personal statement question

[busyizzy]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey,

So if I am interested in studying alternative medicines that are not part of the normal curriculum - either on my own during pharmacy school or after pharmacy school to enhance my knowledge and to attempt to make certain types of alternative (not modern) medicine more widely available or such, would that be something I would include in my personal statement? Would it be looked upon negatively, as some people have biases that it's "old fashioned" or "does not work" or would it be seen as more proactive? Thanks!

 

[ret09]

Hey,

So if I am interested in studying alternative medicines that are not part of the normal curriculum - either on my own during pharmacy school or after pharmacy school to enhance my knowledge and to attempt to make certain types of alternative (not modern) medicine more widely available or such, would that be something I would include in my personal statement? Would it be looked upon negatively, as some people have biases that it's "old fashioned" or "does not work" or would it be seen as more proactive? Thanks!

I think you should keep that on the DL during your interviews. It all depends on what level of crazy are you taking this: by alternative medicines do you mean like fish oils (cause I'm down with that), or do you want to tell old people to swap their Viagra for tiger penis (you can see how this might not fly well during your interview). Major studies on most homeopathy are inconclusive/conflicting, and even though many pharmacists are atleast interested in learning more about homeopathy, just as many agree there isn't enough evidence on it, and are against even supporting it. You better make sure you know what your talking about if you bring it up.

Read this a couple of years back, not very helpful, but its a start:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1847554

 

[FarscapeGirl]

There's no such thing as alternative medicine. There's just medicine or quackery. And quackery is dangerous because it can harm (for example, Zicam) and also because people pursue it and don't get proper medical treatment they need (for example, the young teenager who wanted to treat his cancer just with 'alternative medicine').

If you are interested in learning about homeopathy, well, homeopathy is quackery. Plain and simple. Read this link from a Canadian pharmacist:
http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/the-cognitive-dissonance-of-homeopathy/

Some herbal medicines have been shown in scientific studies to be effective. If you are interested in learning about those, I'm sure there are several programs that have a class in herbal medicine. My program offers one. You may say you're interested in a program because they offer a class in herbal medicine and that you'd like to become educated in their potential benefits. But I wouldn't dwell on it too much. It should be a minor point in why you want to be a pharmacist.

 

[AKN16]

There's no such thing as alternative medicine. There's just medicine or quackery. And quackery is dangerous because it can harm (for example, Zicam) and also because people pursue it and don't get proper medical treatment they need (for example, the young teenager who wanted to treat his cancer just with 'alternative medicine').

If you are interested in learning about homeopathy, well, homeopathy is quackery. Plain and simple. Read this link from a Canadian pharmacist:
http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/the-cognitive-dissonance-of-homeopathy/

Some herbal medicines have been shown in scientific studies to be effective. If you are interested in learning about those, I'm sure there are several programs that have a class in herbal medicine. My program offers one. You may say you're interested in a program because they offer a class in herbal medicine and that you'd like to become educated in their potential benefits. But I wouldn't dwell on it too much. It should be a minor point in why you want to be a pharmacist.

What are you talking about? There are, and there have been, people who have been cured from various types of cancers and other ailments through different types of alternative treatments, not related to what's offered in western medicine...

 

[FarscapeGirl]

What are you talking about? There are, and there have been, people who have been cured from various types of cancers and other ailments through different types of alternative treatments, not related to what's offered in western medicine...

Such as? And please give me something besides anecdotal evidence.

 

[Jetninjin]

Such as? And please give me something besides anecdotal evidence.

I'll bite! Michael Blue, M.D.'s studies on d-Mannose as a cure and prevention for UTIs due to E. coli

 

[FarscapeGirl]

I'll bite! Michael Blue, M.D.'s studies on d-Mannose as a cure and prevention for UTIs due to E. coli

Have a reference for that? Was this done as a blind, controlled study?

 

[Jetninjin]

Have a reference for that? Was this done as a blind, controlled study?

You can Pubmed it as easy as I can =)

 

[FarscapeGirl]

You can Pubmed it as easy as I can =)

Already did. And I couldn't find anyone by that name.

I did find some sort of study under his name on a random web page, but I see no evidence of one in Pubmed.

If d-Mannose has been shown in a valid, peer-reviewed study to treat UTIs, then it is not alternative medicine. It is medicine.

