Since the indoctrination of Western medicine several decades ago, medical science teaches that disease and symptoms are intertwined and that killing the symptoms with harmful drugs potentially subdues the disease. This type of backwards thinking can produce anywhere from minor to DEVASTATING results for a patient. In other words, symptom management for so-called “incurable” diseases. Being that the underlying acidic inflamed nutrient deficient state of the patient or root cause of the disease is never addressed, the patient is subjected to further acidity and inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies causing additional damage and creating more symptoms.
Even supporting the body nutritionally from the toxicity of the drugs prescribed is rarely discussed, just other drug options, treating MORE symptoms, with NO cures. Disease MANAGEMENT at best! Not only are more drugs prescribed, when the patient is left with no more allopathic options, often unnecessary or preventable surgeries are recommended in order to deal with the new set of symptoms. This inevitable health tailspin is like being tied up to a treadmill that is continuously picking up speed. You can only continue living in overdrive for so long until your body can no longer keep up. Then let’s just say the treadmill is still going but you’re not on it anymore… A vicious and deadly cycle indeed!
When internal imbalances are present, the body will alert you somehow to get your attention in its attempt to regain homeostasis. Headaches, nausea, fever, skin rashes, brain fog, severe lethargy, gastric bloating and angina pain are some of the body’s intelligent warning signs of cellular issues due to excess acidity, inflammation, and nutrient deficiency in an organ or body system. These warning signs, referred to as symptoms should be treated in a humane, holistic manner to identify the root cause of the problem. For certain individual’s that have pushed the limits, or were born with a defect, pharmaceutical drugs may need to be taken for a lifetime in certain instances. However, in the majority of cases, if at all, a drug should only be used as a temporary fix until the necessary changes in diet and lifestyle are made. While simultaneously enacting proper supplementation and mindfulness to address the ROOT CAUSE of their disease holistically, NOT JUST TO TREAT THE SYMPTOMS ALONE!
Instead of treating the body as if all its parts are connected, conventional medicine treats individual parts of the body alone. For example, if the patient has thyroid issues they give drugs to treat the thyroid alone or surgically remove it without even looking at the integrity of the patients gut health (leaky gut) or the presence of toxic halogens like bromide that can likely be the root cause of the problem and attempt to reverse it. Extremely limited approach and certainly not in the best interest of the patient!
This conventional method of treating disease is focused on symptom suppression. It’s like looking at the car’s dashboard, seeing the oil light on, and then deciding to cut the wire that switches on the oil light thinking that the problem will be solved. Obviously forcing the light off does not fix the problem … The light is on because the car needs to be serviced. The problem gets fixed by putting oil in the engine; hence the light goes off … Giving synthetic medications to address the symptoms only turns off your signaling mechanisms! The origin of the problem still exists and the medication most oftentimes creates additional complications, often worse than the original issue itself.
The aftermath that pharmaceutical residues impose is a major concern. Besides the direct negative effects pharmaceuticals incur on the body, research efforts are also directed towards identifying their toxic effect on the environment and people in general. Research found that many pharmaceutically active compounds contaminate drinking waters and natural water systems since they are not at all completely eliminated in municipal sewage treatment plants.
Halling-Sørensen et al. (1998) viewed pharmaceuticals as “micropollutants” having a continual presence in the environment and regularly found in sewages, sediments, and waste water samples. Some of the most common used pharmaceuticals found are analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), cholesterol and cardiovascular regulators, psychiatric drugs, anti-histamines, anti-ulcer agents, and antibiotics (Ginebreda et al. 2010).
Another study (Hernando et al. 2006) reported that pharmaceutical residues, like antibiotics and steroids, found in the environment “cause resistance in natural bacterial populations and endocrine disruption” in the body. These drugs are polluting aquatic ecosystems as well. About 40 percent of U.S. municipal water comes from groundwater. The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment can inflict harm to both innocent bystanders, as well as the wildlife that unknowingly ingest them.
Pharmaceutical use, overuse, and misuse in western societies should not be taken lightly and should only be prescribed on an emergency or temporary basis unless you are born with a permanent condition or have damaged the body so badly that the medication is necessary to keep you alive. Instead, lifestyle changes need to be implemented in order to address the underlying factors that create medical conditions, through mindfulness, the use of whole foods, and natural supplementation. This approach will not only create healthier nations while diminishing unwanted environment toxins, but it will eliminate the NEED for taking poisonous prescription drugs unnecessarily! This type of band-aide medicine is not only keeping people sick, relying on toxic medications, but it is creating a plethora of additional ailments from the side effects! A whole new paradigm needs to be enacted to replace the “sick care disease management system” with a true health care system that focuses on prevention and treats the “whole” patient, not parts. With that being said, NEVER go off a prescription medication without doctor supervision. If your doctor is not qualified to help ween you off a drug find another doctor that will, or seek a naturopathic doctor.
Ginebreda, A., Muñoz, I., de Alda, M. L., Brix, R., López-Doval, J., & Barceló, D. (2010). Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in rivers: relationships between hazard indexes and aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity indexes in the Llobregat River (NE Spain). Environment International, 36(2), 153-162.
Hernando, M. D., Mezcua, M., Fernández-Alba, A. R., & Barceló, D. (2006). Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater effluents, surface waters and sediments. Talanta, 69(2), 334-342.
Halling-Sørensen, B., Nors Nielsen, S., Lanzky, P. F., Ingerslev, F., Holten Lützhøft, H. C., & Jørgensen, S. E. (1998). Occurrence, fate and effects of pharmaceutical substances in the environment-a review. Chemosphere, 36(2), 357-393.
Hepler, C. D., & Strand, L. M. (1990). Opportunities and responsibilities in pharmaceutical care. Am J Hosp Pharm, 47(3), 533-43.