Traditional medicines vindicated by modern science

Not all medicines we take for granted today are derived from experimentation from a lab. Many of today’s over-the-counter and prescription medicines owe their existence primarily through renewed research on traditional medicines since the 19th and 20th Centuries.

A few of these traditional medicines and medical practices now found to be effective have become popular, enough to be adopted by major medical facilities or become household names.


Willow bark and aspirin

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Willow bark has been used in the temporary treatment of aches and pains since time immemorial. Cultures as far apart as the Ancient Greeks and the Native American peoples have used willow bark as a medical staple for much of their medical history. Willow bark is now known to contain salicylic acid, which is a precursor to aspirin.


Cinchona and Quinine

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First discovered by the Quechan people of Peru and later by Jesuit Missionaries, quinine is an anti-inflammatory drug taken from the bark of the cinchona tree. This drug is today used in the treatment of malaria and today is still used to treat people with malaria when more modern antimalarial drugs cannot be used, such as in pregnant women.


Acupuncture

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Acupuncture is a Chinese medical philosophy that involves curing ailments and relieving pain through the administering of needles to certain points in the body. It is now known to be surprisingly effective, though how it works is still poorly understood. It is currently being offered by respected mainstream medical centers for this reason.


Science has revealed time and again that not a few ancient medical practices such as these have a very real and positive effect on the human body. This has made many forms of traditional medicine worth a second look.



Dr. Rachna Mehra focuses on a number of medical treatments that rely on traditional and alternative methods. Visit this website for more information.

For speedy healing, athletes turn to PRP therapy

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times about several Dodgers players undergoing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has put the spotlight back again on its reported effectiveness in promoting healing for many sports-related injuries.

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The popularity of PRP therapy among athletes has escalated with news that high-profile players such as Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, and Kobe Bryant have opted for such treatment for their injuries. In 2008, elite golfer Woods underwent PRP injections for his knee surgery, the same treatment tennis champion Nadal received last year also for an ailing knee. Basketball superstar Bryant got PRP injection for an injured knee, too, back in 2011.

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For the case of the Dodgers, team physician Dr. Neal ElAttache has been prescribing PRP therapy to players for the last five seasons. The pro baseball team turns to PRP treatment for its players’ injuries, including partially torn elbow ligament and pulled groin muscle. The latest Dodgers player to have received PRP injections is pitcher Zack Greinke to temper inflammation for his sore right elbow.

PRP treatment involves taking blood from the patient, spinning it down to growth factor-rich platelets, and then injecting it back into the injured area. PRP has been used in musculoskeletal medicine as early as the 1990s, and in surgical and dental procedures since the 1980s. Recent research has revealed PRP’s potential for treating patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study, published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine notes how PRP treatment decreased pain, improved function, and delayed the progress of knee osteoarthritis in most of the surveyed patients.

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PRP therapy is one of the services offered by Dr. Rachna Mehra’s clinic. This website shares more information about PRP treatments.