Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 30, 2002
Do-it-yourself care healthy only with medical professionals
Beware of products touting 'new cures' and 'amazing results'
By Nancy Hartnagel
(CNS) — With so much health care information and so many health care products now available via the Internet and local drugstores, playing doctor is a tempting option for many of the 35 million U.S. citizens over age 65.
Most older Americans have at least one chronic health condition and many have multiple conditions, according to "A Profile of Older Americans: 2001," a report from the Administration on Aging of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Among the most frequently occurring are arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairments, heart disease, cataracts and orthopedic impairments. Most seniors also take one or more prescription drugs daily.
So, how much do-it-yourself care — for example, mixing herbal or dietary supplements or over-the-counter drugs with prescription drugs — is healthy for seniors?
Fortunately, there is plenty of medical advice available from trusted sources, much of it online.
The AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) has posted do-it-yourself health care information and links to other sites on its Web site (www.aarp.org).
Prominently displayed is a list of "nine symptoms NOT to treat yourself." The AARP advises seniors to "get to the doctor or an emergency room immediately" with any of these symptoms:
•A feeling of pressure or squeezing in your chest.
•Severe pain, especially in the head, chest or radiating down one arm.
•Blurred vision.
•Trouble talking or swallowing.
•Weakness or paralysis on one side.
•Dizziness and confusion.
•Blood in your urine or stool.
•Unrelieved depression.
•Shortness of breath, fever and/or cough with a yellow-green discharge.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers, on its Web site (www.fda.gov), tips for buying health products — whether diagnostic tests, contact lenses or prescription medicines — online.
The FDA advises against buying from foreign sites or sites that don't provide a U.S. address and phone number. It advises consumers to check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (www.nabp.net) "to determine whether a Web site is a licensed pharmacy in good standing."
The FDA warns against sites that advertise "new cures" for serious disorders or "amazing results" for specific products. "Be careful of sites that use impressive-sounding terminology to disguise a lack of good science or those that claim the government, the medical profession or research scientists have conspired to suppress a product," it says.
The FDA also counsels consumers to talk to their health-care professionals before using any medications for the first time.
The Council on Family Health, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating consumers on health and safety issues, offers at its Web site (www.cfhinfo.org) two especially useful pages. One is an easy-to-print chart, "My Medicine Record."
The other contains "tips for seniors on safe medicine use." These include: reading all medicine labels and package inserts; using memory aids such as calendars and pill boxes; throwing out old or expired medicines at least once a year; and, talking to your doctor about every medicine taken.
Because of increased interest in a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches and therapies that are not in the mainstream, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was formed at the National Institutes of Health.
The center's Web site (www.nccam.nih .gov) provides information about complementary and alternative therapies, including directories of practitioners, and has links to other NIH sites. The center urges those considering a complementary or alternative therapy to assess the safety and effectiveness of the therapy and consider the quality and cost of the service delivery and the practitioner's expertise.
"Most importantly," the site says, "discuss all issues concerning treatments and therapies with your health-care provider, whether a physician or a practitioner of CAM" or complementary and alternative medicine.
General information on medical conditions, treatments and drugs is available on several sites: the National Library of Medicine of NIH at www.nlm.nih.gov; HealthFinder, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at www.healthfinder.gov; and, Intellihealth, a subsidiary of Aetna, at www.intelihealth.com.
Another site, WebMD (www.webmd .com) offers information on 19 topics of interest to older adults under "Self-Care Adviser." These range from arthritis and depression to sleep and vision problems.
The American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) has information for its professional members and for seniors exploring self-care, including links to more than 80 other national aging and health-related organizations.
One brochure it offers online is "A Patient's Guide to Preventing Falls," which are the fifth leading cause of death in older persons. The brochure advises seniors to "tell your doctor" about any fall, trouble walking, weakness in the legs, use of any walking aid and vision or other medical problems.
The common and common-sense Rx for do-it-yourself care: Talk about it with your health-care professional.
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