 

[busyizzy]

I am interested in the traditional Asian medicines, specifically, Korean traditional medicine, which focuses on the use of herbs, as well as acupuncture and other things. It's not going to be the focus of my personal statement or my interviews, but it is a possible serious goal of mine in the future to have both a knowledge of modern medicine as well as traditional medicine, and thus can delegate whether the two will have negative reactions when used together, and other such decisions. I wanted to use this knowledge to help Koreans adapt to medicine in the states, as they are much more used to (and prone to the usage of) the traditional treatment, especially as many Koreans have trouble speaking English. As the personal statement mentions talking about the future and goals, I was wondering whether this was a valid point to bring up, or whether most pharmacists in the United States, including the pharmacists on the admissions committee, will look down on such "alternative" medicines. Should I leave out the part about studying other kinds of medicine and just focus on talking about my goal of working with immigrants?

For those people who believe it is "quackery," believe what you want. I admit a lot of things that are practiced under these types of medicine tend to be bull****, but I do believe that some other medicines are valid types and have a positive effect on the body. In fact, many Korean doctors and pharmacists practice traditional medicine in conjunction with modern medicine, and that is what I am thinking of aspiring to do. But I realize not everyone shares these views on the "alternative" medicines, and if most people are going to look down on this or if this is a bit of a sketchy ground (ie. similar to religion or whatever), then I was thinking perhaps it is better just to not go there. After all, I do not want to be rejected just because of this.

At the moment, I am thinking I should just avoid talking about it, as it seems easier than explaining it all. If anyone has anything else to say, it'd be appreciated! Thanks for your opinions thus far!

 

[ret09]

Already did. And I couldn't find anyone by that name.

I did find some sort of study under his name on a random web page, but I see no evidence of one in Pubmed.

If d-Mannose has been shown in a valid, peer-reviewed study to treat UTIs, then it is not alternative medicine. It is medicine.

Haha. Touche...

 

[ret09]

I hate to be a debby-downer, but you are going to have a tough time being taken seriously at any pharmacy school if you bring up "integrating pharmacy practice and oriental medicine". For the record, in this part of the world we call it naturopathic medicine (sounds a little less hocus-pocus I guess)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on naturopathic medicine (actually a strong proponent of some aspects of it. I work in a cancer hopsital and I've seen first hand the benefits of acupuncture on cancer patients, for example), but if this is something you want to pursue, why are you doing pharmacy school anyway? There are several schools of naturopathatic medicine in the US. You end up with an ND (or something like that) and you need to pass a standardized test to be accredited and to legally practice in the US. The one that immediately comes to mind is Bastyr in Seattle. I've met someone from Bastyr, its an incredibly rigorous 4 year program. They even have a residency in naturopathic medicine. Its totally hardcore.

No offense, but you are not going to be an expert in in naturopathic medicine just by being a pharmacist and picking up a few alternative medicine books from Barnes n' Noble. You should look into actual graduate programs in naturopathic medicine.

 

[Jetninjin]

If d-Mannose has been shown in a valid, peer-reviewed study to treat UTIs, then it is not alternative medicine. It is medicine.

You have to admit, that is rather a "heads I win, tails you lose" way to think of things

Here is the most recent study in Pubmed that followed up on Dr. Blue's work with d-Mannose. There are many others listed there, although he was the pioneer: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2323111&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract

 

[Jetninjin]

I hate to be a debby-downer, but you are going to have a tough time being taken seriously at any pharmacy school if you bring up "integrating pharmacy practice and oriental medicine". For the record, in this part of the world we call it naturopathic medicine (sounds a little less hocus-pocus I guess)

I am not disagreeing with your point, I just hate when medical professionals have that mindset. Here's the thing: for all that we might want to pish-posh natural remedies, they are *really* popular among the general public. By giving people a blanket "don't take herbs or do alternative things," all we do is drive patients to do their own research and do things on the sly without telling their docs and pharmacists. I know this firsthand, because I used to work at a natural medicine store and met hundreds of people who would go their behind their doc's backs because the docs just dismissed their questions about herbs out of hand. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face 👎

I think it's unfortunate that so many medical professionals don't want to study herbs --- clearly, a lot of patients disagree. So we can be "right" on the issue til we're blue in the face -- but patients aren't getting the info they need, and they are putting themselves at risk as a result because we willfully are not helping them with anything else other than blanket admonitions to not step outside the box.

