by Lorodz

Updated Jun 27, 2008 at 11:50 PM by Lorodz

Guys please advice me on what to follow, some information contradicts one another. Whats more disturbing is that when i further searched online, it refuted the claims of this book it said that there is no scientific conclusions.

The herbal Plant is
Echinacea book says it stimulates the immune system but online its a different story

Quote:

"Popular belief and traditional use

Echinacea is popularly believed to be an immunostimulator, stimulating the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections. A common reference source for believers is a 2007 meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases[7]; however, this study fails to indicate important confounding factors that could drive the reported conclusion. The studies pooled in the meta-analysis used different types of echinacea, different parts of the plant, and various dosages. This review cannot inform recommendations on the efficacy of any particular type of echinacea, dosage, or treatment regimen. The safety of echinacea under long-term use is also unknown."

-wikipedia

thanks

Re: Herbal Meds

I think that you should probably remember that some patients may take it to stimulate their immune systems. They won't ask you to cite any studies about its efficacy.

Re: Herbal Meds

Hi....just wanted to let you know that wikipedia cannot be trusted with truth facts or any facts...(As I'm sure that there are other sites too) My oldest daughter was told by her teacher that she was not allowed to cite any info off of that website...because you cannot trust them. Actually I wanted to find out if other teachers felt the same way or if it was just this one teacher in particular and all of them in her middle school do not trust this site and won't allow them (student) to use it.

Re: Herbal Meds

wiki can be altered which I suppose is why teachers are reluctant to use them as references

Re: Herbal Meds

Originally Posted by Silverdragon102

wiki can be altered which I suppose is why teachers are reluctant to use them as references

Absolutely and I was floored to read that nursing students were citing wiki on their papers also. My big thing with wiki is you don't know the author's qualifications etc. Hopefully the teacher taught them how to identify reputable sources like .org, .edu etc. because the internet is a great tool if used correctly.

Re: Herbal Meds

Yep - Wikipedia is off limits for references in my RN to BSN program. For all the reasons stated.

As to herbal remedy - I have read studies (not on Wiki) saying echinacea does not do what it is purported to do.



steph

Re: Herbal Meds

Agree, the internet has opened the way for better work and references without spending hours and hours searching the libraries. I personally would not use wiki as a reference but can help as a tool and point you in a direction you may not have thought off but where you can get more credible references

Re: Herbal Meds

Hey Lorodz~

Here is a thread that has excellent infomation on herbal medications and side effects, uses, etc.

http://allnurses.com/forums/f197/herbs-nclex-112037.html

Hope it helps!

Take care!