by Dr. Glenn Clearie, DC
Has anyone else noticed that more and more people are taking three drugs per day? In fact, this is on the low end of what I see. I have individuals taking five, ten, or more prescribed drugs virtually every day. I am at a loss as to why. The obvious answer is that prescription drugs improve quality of life and help you live longer. I am not sure either of these is true.
Look, I understand that certain medications save lives. I am not talking about the short-term, medically-necessary, life-saving medications. I am talking about the multiple drugs that people are taking for years, often decades. This cannot be good for you. When you understand how the drugs actually do what they do, the side effects and the interactions, you will wonder if you are doing more harm than good.
When I see a person present to my office with twelve drugs and still in a horrible state of poor health the only thing I can think is “Good grief!” Now I didn’t put the person on the medications and I am not taking them off. The only thing I can do is assist them in regaining their health so that their medical doctor can make the decision to reduce or remove the drug.
Case and point is the class of drugs that reduce the symptoms of acid reflux. These drugs are used to suppress acid production in the stomach. At first glance those who have chronic indigestion are pleased that this daily drug helps reduce their symptoms. They can now sleep better, feel less pain…and still consume massive quantities of pasta, pizza, sauce, dairy, sugar, Splenda, soda and whatever else they want. Of course I am embellishing the last thought yet, good grief, are we really a society of pill poppers so that we can continue to make poor lifestyle choices? We need to rethink things a bit. Chronic use of these drugs can lead to gastric tumors, cancer, infertility, headaches, diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, dizziness, vomiting, rash, cough, fever, pain, anemias, osteopenia, and the list keeps going on. Wow!
What if the upset stomach you are feeling is actually because of the fake food, nutrient poor stuff you are eating and not enough gastric enzymes to digest it all? I have seen this played out over and over. Think about how nasty road kill smells when you drive over it in your vehicle. It’s repulsive. Imagine now that you use drugs to suppress the appropriate levels of digestive acids and enzymes in your gut? The half rotten food at some point needs to leave the stomach and travel through the GI system. Think this could cause other problems? Irritable bowel disease, rectal fissures, or Crohn’s perhaps?
Good grief, we have got to “think outside the pill” for returning our bodies back to health and well-being. One of the easiest ways to start the process is to have your blood work evaluated and see what’s going on. We can then find the corresponding nutrients your body requires to return to health!
The challenge is to get the correct blood work done. Oftentimes it isn’t. For example, I recommend a blood test called BNP. This simple blood test tells me if you are suffering from a cardiac issue long before you even feel there is a problem. A high level essentially says that you are or will experience heart failure of some type. If you have swollen ankles you need this test done ASAP.
My hope is that you understand that staying in good health doesn’t happen by luck or with synthetic drugs. Stop suppressing symptoms and start really finding out why your body is not working correctly. I recommend hair analysis, blood work, urine tests, stool samples, and whatever else you need. It just makes sense. But instead of drugs I recommend vitamins, minerals, enzymes, herbs, and life enhancing nutrients. If this makes sense to you feel free to give us a call.
“Natural Perspectives” is a health commentary only and does not claim to diagnose and/or make treatment recommendations. Always seek the advice of your health care professional.