 

[MustLoveDrugs]

I hate to be a debby-downer, but you are going to have a tough time being taken seriously at any pharmacy school if you bring up "integrating pharmacy practice and oriental medicine". For the record, in this part of the world we call it naturopathic medicine (sounds a little less hocus-pocus I guess)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on naturopathic medicine (actually a strong proponent of some aspects of it. I work in a cancer hopsital and I've seen first hand the benefits of acupuncture on cancer patients, for example), but if this is something you want to pursue, why are you doing pharmacy school anyway? There are several schools of naturopathatic medicine in the US. You end up with an ND (or something like that) and you need to pass a standardized test to be accredited and to legally practice in the US. The one that immediately comes to mind is Bastyr in Seattle. I've met someone from Bastyr, its an incredibly rigorous 4 year program. They even have a residency in naturopathic medicine. Its totally hardcore.

No offense, but you are not going to be an expert in in naturopathic medicine just by being a pharmacist and picking up a few alternative medicine books from Barnes n' Noble. You should look into actual graduate programs in naturopathic medicine.

^ A very sound recommendation. I was going to suggest a graduate degree in pharmacognosy, but I think going the naturopathic route could be more in line with your current interests. When I was looking at pharmacy schools, having a pharmacognosy elective was actually a priority for me. I took the class and enjoyed what I learned, but I found myself more interested in drug interactions and historical perspectives than using the herbal remedies themselves.

It's great to build your knowledge base and have an open mind to alternative treatment approaches, but you need to sit down and be honest with yourself about where you want to be in 10 years... You're going to be sorely disappointed by pharmacy school if all you want out of it is to learn about natural products.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

You have to admit, that is rather a "heads I win, tails you lose" way to think of things

Here is the most recent study in Pubmed that followed up on Dr. Blue's work with d-Mannose. There are many others listed there, although he was the pioneer: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2323111&tool=pmcentrez&rendertype=abstract

Not really. I have no issue with herbs being used. Many of our drugs started out as being plant-derived. I myself use tea-tree oil. But, there have been trials shown on Pub Med that it is an effective treatment.

For a modern practitioner to recommend a patient to use an herbal treatment, the treatment should have first gone through several scientific studies to prove its effectiveness.

My issues with 'alternative medicine' come from a crackpot 'nutritionist' my mother sees who tells her that she shouldn't eat acidic foods because they'll turn her blood acidic and make her cancer grow more. However, lemon is okay, because it's cleansing. And you shouldn't eat yogurt if you have type O blood, because yogurt is poisonous for you. Not to mention this 'nutritionist' told my husband and me that she went to Thailand and cured her nose cancer with massage and the people there restoring her Chi. Complete and utter nonsense.

 

[CopToEM]

Complete and utter nonsense.

nonsense = profit.

People are believing it and the FDA isn't regulating it... until it hurts people. In the meantime, the quacks are laughing to the bank.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

nonsense = profit.

People are believing it and the FDA isn't regulating it... until it hurts people. In the meantime, the quacks are laughing to the bank.

So true. My mother and I just agree not to talk about her crazy nutritionist, and I'm just happy she still gets conventional, actually helpful treatment.

 

[busyizzy]

It's great to build your knowledge base and have an open mind to alternative treatment approaches, but you need to sit down and be honest with yourself about where you want to be in 10 years... You're going to be sorely disappointed by pharmacy school if all you want out of it is to learn about natural products.

I know what I'm getting into - I've done my research, and I know that I want to do pharmacy. I NEVER said I wanted to ONLY learn about natural products. I only said I wanted a knowledge of them to supplement my pharmacy education. This way, I can advise those people (especially Koreans) if I know they are taking some herbs that may react badly with their prescribed medicine, I can say something about them. NEVER did I say I wanted to only study herbs or anything. Jetninjin has the right way of things. People ARE going to look towards herbal supplements and medicines, and if your pharmacist has these kind of negative reactions towards them, they will not bring up these issues with their pharmacists (that they are taking so and so herbs) which could cause problems in the future. I simply want to work at avoiding these reactiosn, and work with the patients to find the right medicine to help them get better. That is all.

