worth it. Two high- quality brands of animal-derived collagen peptides include Vital Proteins and Physician’s Choice. If you’re opting for a plant-based collagen supplement, look for sustainability sourced plants and herbs with no added sugars or unnatural flavors. Two quality brands include Amazing Grass and Anima Mundi Herbals.

Research seems to show that supplementing with collagen powder can be supportive of many of our internal systems and for connective tissue generation. The quality of your collagen supplement is really what matters, and neither plant-based or animal-based sources are better than the other as long as quality and sourcing are taken into consideration.

Resources

Collagen Structure and Stability
Collagen Peptide Supplementation and Improved Muscle Tone
Effectiveness of Collagen Peptides in the Management of Osteoarthritis
Oral Collagen Supplementation & Dermatological Applications
Oral Supplementation of Collagen and Skin Aging
Collagen Supplements and Modulating Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Collagen Supplementation and Reduction of Joint Pain in Athletes

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By Richmond Natural Medicine
RNM Blog
How to Purchase Herbal Products and Supplements

When purchasing supplements and herbal products from the health food store, there is often a lot of uncertainty surrounding efficacy and potency (along with reputability of brands and standardization) that consumers face in the supplement aisles.

If you’ve been overwhelmed at the number of choices and ingredient lists of herbal or nutritional supplements, you’re not alone. Knowing which product to choose and which product to trust in terms of quality and potency is difficult, especially if you do not have an expert herbalist or naturopathic doctor recommending the product. The underlying reason for this is that the supplement industry is self regulated (meaning not overseen by the FDA), so the quality and potency standards for nutritional and herbal supplements has an enormous range. Everything from questionable sourcing and iffy ingredients all the way to the gold standard of good manufacturing practices and the highest quality products are sold in thousands of stores.

Testing herbal products and supplements for efficacy:

There was some uproar regarding this article from 2015. The NY attorney general had several random supplements taken from major retailers subjected to DNA barcoding methods to deduce what the contents of the herbal supplements actually were. Unsurprising to them, the tested herbal supplements contained little to no DNA of the actual marketed product, leading to a massive sales halt of many supplements and “buyer beware” tactics spread internet wide about the safety of herbal supplements due to lack of oversight and regulation.

But here’s the thing: DNA barcoding is not an appropriate or anywhere near accurate way of testing herbal products. Professional and expert herbalists know that DNA gets denatured or broken apart based on extraction methods such as alcohol (for tinctures), or grinding (for encapsulation). Most of the time the genomic material is not considered an active principle in the extract. The secondary metabolites produced by the plant are biologically active and what are extracted and used primarily as the medicine. Someone may be DNA barcoding an echinacea supplement that appears to have no full DNA sequences of echinacea, yet the entire supplement could in fact, still be echinacea and potent medicine. This is not an appropriate way to test herbal supplements.

Just because the FDA does not regulate or oversee the supplement industry doesn’t mean you need to run away from all of those products that say “…These statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration…” on the back of their label. On the contrary, lack of FDA regulation is a very good thing for all of the smaller companies that are doing it right and continue to manufacture high quality products. With FDA regulation comes an enormous amount of red tape and paperwork, quality testing, standardizations, tracking, and third party analysis. All of this is usually a good thing for monitoring good manufacturing practices and safety (minus the hefty stack of paperwork). However, small local companies are held to the same standards as multi million dollar companies, making it impossible for them to stay in business when the professional herbalists are having to invest tens of thousands of dollars trying to prove to the FDA (who are not experts in herbal medicine) that a dandelion is a dandelion.

So, without this current oversight, how does one know what herbal products and supplements to purchase and what is reputable?

  1. When purchasing herbal products, we would recommend purchasing from smaller companies that are certified organic (or very close), that really specialize in herbal products alone (not a bunch of other, foods, cosmetics or other products) and have legitimate third party research to back up their products. This specialization makes their products usually more specific, higher quality and well researched. We recommend Gaia Herbs, New Chapter, Herb Pharm, Oregon’s Wild Harvest, and Mountain Rose Herbs for excellent quality herbal supplements.
  2. When purchasing fish oils, make sure they are always tested for heavy metals and go through the IFOS third-party testing. You can read further specifics about choosing a fish oil supplement from our previous blog post, Fish oils: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks.
  3. If you take supplements regularly or have been recommended a supplement by your doctor/health care provider to take long term, we would suggest shopping for supplements at a reputable store that actually has high standards about what they will carry. These stores usually have strict guidelines about what companies they will carry and what companies need to provide in order to be sold at their stores (like research-based evidence to back up claims, certified organic seals or non-GMO verification and absolutely no harmful filler ingredients). Typically these will be more expensive supplements and rightly so – the companies are investing in good quality raw materials, research and expert staff. You get what you pay for with nutritional and herbal supplements.

If you are looking for support in using supplements or re-evaluating your health goals, consider making an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors.

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