Computers Selecting Medications: InteMedica Part Three

We’ve been considering the wisdom of using a computer to reach a diagnosis and recommend therapy. In this case, the computer is able to recommend only those products designed by InteMedica, the company that’s marketing the computer. We’ve looked at examples of how difficult it is even for medical professionals to diagnose and recommend therapy based on lab tests. First, we considered the Chihuahua Bella with an elevated BUN who did not, in fact, have kidney problems, and then, Baron, the cat with an elevated blood sugar who did not, in fact, have diabetes.

So, a major concern with the new InteMedica system is the wisdom of using a computer for diagnosis—given the potential for data misinterpretation. There are other, equally weighty, concerns. For example, should multiple Chinese herbal products be recommended for simultaneous use? During the InteMedica session in Miami last weekend, the computer indicated some patients needed three Chinese herbal products, one for the gut, one for the liver, and one for the kidney. Has research been conducted on the safety of using these herbal products simultaneously?

The simultaneous use of multiple herbal products would not be recommended by many practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medication (TCM). Instead, these practitioners prefer to use one herbal therapy that addresses multiple problems. The Oriental system of diagnosis leads to diagnosing multiple problems, say with the gut, liver, and kidney, as having a central underlying cause. Herbs are chosen to address that cause. If the patient’s symptoms are extremely severe, herbs are chosen to address the symptoms first, then to switch to herbs that address the cause.

TCM practitioners are confident of their herbal prescriptions because they are based on hundreds of years of research. The TCM system, as it’s meant to be practiced, is so refined that throwing in another herbal remedy or two is more likely to knock it out of balance than it is to perfect it.

We’ll continue to explore the InteMedica system in tomorrow’s blog. In the meantime, if you need a proven system of treatment, visit your holistic veterinarian. If you don’t have one, a search function that allows you to find one close to you is available at the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association website: www.ahvma.org.