Natural Therapies
Dr. Cohen’s interest in natural therapies began early in his career. During President Nixon’s historic visit to China, a famous reporter, James Reston, developed appendicitis. The Chinese doctors used acupuncture anesthesia, and acupuncture became an overnight sensation in the United States. Soon after, Dr. Cohen was appointed as the Medical Director of the Acupuncture Research Project at UCLA, the first such project in America.
Two of the acupuncturists at this project were also herbalists, with whom Dr. Cohen had many conversations. He did plenty of reading. Interestingly, his experience at UCLA led to his interest in psychiatry. At the acupuncture clinic, he was responsible for in-depth interviews of all new patients. Some interviews were brief, but others took hours. Many of his patients had chronic pain syndromes. Their histories were complex and their feelings were deep. Some were brilliant. Others were famous celebrities.
Today, Dr. Cohen is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. His knowledge of medications, side effects, and natural non-drug therapies, and nutrition in the prevention and treatment of disease is unique. In the last decade, Dr. Cohen has written six books on medical issues, and each of them discussed non-drug natural therapies as an alternative to prescription drugs.
Dr. Cohen’s knowledge about natural therapies is broad. This allows Dr. Cohen to suggest the best methods and therapies from mainstream and alternative medicine. Here are some of the topics for which people seek Dr. Cohen’s input.
Natural Therapies for the Prevention of Heart Disease
Click here to read Dr. Cohen’s discussion of this topic.
Natural Therapies for High Blood Pressure
Fifty million Americans have high blood pressure (hypertension), and 90% of us will develop hypertension in our lifetimes. Hypertension is a devastating disease that causes hardening of the arteries, heart attacks and strokes. Many experts consider hypertension far more dangerous than high cholesterol. One of these experts is Dr. Cohen.
While many medications are available to combat this condition, these drugs come with many side effects. Side effects are the main reason that half of all hypertension patients discontinue treatment. Side effects can vary from dizziness, slow heart rate, cold hands and feet, and sexual dysfunctions. People call Dr. Cohen for his input of these and other side effects. They ask, “Is there a better medication regimen?” Quite often, Dr. Cohen can offer one.
In fact, there are many natural therapies that can help reduce high blood pressure. This may allow your primary doctor to reduce or discontinue your prescription drugs.
People also ask, “Are there other things I can do to bring my blood pressure down?” There are many things people can do to reduce their blood pressures. In fact, natural methods can be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing the risks that high blood pressure brings: heart attacks and strokes.
Natural Therapies for Migraine Headaches
Migraines are one of the most painful disorders suffered by humans. Indeed, the World Health Organization rates severe migraines as one of the most disabling chronic disorders in the world. Migraine headaches occur in all civilizations and existed at the dawn of recorded history. Today, 25 million American adults and children — 18.5 million women and 6.5 million men — suffer from migraine headaches.
In some people, prescription medications are very helpful in reducing migraine attacks, but they do not help or they cause intolerable side effects in others. Some popular anti-migraine drugs can actually increase your risk of heart attacks or arrhythmias.
Many migraine sufferers do not know that there are natural, non-drug supplements that can be quite effective for treating migraine headaches. Some of these supplements have been shown to be as effective, and safer and less expensive, as prescription drugs.
Anti-Inflammatory Medications (NSAIDs)
In his 2001 book, Over Dose: The Case Against the Drug Companies (Tarcher/Putnam), Dr. Cohen warned about the risks of the new, best-selling anti-inflammatory drugs such as Celebrex. A couple years later, Vioxx and Bextra were withdrawn from the market because of serious side effects, Celebrex was reduced to a third tier drug.
Today, we know that even Motrin (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen) and other NSAIDs have serious risks. People aren’t sure what to do when then need treatment for pain or arthritis. Because we now know that all NSAIDs can increase the risk of heart attacks, so it is imperative to use the safest drugs and doses. Dr. Cohen has published papers on how to use NSAID medications as safely as possible, and he is knowledgeable about the natural non-drug alternatives that can reduce pain and inflammation.
Cipro, Levaquin, and Other Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics
Click here to read Dr. Cohen’s discussion of this topic.
Multiple Medication Problems
One of the most frequent problems Dr. Cohen is asked about is the use of multiple medications in people, especially the elderly. At the heart of this problem is the failure of a person’s doctors to communicate with each other. No doctor takes control of the situation, and drugs are prescribed without any consideration of the many medications the patient is already taking.
This situation is known as “the prescribing cascade,” and it can be very harmful, even lethal. Over the years, many people have told Dr. Cohen that their elderly parents did not die from their maladies, but from their drugs.
In some cases using multiple medications may be unavoidable. Nevertheless, care must be taken to identify the drugs that may interact with one another. On request, Dr. Cohen is pleased to analyze a person’s medication regimen. He checks for drug interactions, identifies lower, safer doses than may be used, and if requested, he will speak to the doctors involved.
Dr. Cohen’s books on natural therapies:
What You Need to Know about Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives.
The Magnesium Solution for High Blood Pressure. How to Use Magnesium to Help Prevent & Relieve Hypertension Naturally.
The Magnesium Solution for Migraine Headaches. How to Use Magnesium to Help Prevent & Relieve Migraine and Cluster Headaches Naturally.
View all of Dr. Cohen’s medical articles, consumer publications, and presentations.
NOTE TO READERS: The purpose of this E-Letter is solely informational and educational. The information herein should not be considered to be a substitute for the direct medical advice of your doctor, nor is it meant to encourage the diagnosis or treatment of any illness, disease, or other medical problem by laypersons. If you are under a physician’s care for any condition, he or she can advise you whether the information in this E-Letter is suitable for you. Readers should not make any changes in drugs, doses, or any other aspects of their medical treatment unless specifically directed to do so by their own doctors.
Category: Articles and Reports