According to the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, people aged 65 to 69 take an average of 15 prescriptions a year, and those aged 80 to 84 take 18 prescriptions a year. And that’s in addition to the myriad over-the-counter drugs, any of which could cause more problems than they help.
Among people over 65, 44% of men and 57% of women take five or more nonprescription and/or prescription drugs a week, and 12% take 10 or more!
Does taking all of these drugs improve one’s health? We’re certainly led to believe that they do by the relentless advertisements for this or that drug, marketed to the tune of happy music, butterflies and flowers.
It’s disgusting.
Granted, there are certain crisis situations that occur when certain drugs may be necessary to save a person’s life, but this should only be for the short-term, while the underlying cause of the crisis is determined. Then the body should be assisted in healing itself, and the person removed from the drug.
However, most widely used prescription drugs are used simply to suppress symptoms, without addressing the aforementioned underlying cause. This suppression of symptoms usually leads to new problems, which then requires the use of even more drugs.
For example, drugs used by millions of Americans to treat heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), suppress gastric acid production. This lack of normal gastric acid causes a decrease in absorption of a wide range of nutrients, such as magnesium, calcium, iron and Vitamin B12, just to name a few.
Why does this matter?
Well, decreased magnesium exacerbates, or may even trigger anxiety, depression, hypertension, even congestive heart failure. This then creates the need for anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, and anti-hypertension drugs. How about the decreased Vitamin B12? This also exacerbates or triggers depression and anxiety.
But wait! There’s more!
Acid-suppressing drugs also prevent the absorption of calcium, leading to osteoporosis, leading to more prescription drugs for the osteoporosis caused by the anti-acid drugs in the first place!!
And around and around……..
I’ve seen countless patients caught in this vicious cycle of drugs leading to more drugs, whose health problems dramatically improved or disappeared after actually solving the underlying health problem, which then allows the patient to come off of the toxic prescription drugs that were slowly destroying their health.
My experience has shown that people who opt for non-drug solutions to their health issues are much healthier and happier than those who rely on the pill-for-every-ailment approach to “health care”.
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