My spouse was prescribed by his family physician to supplement with garlic nearly every day as a cardiovascular health tonic (he is fairly healthy although had bordering high LDL cholesteral levels & heart disease runs in his family). The problem is that creates a lot of heat in his stomach and causes headaches (forehead) that last the whole day. He is very prone to phlegm symptoms anyway and I don't think this is helping. Could he perhaps substitute something else for the garlic?
Thank you.
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
There are many things he can do but the main problem with these generalized approaches of individual herbs/supplements is that they are not catered to the individual the way properly prescribed Chinese Herbal Medicine formulas would be. While garlic -can- be useful in some cases it is just one part of a problem overall and may, as you are finding, cause other issues by itself. The best idea would be for your husband to see a full trained and licensed professional, get a precise diagnosis from a Chinese perspective and then use acupuncture, qi gong, foods and herbal formulas, as appropriate, to resolve his health issues and health propensities in a systemic way.
Comment by Archived User
Thanks Chad. I have had no luck at all getting him to see someone. I see a acupuncturist regularly, but he feels it isn't for him. lol. Think he is stopping the garlic for a time now anyway. I just thought that perhaps this is something that you saw frequently, but I certainly get the "not one blanket cure for all western diagnoses" point you are speaking of.