The risk Self-Medication with Natural Medicine might present

Self-medication with natural medicine has increased significantly and might expose people to risks due to inappropriate use and drug interactions. Studies show that the users do not communicate with their doctor regarding their consumption which makes interactions more likely to occur. Why do users of natural medicine and their doctors not communicate about the use of natural products? Four natural medicine users and four doctors were interviewed and observations were made in a clinic. Among the reasons found for the lack of communication was the different perception of the term medicine. Also the users view on natural medicine as “harmless” made the communication seem pointless. Furthermore both parties had expectations of each other which got in the way of communicating about natural medicine and the lack of time influenced what the consultation dealt with and in regard to this natural medicine was not considered relevant. Communication about the consumption of natural medicine between doctor and patient is important in order to avoid interactions and other adverse effects wherefore initiatives need to be taken to prevent further problems.