health experts recommend BREASTFEEDINGmothers
do notuse milk thistle or silymarin extract.
Milk thistle is available in dried plant form in
teas, and also in preparations of silymarin extract
in tablet form. People who are allergic to common
thistle, daisies, artichokes, or kiwi (all of which are
in the same plant family as milk thistle) should
not take milk thistle or silymarin in any form.
Milk thistle or silymarin extract may cause diges-
tive upset including NAUSEAand DIARRHEA. Because
of its enzymatic inhibitory actions, milk thistle
may interfere with INSULIN–GLUCOSEprocesses. Peo-
ple who have DIABETESshould consult with their
doctors before using milk thistle or silymarin.
MILK THISTLE (Silybum marianum)Uses Risks/Side Effects Interactions
CIRRHOSIS allergic reaction INSULINtherapy
chronic HEPATITIS digestive upset
mushroom
poisoning
DRUGpoisoning
See also HEPATOTOXINS.mind–body interactions Approaches of care that
engage the interrelationships between the mind
and the body for HEALINGand health. Healers have
known for centuries that the state of the mind
influences the condition of the body. Contempo-
rary physicians will not hesitate to say that the
patient’s attitude and outlook are at least as
important as any technology modern medicine
has to offer. Though the mind alone cannot pre-
vent or heal significant physical conditions such as
CANCERor CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE(CVD), an indi-
vidual’s mindset shapes the determination with
which he or she approaches treatment and treat-
ment’s ultimate success or failure.MIND–BODY THERAPIES
AROMATHERAPY ART THERAPY
BIOFEEDBACK CRANIOSACRAL MASSAGE
HYPNOSIS MASSAGE THERAPY
MEDITATION PRAYER AND SPIRITUALITY
REIKI TAI CHI
VISUALIZATION YOGAAt the most basic level, perceptions about
health, illness, and the success or failure of treat-
ment influence a person’s compliance with the
doctor’s recommendations from the taking of pre-
scription medications to lifestyle modifications
such as weight loss or SMOKING CESSATION. At a
more sophisticated level, clinical studies demon-
strate the ability of some people to consciously
alter body functions such as HEART RATEand BLOOD
PRESSURE through methods such as BIOFEEDBACK
and MEDITATION. Cancer treatment programs use
healing visualization, in which the person in treat-
ment meditates to visualize his or her cancer gone
and the body strong and healthy. Surgeons and
anesthesiologists often recommend visualization
before and after surgery, encouraging people to
“see” the surgery succeed and the body restore
itself to health.
See also BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION THERAPY; LIFESTYLE
AND HEALTH; ORNISH PROGRAM.90 Alternative and Complementary Approaches