With nearly half of all people with diabetes reporting the use of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM), it is crucial for healthcare professionals to separate evidence-based potential from proven inefficacy or harm. These flashcards are designed to help you quickly recall the 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines regarding the efficacy, safety, and drug interactions of various natural health products (NHPs) and alternative modalities.
Key Topics Covered:
Efficacy Evidence: Distinguishing between NHPs with potential benefits (e.g., fenugreek, flaxseed) and those that have consistently failed to show benefit in large trials (e.g., cinnamon, chromium, vitamin D)
Safety & Regulation: Understanding the risks of contamination and the importance of recommending only products with a Natural Product Number (NPN).
Drug-Herb Interactions: Identifying critical interactions, such as St. John’s Wort inducing CYP3A4 and reducing the efficacy of statins and other medications.
Adverse Effects: Recalling specific risks, such as the abortifacient properties of bitter melon or the hypoglycemic risk of products adulterated with glyburide.
Mind-Body Therapies: Reviewing the evidence for yoga and other modalities in improving glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors .