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An immune headline about a single herb does not tell you what a granule formula will do for you. Bring the article and your bottle details to talk it through at the Lane Cove clinic.

What lies behind the headline

A news story announcing that a herb influences immune cells can sound like a recommendation to buy it. Look more closely and the research may be a test-tube experiment, a study in mice, or work on one concentrated extract at a dose no one would take at home. Findings like these can be interesting, but they do not tell you what to take or what a product will do for you.

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, suggests treating such reports as a prompt for questions rather than a shopping list.

From a single herb to your bottle

Christine dispenses Chinese herbal medicine as granules in bottles. A study on one plant, prepared one way, may say little about a granule formula that combines several ingredients. When you discuss a headline, bring the exact name on your bottle and ask how, if at all, the research relates to that preparation.

Phrases such as immune support are far too vague to build a safe, individual plan around. The conversation is better centred on your health history, the medicines you take and why you are seeking care.

If you live with an ongoing condition, keep your GP and other doctors informed about any herbal product. Some can interact with prescribed medicines, including those that act on the immune system.

Looking after your prescription

Your bottle should come with its product name, written directions for measuring and storing it, a use-by date and a time to review the plan. Keep that paperwork with the original container. Contact Christine whenever another medicine is started, stopped or changed, and if a new symptom appears that you cannot explain, ask for advice before altering the amount yourself.

Talking it over in Lane Cove

If an article has caught your eye, print it or save the link and bring it to your appointment. Christine can help you work out what kind of study it describes and whether it has any bearing on your own care at the Lane Cove clinic.