SGGP
Although the health authorities have recommended that the use of roots, tubers, and leaves to treat diseases requires specific instructions, many people still listen to word of mouth and rush to find herbal medicines. In fact, the widespread use of these medicines poses many potential health risks. SGGP readers have spoken out about this.
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| A case of herbal medicine poisoning is being actively treated at the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital. |
Dangerous complications
The Central Dermatology Hospital has just admitted a child (8 months old) with peeling skin on his head and face due to severe atopic dermatitis and scalp dermatitis after his family bathed him in herbal water. Doctor Nguyen Thuy Linh, Deputy Head of the Department of Dermatology for Women and Children, Central Dermatology Hospital, said that atopic dermatitis is usually detected when the child is about 3 months old or older.
Although not life-threatening, if not treated and cared for properly, it can lead to complications such as skin infections, viral infections, ulcers, rashes, etc., affecting the patient's quality of life.
Many people with atopic dermatitis or skin diseases have used folk remedies on their own, or listened to word of mouth, using leaves with cooling properties to bathe and apply with the hope of reducing itching, prickly heat, and acne, but in reality the results are not as expected.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thuy Linh, 70%-80% of patients who come to see a doctor for skin diseases have used some types of leaves for poultices and baths. Some patients use them for a long time even though their condition does not improve. Dr. Nguyen Thuy Linh warns that many types of leaves contain pesticide residues, dust, and bacteria that make skin lesions more serious, causing secondary infections, even blood poisoning, which is life-threatening.
Doctors at the National Children's Hospital also regularly receive and treat many children with chickenpox, but their families buy herbal medicine leaves to boil and bathe their children, causing the rash to blister and ooze, leading to skin infections, causing a situation of "on top of one disease".
Doctor Do Thien Hai, Deputy Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases, National Children's Hospital, said that chickenpox is a viral infection that causes moderate skin damage, but because the family did not handle it properly, boiling leaves to bathe the child, it made the skin damage worse.
Complex treatment
Not only children but also many adults suffer from harmful health reactions when using herbal medicines and herbal medicines on their own. The Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Bai Chay Hospital, Quang Ninh has just received and treated patient VTC (60 years old, in Dam Ha district, Quang Ninh) who had acute hepatitis after using herbal medicine to treat gastritis.
After using herbal medicine of unknown origin for about a month, the patient experienced symptoms of nausea, vomiting, right lower quadrant abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and progressive jaundice. After being hospitalized, doctors examined and tested the patient C.'s liver enzyme index, which was dozens of times higher than normal.
According to some medical experts, using herbal medicine and herbal medicine to treat diseases is often more complicated than using modern medicine, because these herbs not only contain the main medicinal ingredient but also many other substances, even impurities that are difficult to detect, so when users have a reaction or poisoning, treatment will be very difficult because it is difficult to determine exactly which substance caused the reaction.
Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that in principle, all medicines, regardless of whether they are modern or traditional medicines, can have unwanted side effects, and can even cause poisoning with serious consequences. Therefore, people need to be extremely vigilant against advertisements, invitations, or word of mouth advice about the healing and disease prevention effects of medicines and herbs of unknown origin.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hoang Khanh Toan, former Head of the Department of Traditional Medicine, 108 Central Military Hospital, said that usually, allergies or poisoning from herbal medicines occur late, after a few weeks of use, and this condition is often more severe than the consequences of using other drugs because it also causes damage to internal organs.
To prevent dangerous reactions from using herbal medicine, patients need to strictly follow the doctor's instructions, not arbitrarily use it without a prescription, not arbitrarily increase the dose or prolong the use period.
Some simple folk remedies and remedies can be used by oneself, but it is best to have full advice from a medical specialist.
When using, if you see any unusual signs, stop taking the drug immediately and notify your doctor for timely treatment.
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