Medical Opinion by John F. Ruhland, N.D.

Dear Dr. John,

What herbs can be used as alternatives to "the pill"?

Tremendous amounts of money are spent convincing women to use artificial hormone therapy for most of their lives. Drug companies have propaganda to promote their drugs during reproductive years, around menopause, and after menopause. Artificial estrogens--such as birth control pills--can cause liver problems, so people taking them should, at the very least, provide support for their liver. There are natural hormones which are much safer and do not require abusing young horses to produce. There are more natural approaches to hormone replacement.

As a Naturopath, my goal is to empower people to take control of their health and their lives. Control of pregnancy is important. Surprisingly, most people do not research the alternatives, but listen to their physicians who have a pill "for everything that ails you." I would encourage women, as well as men, to commit to spending time in order to study this important subject. There are several books on natural family planning available through the Bastyr University Bookstore, through Left Bank Books in Pike Place Market, and at the library.

I think the best choices for birth control include fertility awareness, condoms, and cervical caps. Herbs are not my first choice, but can be used for three purposes: to decrease fertility, to prevent pregnancy, or to cause an abortion. If a person takes herbs for birth control and still gets pregnant, it is very important to consult a professional who is knowledgeable about herbs. Many practitioners giving advice on the subject will require a woman to agree to having an abortion if pregnancy develops while using herbs in this way, especially when herbs are used that can hurt the fetus. Having said this, realize that MD's are putting pregnant women who test HIV positive on AZT because they think this will decrease the possibility of vertical transmission of AIDS (from mother to child), even though AZT is one of the most toxic drugs ever created, orders of magnitude more poisonous than any herb I can think of.

Note: the information below is only an overview, and is for your information only. Some of these medicinal plants are toxic, even in low doses, and some have been used to cause permanent sterility. Please do not use these without thoroughly researching their uses and getting professional advice.

a. herbs that may decrease fertility: wild carrot seeds, thistle

b. herbs that may help to prevent pregnancy: emenagogues (herbs which bring on menstrual flow)/uterine stimulants including: yarrow, angelica, wormwood, mugwort, blue cohosh, black cohosh, myrrh, saffron, turmeric, hyssop, motherwort, horehound, nasturtium, catnip, parsley, rosemary, rue, tansy, cedar, vitex, ragweed

c. herbs that may cause an abortion are: cotton, blue cohosh, saffron, broom, rosemary, rue, tansy, cedar, pennyroyal, American mistletoe, milkweed

Dear Dr. John,

Obviously Viagra is not natural, but I wanted the Nature Doc's opinion if it is safe to take it.

NO, NO, NO. I predict that within about three years, we will have a tremendous increase in Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS) in the intestinal tract in people who use Viagra regularly. Just as nitrite inhalants (such as poppers--amyl and butyl nitrates) cause KS, Viagra may also. The mechanism of action for how these drugs cause KS is they prevent the breakdown of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a powerful oxidant that occurs naturally in the body in extremely small quantities. In larger quantities it causes cells to become oxidized, and KS results.

Dr. Ruhland is in private practice in Seward Park and in Beacon Hill, and can be reached at 206-723-4891. He is also featured in the Reappraising AIDS weekly television show. Call HEAL Seattle at 425-391-6910 for more information.