AltMedAngel: Alternative Medicine Angel

This is a non-profit site offering educational information and broad based research on various health conditions, medications, supplements and therapies. In addition, this site provides information on how to naturally improve overall health, strengthen the immune system, and slow the aging process. There is a list of physicians who use alternative treatments, a newsletter and book review section, and a product guide.  To access this site: Click on the link above or at the bottom of this page.

Ever wonder what your prescription medication is doing to you? 

Side effects from many of the most commonly prescribed medications or over the counter remedies can result in a weakening of the immune system due to lowered levels of critical nutrients.  Ignoring the warning signs is like turning off a screaming smoke detector because the sound is annoying without ever searching for the source of the smoke -- thus allowing your house to burn to the ground.

 

The main nutrients being depleted and their effects are:

 

Nutrient

Deficiency Effect

Zinc

Reduced wound healing, with loss of smell and/or taste

Vitamin C

Lowered resistance, increased free-radical damage, slowed wound healing

Coenzyme Q10

Cardiovascular-related low energy

Selenium

Reduced antioxidant protection

Vitamin E

Increased free radical damage

Beta-carotene

lowered antioxidant protection

B6

Anemia, tiredness, low resistance, the most prevalent deficiency in the U.S.

SAMe

Required for detoxification and synthesis of immune-stimulating compounds

 [ January 2002 ACCM Health Sense, Nutritional Supplement Vol VIII, Issue 1]

 

Which drugs cause these deficiencies?

1. Anti-inflammatories such as corticosteroids create deficits of vitamin C, zinc, selenium and B6.  

2. Aspirin and salicylates are called the single biggest cause of vitamin C deficiencies.

3. The vasodilator family of cardiovascular drugs depletes Coenzyme Q10.

4. Loop diuretics reduce vitamin C.

5. Thiazide or potassium-sparing diuretics and ace inhibitors deplete zinc.

6. Beta-blockers reduce Coenzyme Q10.

7. Cholesterol-lowering reductase-inhibitors (any of the statins) deplete Coenzyme Q10.

8. The "fibrate" group (Clofibrate or Fenofibrate) lower vitamin E and zinc.

9. Oral contraceptives diminish 10 major nutrients, including vitamin C, selenium, zinc, and most of the B Complex.

10. Valproic acid, a member of the anticonvulsant group, severely depletes selenium and zinc.

11. Antiviral agents also reduce zinc.

12. Psychotherapeutic medications cause B6 and Coenzyme Q10 deficiencies.

13. Drugs for gout (Colchicine) cause loss of betacarotene.

14. Levodopa for Parkinson's disease depletes SAMe

15. Corticosteroids, oral contraceptives, oral estrogens, ACE inhibitors, and diuretics deplete zinc.

Targeted supplementation during pharmaceutical treatment helps prevent and reverse deleterious effects of iatrogenic nutrient loss (i.e., drug caused), and minimizes damage to the immune system.  

 

Health Care That Kills

In 1998, the University of Toronto did a study and found that roughly 2,216,000 patients per year in US hospitals experienced a serious adverse drug reaction. Of these, 106,000 died each year during their hospital stay. The problem has undoubtedly gotten worse since then. Based on these figures, adverse drug reactions are now the fourth leading cause of death in the US. [JAMA 98;279(15):1200-5]

To put this in perspective, the number of people dying in US hospitals every month from adverse drug reactions would be the same as having three World Trade Center collapses each and every month. Yet there has been no outcry or demand for change from either the public or government. On the contrary, the pharmaceutical companies continue to gather more support for their efforts to increase drug consumption and are now targeting children for acne medication and pets as well.

One has to wonder what the FDA thinks would happen if more people and doctors used alternatives. Compared to a batting average like the one I just mentioned, why are they fighting so hard to keep alternatives out of the hands of the general public while at the same time restricting doctors from using them to treat their patients?

 

Prevention with Targeted Homeopathics

Perhaps there is a more natural way for simple maladies using homeopathic preparations which are holistic in focus, work on a deeper level, are specific to the individual and have ranked among the safest medicinal agents known for 200 years.  If you have an interest in finding out more about homeopathy, click here.

 

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