WE HAVE truly developed a culture of heavy drug use in today's society. The use of recreation drugs, both legal and illegal, now poses great threats to our physical, social and economic well-being. At the same time men, women and children are consuming more prescription medication than ever before. Is this a healthy sign? I think not! Though prescription drugs may sometimes save lives and alleviate suffering, they can also do great harm.
It was Benjamin Franklin who said, "The best doctor gives the least medicines." Perhaps another way to put that is, "The best patient needs the least medicines." Anything that you can do to be healthier is likely to reduce the number and amount of drugs that your doctor may need to prescribe for you. A good doctor should certainly want the patient to be taking as little medicine as possible. One reason to take only the lowest necessary dose is that all drugs carry a risk.
DANGEROUS
The biggest reason why many drugs require a prescription is because they are potentially dangerous. Doctors and pharmacists try to carefully figure just how much of the medicine you should take without unusual danger. Despite this, 150,000 deaths occur each year in the United States from patients taking drugs that their doctors prescribed for them!
The information on drug safety that medical professionals have to go on is generally provided for them by the drug manufacturer. The patient should also be able to find this information in a leaflet included inside the box with his or her prescription.
You will also get this information from a reference book called the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR). The PDR is basically a 2,000-plus-page compendium of every drug there is. You may ask your pharmacist or doctor for a look through this book or ask at the local library to see a copy. In the PDR, you will find drugs classified under type, generic name and brand name. It is easy to look up any drug that you or a family member may be taking. Be ready for some unpleasant reading. Most drugs have many more warnings and precautions than uses, more dangers than benefits.
LINKED TO LIFESTYLE
Medical research clearly shows that most of our common diseases - heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and many cancers - are the result of unhealthy lifestyles. They can often be prevented and even reversed by simple interventions like optimal nutrition, vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements, exercise and effective stress management.
Why then are so many drugs still being used? Several hundred years of Western medical tradition is one reason while non-emphasis on more natural therapies in modern medical training is another. Money and big pharmaceutical industry is another. Then consider even another reason: Patients have come to accept and even demand drug therapy. They accept the risks and the side effects. If the doctor says it's OK, then it is OK. "Cure me, doc" puts the physician on the spot. He or she has to do something, and since his or her background is in drugs and surgery, that's what he or she selects from. That may not be ideal.
WHAT CAN THE PATIENT DO
1. Ask the doctor to fully explain the risks and side effects of any drug prescribed. Then ask for an explanation as to why you should take those risks. If you do not get a straight answer, or if the doctor is 'too busy' to discuss this with you, then it may be time to consider seeing another doctor.
2. Ask to be given the minimum possible dose of the drugs prescribed. Get back to the doctor right away if there are any negative effects.
4. Ask for possible alternatives! Some doctors are happy to work with interested patients who want to avoid medicines when they can. If your doctor is not interested, then you can find a doctor who is.
IF YOU ARE ALREADY TAKING MEDICATION:
1. It is not a good idea to just suddenly stop using medication. This is especially true if you are taking something more than a pain-reliever or other non-essential drugs.
2. Share with your doctor that you are interested, if possible, in getting off the medicine that you are on. If that is not realistic, then tell the doctor that you would like to gradually decrease the amount that you have to take. It is best to work with the physician who prescribed the medicine for you in the first place. The doctor should give you a schedule to follow that gradually reduces your drug dose. It is usually necessary to monitor your progress as well.
3. If your doctor believes that you cannot reduce the level of your medication at all, you can honour that viewpoint without agreeing with it. A second medical opinion may be in order.
BOTTOM LINE
Drugs are common options for treating illnesses. They are, however, capable of doing significant harm, and great caution should be used in prescribing and taking these drugs. If proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle bring you good health, then there may be no need for medication.
Email Dr. Vendryes at Vendryes@mac.com, visit the website www.anounceofprevention.org. You may also listen to 'An Ounce of Prevention' on POWER 106 FM on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.
