Alternative medicine has become relatively popular in the recent years. While its effectiveness is often unconfirmed or proven to be insufficient, a great number of people risk their lives by using herbal remedies or other pseudoscientific solutions to their ailments. The patient in the case study is 48 years old and utilizes cassia cinnamon to treat her Type II Diabetes, as well as ginseng as a remedy for her memory issues. She is currently prescribed Aricept and Coumadin. This paper will provide a recommendation against the use of alternative remedies, describe the needed laboratory tests and provide alternatives to the prescribed medication.
The Use of Alternative Supplements
I do not recommend the use of the alternative supplements for type II diabetes or any issues with memory. Such conditions require interventions with treatments that have proven to be effective over the course of multiple clinical trials. Neither cassia cinnamon, nor ginseng is capable of reliably treat the patient. In addition, when ginseng is taken regularly it is capable of enabling of tumor development because of its stimulating effects on cells. The effects that cassia cinnamon provides on the body have no connection to any symptoms of diabetes, and although its continued use would not have any negative outcomes for the patient, it cannot be considered a proper treatment.
Laboratory Tests
Since the patient is diagnosed with type-II diabetes and it has been untreated for some time, it is important to check the sugar levels in the patient’s blood. Warfarin is a very powerful anticoagulant, and it is only prescribed in severe cases of blood coagulation. This is why a coagulogram needs to be done. It will show the international normalized ratio of prothrombin (Eapen et al., 2014). Aricept, also known as donepezil is prescribed as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. During the blood test, it is important to check the levels of vitamin B12 and thyroid function. These measures will help identify the presence of Alzheimer’s disease. Also, imaging tests such as the MRI scan of the patient’s head could provide additional information about their condition (Ihl et al., 2015).
Alternatives
The patient needs to follow the diet assigned to her levels of sugar, according to the type-II diabetes treatment guidelines. The blood sugar levels need to be measured before ingesting food two or three times a week. As a possible treatment for the patient’s diabetes, Metformin may be prescribed. The dosage depends on of the glucose levels and the body weight of the patient. Depending on the dosage, it has to be taken once or twice a day. The dosage ranges from 850 mg to 2500 mg a day.
If the lab tests show that Warfarin is not required, it could be replaced with such medication as Cardio Aspirin from 50 mg to 100 mg a day. It is not an anticoagulant but an anti-aggregate which prevents blood clots.
Conclusion
The alternative supplements that the patient utilized cannot be considerate an effective treatment of their conditions and their use should be stopped immediately. Continued use of such treatments could lead to the development of further issues. Blood and imaging tests for the existing conditions should be done to determine if the lack of proper medication led to further deterioration of the patient’s health. Alternative measures should be taken as needed.
References
Eapen, Z. J., Grau-Sepulveda, M. V., Fonarow, G. C., Heidenreich, P. A., Peterson, E. D., & Hernandez, A. F. (2014). Prescribing warfarin at discharge for heart failure patients: Findings from the get with the guidelines-heart failure registry. International Journal of Cardiology, 172(2), 322–323.
Ihl, R., Bunevicius, R., Frölich, L., Winblad, B., Schneider, L. S., Dubois, B., … Dementia, W. T. F. on. (2015). World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of dementias in primary care. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 19(1), 2–7.