กรุงเทพฯ--21 พ.ย.--PR STORY
Several years ago, vitamins, minerals, herbs and dietary supplements are very popular, many persons have used them for the beauty but some person have used them for the healthcare. For purchasing of these products, most of them will purchase the products at the pharmacy. Therefore, the pharmacist has the important role to give a suggestion of its use in the right way. Recently, Blackmores Institute, Head Office, Australia has joined with College of Pharmacy, Rangsit University, to hold the symposium "Complementary Medicine in Pharmacy Practice-Research Update & Application" to enhance the knowledge to the pharmacist and medical personnel in the field of Complementary Medicines for the correct use as well as to launch the Course of Complementary Medicines Education (CMEd) in the silver level.
Dr. Lesley Braun Director, Blackmores Institute, Head Office, Australia states that at present, the pharmacist has the important role to give the information on healthcare more and more, it is not only the matter of medicines because the people turn back to pay attention to the matter of healthcare more and more but many persons still have some suspicions of taking dietary supplements whether they will have the bad effect to the body or not. From collecting the information by Mayo Clinic in the year of 1998 to 2006, in the United States of America, more 80,000 patients had been found that taking some medicinal herbs has no bad effect to the body and the problem of the liver has not been found while taking paracetamol and antibiotic medicines will affect the liver, it has been found in the high level up to 5.7 cases per year that it is corresponding to the information in the United States of America, the problem of the liver has been found, it has been occurred from taking the medicines in the high level up to 20 cases per 100,000 patients and it depends on the differences of each person as well. In addition, the pharmacist will be always inquired that for having a good meal, it is possible for the body to obtain the sufficient nutrients but with the lifestyle of the people at present, having a meal to obtain the complete nutrients is difficult. From the information of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), they have suggested the people to take the vegetable and fruit for 400 grams per day but for the Thai people, it is found that the women have taken them in average for 283 grams per day and the men have taken them for 268 grams per day only. Besides, the cooking process may cause the loss of various vitamins, especially vitamin B, vitamin C, etc.
For this, the body that has obtained the insufficient nutrients may be from various causes whether from the behavior, medication for congenital disease cure or various situations, for example; drinking alcohol, the body will excrete various vitamins from the body more and more, the problem of vitamin deficiency may be occurred, the medication of hypertension may cause zinc deficiency, the patient who has taken an antacid medicine may cause magnesium deficiency. In addition, the pregnant woman will have some problems of iron, iodine and vitamin D deficiency that it will affect the development of an embryo of the infant as well as Thai children more than 50% still have the condition of calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A and C deficiency. Therefore, the pharmacist has the duty to create the knowledge and understanding for using health supplements in the right way to the consumers. This is because most of the persons who request for receiving a consultation require their healthcare exactly by studying the information from the internet or inquiring it from the surrounding persons that some deviation may be occurred. The role of pharmacist is therefore important for talking and inquiring the record thoroughly because the medicine of congenital disease in some types may be reacted with the nutrients but at the same time, some types of the nutrients will help to support the medicine function, for example; Coenzyme Q10 helps to enhance the efficiency of antihypertensive medicine and still helps to relieve migraine also.
"Blackmores Institute, it has been established as an independent agency, done the duty for developing the overview of health of the society to be better via taking of Complementary Medicines with quality, the institute will be the force of driving for research, giving the knowledge and giving a suggestion for the healthcare as well as passing on knowledge to the pharmacist and medical personnel through the arrangement of seminar and course of CMEd" Dr. Lesley states finally.
Dr. Anoma Charoensap, Education Manager, Blackmores Institute, Thailand, states that Blackmores Institute in Thailand has started to give the knowledge on medicinal herbs and complementary medicines three years ago by giving a cooperation with the leading university of the country to hold the symposium for the pharmacist and medical personnel. Because the result of surveying the educational requirement is found that the pharmacist requires having more knowledge on Complementary Medicines as the people are worried about their health, therefore require the dietary supplements, nutrition and more suggestion on healthcare.
Moreover, in the past year, Blackmores Institute has opened the Course of Complementary Medicines Education (CMEd) in the Bronze level to the pharmacist in order to enhance the knowledge on the use of vitamins, minerals, herbs, taking of Complementary Medicines jointly with the medication efficiently and safely as well as overall healthcare and at this time, it continues opening CMEd in the Silver level, it gives the knowledge in the profound type relating to taking of Complementary Medicines or nutrients linked to the diseases that the patients often come to ask for a consultation, such as; hypertension, high cholesterol, macular degeneration, etc. The pharmacist shall have the knowledge on Complementary Medicines which will help to support the medicine function more efficiently or reduce the problem the side effect from the medicine. In addition, the course of CMEd Silver is also emphasized on healthcare for the patients in various diseases, the goal of the course is to give the knowledge through the pharmacist and expect the Thai people to be better healthy.
Pharmacist Kittipat Thanaphadungkiat, one of the participants in the CMEd course , states that complementary medicines is very necessary to the pharmacists because now, if the pharmacist does not adjust themselves and only uses the original knowledge studied, They will give a consultation to the patients in one part only because at present, the people give an importance to the prevention of pathogenesis more than the treatment. Therefore, taking of complementary medicines can help for healthcare. Choosing to study this course is because it can enhance the knowledge. There are case studies raised by the actual service receivers who may jointly take the modern medicine, it can be applied to oneself in giving a suggestion of using vitamins or dietary supplements more safely.