Drugs vs Lifestyle Changes

I was reading this interesting article from Dr. Mercola about the use of drugs vs making healthy lifestyle changes. It's without a doubt that common sense dictates if you can be healthier without pills you should go that route first. It's like watching a Saturday Night Live skit every time they show a new drug commercial. You know what I mean. At the end they go through the huge list of side effects like: headaches, nausea, bloating, vomiting, sleeplessness, acne, and in some cases even death. I swear I've heard them say that before.

Don't get me wrong, it's better to take a chance on a drug given to you by your doctor, if you don't have any other options, but I think the best option is to try avoid getting sick to begin with. In other words, exercise, eat right, don't smoke, etc, etc. Is it really harder to do some research on what is healthy to eat and not so healthy than to sit in a doctor's office for 2-4 hours waiting for a drug that might cause even more issues? Seriously, if there is even a chance that eating healthy might mean less doctor visits then count me in. I'm not that patient, and if I can take control over my health, then that's the way for me.

If you're sick already, eating healthy isn't going to make your condition worse. The best plan in my opinion is use modern medicine in conjunction with simple healthy lifestyle choices.

Below is a snippet from the Doctor Mercola site of some of the side effects of drugs on the market you should be aware of.

  By Dr. Mercola

Are You on Any of these Dangerous Drugs?

In addition to the drugs listed above, here are several more that may jeopardize your health:

* Advair– This asthma medicine contains the long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) salmeterol, which can make your asthma deadly by increasing the severity of asthma attacks. It is estimated that salmeterol-containing drugs cause about 5,000 asthma-related deaths each year in the US alone.

* Avandia (rosiglitazone)– This diabetes drug has been linked to increased risk of heart attack. Confidential government reports claim about 6,000 heart attacks and 3,600 cases of heart failure would be averted each year if patients switched away from Avandia. The drug was recently banned in Europe, but the US FDA has chosen only to monitor the drug, rather than ask for a recall.

* Celebrex-- This painkiller has been linked to increased risks of stomach bleeding, kidney trouble, and liver damage. Additionally, one 2005 study found that people taking 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day more than doubled their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. Those on 400 mg twice a day more than tripled their risk.

* Ritalin – This drug is commonly prescribed to children diagnosed with ADHD, despite the fact it has the same pharmacological profile as cocaine. By definition, Ritalin stimulates your central nervous system, leading to side effects such as increased blood pressure and heart rate.

When taken over a period of years, as Ritalin often is, the drug can cause severe health problems, including cancer. Short-term, it can still lead to chromosomal damage.

* Lyrica, Topomax and Lamictal -- These epilepsy seizure drugs increase your risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and all three drugs can cause both hair- and memory loss.

* TNF Blockers -- Biologics like Humira and Prolia are made from genetically engineered hamster cells, and suppress your immune system. Other side effects include tuberculosis, lethal infections, melanoma, lymphoma and "unusual cancers in children and teenagers". Humira also carries a warning that it may cause or worsen psoriasis -- a condition it is supposed to treat.

* Bisphosphonate drugs – This dangerous class of drugs include Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva, prescribed to prevent osteoporosis. Fosamax in particular has been linked to thigh bone fractures, jaw bone rot, serious eye problems, liver damage and renal failure, just to name a few potential side effects.

Fosamax users are also nearly twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation (quivering of your heart’s upper chambers), which is the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat.

* Statin drugs—This class of drugs, used to lower your cholesterol, have been linked to an array of devastating side effects, including muscle pain and weakness, muscle atrophy, rhabdomyolysis, increased plaque deposits, increased cancer risk, immune system suppression, decreased liver function, CoQ10 depletion, and death.

* Proton pump inhibitors—Drugs like Prevacid, Prilosec, and Nexium are commonly used for heartburn. However, their side effects may be far more problematic and dangerous than your original problem.

Side effects include increased risk of fractures of your hip, wrist and spine (the risk of a bone fracture has been estimated to be over 40 percent higher in patients who use these drugs long-term), increased risk of food poisoning, pneumonia and infection with Clostridium difficile, a harmful intestinal bacteria.

more from the Doctor Mercola article
 

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