Patients use traditional medicine in no way
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital) was upset: For many years, the Poison Control Center has received many patients in critical condition: multiple organ failure, brain damage, deep coma, even death... just for arbitrarily using traditional medicine, mainly herbal medicine of unknown origin, for treatment.
Doctor Nguyen shared: There are no months when the Center has not received cases related to oriental medicine, mainly herbal medicine of unknown origin. As in the case of patient H.T.T (40 years old in Ha Giang) being treated in a coma and suffering from acute liver failure suspected to have been self-dermented online. After being admitted to the provincial hospital and diagnosed with liver coma, the patient was transferred to the Poison Control Center.
Previously, Ms. T.L.H (in Quoc Oai district, Hanoi) had a 7-year-old daughter who was often sick and had a persistent nasal and throat disease. After using an herbal medicine called " homeostasis and excretion" introduced as a family medicine, the child quickly recovered from the disease, slept well and gained weight and splashed mud after just over a month.
Suspecting the effectiveness was too rapid, Ms. H's cousin, a doctor, advised her to take the medicine for testing. The results from the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital made her dizzy: The package contains Phenacetin, paracetamol, Chlorphenamine and caffeine - Western medicine ingredients banned from mixing in general medicine.
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, test results show that the drug contains phenformin - an active ingredient that has been banned since the 1970s due to its high toxicity and risk of death.
Danger of uncontrolled oriental medicine
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen warned that the arbitrary purchase and use of traditional medicine of unknown origin, counterfeit, poor quality, not licensed by the Ministry of Health has caused many people to be poisoned, have liver failure, kidney failure, and even die. This situation has seriously affected the reputation of traditional medicine.
According to Master, Doctor Vu Van Dai - Department of Traditional Medicine - 108 Central Military Hospital, our ancestors have used traditional medicine - a natural solution, close to the body, many of which are both medicine and food. Although there are highly toxic medicinal herbs such as Am down, O Dau, Ba Bean... but if they are properly prepared and given the right dosage by genuine doctors, it will be safe and effective.
Worryingly, currently, for personal gain or lack of knowledge, many people have produced and sold Eastman medicine haphazardly, mixing new drugs of the steroid group, non-steroids to create quick results, deceiving patients. People easily believe in advertisements for "medicine to cure all diseases", willing to spend money to buy drugs with foreign prescriptions without knowing the ingredients and origin.
In particular, chronic patients such as bones and joints, diabetes, high blood pressure... who are afraid of taking new drugs for a long time often believe that traditional medicine is safer. Many people who have not examined have rushed to bet their health on floating products with uncertain ingredients.
Strict traditional medicine needs to be formulated and used according to the principle of " thesis therapy" - that is, based on the specific condition of each patient to reduce the prescription. There is no medicine that "cures all diseases" as advertised. Arbitrarily using drugs of unknown origin is a risk of life with unpredictable luck.
MSc. Dr. Vu Van Dai gave the consequences of traditional medicine that are not guaranteed such as the risk of poisoning: Floating traditional medicine often mixes old banned Western medicine, contains corticoids that quickly relieve pain but cause osteoporosis, kidney failure, and cataracts. Poorly processed drugs such as lead, mercury, asen... accumulate in the long term, causing damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, and eyes.
Research by the Institute of Health Policy and Management shows that 73% of Vietnamese people have used traditional medicine, but only 34% buy it from reliable sources.Worryingly, up to 68% still believe that herbal medicine has absolutely no side effects.
To strengthen the management of the quality of medicinal herbs and traditional medicines, the Ministry of Health issued Circular 38/2021/TT-BYT dated December 31, 2021 specifically regulating quality requirements.