Perhaps it's hard to understand as it is a cultural factor. I guess the lack of understanding from the forums is enough of a clue for me though to not include this information in my personal statement so I can avoid these reactions and not get dropped. Thanks.

 

[CopToEM]

Perhaps it's hard to understand as it is a cultural factor. I guess the lack of understanding from the forums is enough of a clue for me though to not include this information in my personal statement so I can avoid these reactions and not get dropped. Thanks.

Since the Zicam scare (and others) recently natural remedies in general are just a hot bed of a topic. You never know who is on the other side of the interview panel - what if one of them is a leading expert on the ineffectiveness of herbal remedies today in America. Far fetched but again you never know.

I wouldn't touch base on them - sometimes keeping personal goals are better kept personal!

 

[fenixtnlfan]

I know what I'm getting into - I've done my research, and I know that I want to do pharmacy. I NEVER said I wanted to ONLY learn about natural products. I only said I wanted a knowledge of them to supplement my pharmacy education. This way, I can advise those people (especially Koreans) if I know they are taking some herbs that may react badly with their prescribed medicine, I can say something about them. NEVER did I say I wanted to only study herbs or anything. Jetninjin has the right way of things. People ARE going to look towards herbal supplements and medicines, and if your pharmacist has these kind of negative reactions towards them, they will not bring up these issues with their pharmacists (that they are taking so and so herbs) which could cause problems in the future. I simply want to work at avoiding these reactiosn, and work with the patients to find the right medicine to help them get better. That is all.

I think the content of what you said here is great. When you originally posted this thread, I was going to suggest discussing how you want to learn about alternative medicines so you could give advice regarding interactions, but I didn't want to write your PS for you. But since you thought of that on your own, I think it should be included. I think stating so shows you've thought about pharmaceutical care above and beyond most pre-pharms. People ask about these natural products all the time, so you definitely need to know the facts so you can provide patients with the best advice.

 

[ret09]

I know what I'm getting into - I've done my research, and I know that I want to do pharmacy. I NEVER said I wanted to ONLY learn about natural products. I only said I wanted a knowledge of them to supplement my pharmacy education. This way, I can advise those people (especially Koreans) if I know they are taking some herbs that may react badly with their prescribed medicine, I can say something about them. NEVER did I say I wanted to only study herbs or anything. Jetninjin has the right way of things. People ARE going to look towards herbal supplements and medicines, and if your pharmacist has these kind of negative reactions towards them, they will not bring up these issues with their pharmacists (that they are taking so and so herbs) which could cause problems in the future. I simply want to work at avoiding these reactiosn, and work with the patients to find the right medicine to help them get better. That is all.

Perhaps it's hard to understand as it is a cultural factor. I guess the lack of understanding from the forums is enough of a clue for me though to not include this information in my personal statement so I can avoid these reactions and not get dropped. Thanks.

Its not a "cultural factor". Well it is, but its not that we just don't get it. In the western world we practice evidence-based medicine, which a lot of traditional asian medicine is not.

I still don't understand what you are trying to get at. I too am familiar with "traditional asian medicine", and this goes far beyond fish oils, soy, acupuncture, and promoting green tea. I think very few medical professionals will argue against the benefits of stuff like that, and for good reason. Clinical trials have been done on that stuff. We understand the pharmacological/physiological benefits behind those ingredients. A previous poster hit it right on the dime: "For a modern practitioner to recommend a patient to use an herbal treatment, the treatment should have first gone through several scientific studies to prove its effectiveness." Which ties in to what another poster said: If an alternative (or oriental or whatever you want to call it) medicine is proven to be effective, its not an "alternative medicine", its just medicine.
If what you are interested in is typical otc stuff found in the pharmacy, then whats your point? You learn about that stuff in pharmacy school anyway. Most pharmacy schools have a required or elective course on "herbal medicines" where you learn about all those over the counter drugs on the market, like fish oils, st. john's wart, ginseng, chondroitin, etc... If you are getting into some of the more hocus-pocus parts of traditional asian medicine, like having people drink salt dilutions to balance their chi or chewing on a tiger penis because you think it increases libido, then I kinda do have a problem with it. Thats not medicine its quackery, and in my opinion stuff like that has no room in western evidence based medicine. And I hope that as a pharmacist, you will educate asian populations against the dangers of such practices.