Pros, Cons, and Finding the Natural Way in a Drugged Up World
by Jessica Sanders
It’s all about the business. And businesses lean on marketing to make money. However, in this case, the business is drugs, and the consumers? Well, let’s just say there were 4.02 billion prescriptions filled by pharmacies in 2011; that’s an average of 13 prescriptions for each man, woman and child, according to Natural News.
Clearly their marketing is working.
“In order to market their product, they’ve taken to going to the government and saying okay in order to keep our monopoly, or small group of people then we’re going to form an FDA and in order to get any medication you have to go through this FDA.”
And who’s running the FDA? The people from the drug companies.
Still, despite their best efforts, “4 years ago the tide turned to 50%; so now more than 50% of money is spent on natural medicine,” says Dr. Saunders. Despite the benefits of western medications, there are always risks and luckily for you, there are natural solutions, as well.
Risks of Medication
There is a cholesterol myth that states it causes heart disease, and you need medication to make it better.
“In blocking cholesterol, what else do you block? Well you block energy production, you block testosterone, you block pregnenalone, and your ability to make cortisol – these really important hormones in your body.”
The truth is as you lower cholesterol levels, you lower levels of other important hormones. One study saw a decrease in testosterone, says Dr. Saunders, and that’s just one type of medicine.
Other medications can also have adverse reactions or side-effects that bring on new problems. You often “learn” about these by speed-reading the fine print risks and side-effects from television commercials or magazine ads. For example:
Allergic reactions:
This can happen with any drug and can range from a rash to a deadly anaphylactic episode.
Chemical-structure reactions:
Purely based on the chemical structure of certain drugs, a reaction is caused. For example, the allergy drug diphenhydramine, otherwise known as Benadryl, helps with allergy symptoms, but suppresses acetylcholine to do so. The suppressing of this body chemical leads to drowsiness, dry mouth and more.
Other reactions range from minor to serious, including:
- Swollen tongue
- Irritability
- Blood clot in your lung
- Shingles
- Nerve Pain
- Hallucinations
- Extreme Fear
- Coughing up blood
- Liver Damage
Keep in mind; these aren’t unusual reactions, either. “An analysis of numerous studies in which the cause of hospitalization was determined found that approximately 1.5 million hospitalizations a year were caused by adverse drug reactions,” according to WorstPills.org, a public citizen organization.
Pros of Medication
As with anything, there are always pros and cons. In this case, end of life care—palliative care—is an area where medication is beneficial; for both the family and the person who is dying. Whether they’re dying of old age or after a long battle with a chronic disease, sometimes medication is the only way for them to go comfortably.
“A range of medications will need to be considered at end of life to address worsening symptoms related to breathing, pain, saliva management and anxiety,” according to MNDCare.net.au. These medications range from opioids to sedatives, and the weakest dosage will almost always be used first.
The protocol used to administer these drugs is also very specific and regimented. It starts with an evaluation of the cause of current symptoms, and how that can best be treated. Options are discussed with family members and an explanation of the need and benefits is given.
This kind of treatment is individualized, priorities are identified, and the patient is regularly supervised. Similar to this is the use of specialty medications, which are used to treat rare or complex diseases.
In this case, the drug administering process is highly involved, in which the physician works closely with the patient. Once administered, the patient is educated about the drug and is constantly monitored for safety and side-effects.
How to Choose a Holistic Doctor
If you don’t fall the preceding categories, it may be wise to seek out a natural solution, which will help you move away from prescription drugs. The first step in moving to a natural healthcare provider is finding the right one for you. Here are the four main types of holistic health practitioners.
Naturopathic
Developed in ancient Greece, this type of healthcare uses a number of techniques to prevent sickness and pain, or treat it when necessary. With a focus on whole heath and general well-being, naturopathic doctors believe that the body should be treated as a whole entity; if you’re having headaches, something is wrong with your body as a whole, not just in your head.
Homeopathic
This practice involves very specific treatment, focused solely on the individual—the same disease in one person may be treated differently in another person based on their needs, medical history and body. Treatments are based in nature, focusing on the use of plants and minerals; often these treatments are prepared by hand and the hope is that they will help the body heal itself.
Chiropractor
You don’t have a kink in your back? You may still want to pay a visit to your local chiropractor. This holistic form of medication is based on the theory that proper spinal alignment leads to better health, and allows the better to better heal itself. For example, you may see a chiropractor for chronic headaches or neck pain, as well as back pain.
Acupuncturist
This form of holistic healing has gained popularity in recent years for its weight loss powers. However, it’s most prominently, and originally, used for relieving allergies, breathing complications, headaches and nausea. By pinpointing specific areas of a person’s body with needles, it’s believed that acupuncture will allow energy to flow back into the body by relieving blockages at these specific points.
In the big business of drugs, we are the ones being fooled. Thanks to strategic partnerships between the drug companies and the government, and expensive marketing, most American’s are on at least one drug, if not more to manage the symptoms caused by the first one.
While some drugs are beneficial, as with those used to manage end of life care and complex medical situations, most are unnecessary and overprescribed. Seek out your local holistic healthcare professional and find the natural way back to health.
If you complement or replace medical care, which alternative medicine treatments do you choose?
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