Today, I want to share my off-the-cuff not-grammatically-correct nor "PC" thoughts after a recent (another) close and personal occurrence…
What Makes Me Sick!
As we all get older its only NATURAL for people and animals to have more negative health issues.
What's NOT NATURAL and makes me sick, is to see sick or even heaven forbid, already healthy animals and people made "sicker" by PRESCRIBED drugs and medications.
"Do No Harm" is first priority for any health professional that takes an oath, but seems to me it is NOT the "norm" today. Just seems to me that prescribed drugs and medications are more than often making healthy people sick and sick people sicker! Animals not excluded!
Doubt this truth? Just look over your own family situation. The typical family member, especially if they are middle-aged or older is on high blood pressure meds, cholesterol meds, not to mention anti-depressant meds and/or medications for osteoperosis. Some are even getting perscribed "heavy duty" pain relief meds which are perhaps even worse than street drugs.
Not long ago I myself was prescribed one such pain drug for a tooth ache by my dentist- my dentist! If you can believe it?? I refused it and changed my dentist immediately…BUT… Almost everyone takes some sort of "over the counter" pain relief! Right? Almost every day! Pets are typically on allergy and pain medication too and it seems there is a vaccine for anything new that comes along. One estimate I read, presented that anyone over 50 years of age is on eleven medications daily. I've seen other estimates are even higher!
My question is- are these medications prescribed by those prescribing (and usually with good intentions) actually causing more harm than good?
Could the tail be wagging the dog?
If you know someone taking such meds also ask yourself this… Are they really healthier since beginning such? Did taking one med possibly lead to the need for another? Are they having to take higher and higher doses of meds just to cover the symptoms. Are they more sleepy, less active etc. Do you get the picture? A typical scenario is one medication leads to another and then another and so on until they have a whole shoe box full of medications that they take daily! Worse yet, they typically get sicker and sicker in the process.
So who's to blame. As much as I hate to tell you… we are! That's right.. you and me are to blame! Why?
Hey, we were warned! Remember that long piece of paper you threw away with all the very fine print that came in the original package?
It had all the side effects, but did you read it? I am almost positive you didn't and neither did I. People laugh about 2/3rds of a TV commercial for a med being about the side effects. Not really funny though.
It would have be nice for the doctor to warn you of side effects, but what doctor has time these days? Doctors just see so many sick people these days! You know they couldn't possibly have time!
In line at the pharmacy, they want you to quickly read the all the label/paper(s), hold up the usual long line and sign here. Do you?
Oh well, if there is a serious potential threat, of course the FDA will let me know…. Maybe, Maybe NOT. Afterall, have you seen attorney ads for such on TV lately? Yep, Thought so.
My advise…. PLEASE, PLEASE take a proactive approach to your family and your pet's health care. And please, please don't always just rely on what the "good doctor" might have to offer. So……Stop what you are doing right now! Go to the Internet and search for side effects of all the medications you are taking. Perhaps the symptoms you are having may be from a medication prescribed earlier. Maybe the first medication you took started the whole chain of negative health events. You may not even need any medication. Unless you check for yourself you will never know!
Side effects are more common than you think and they make me sick!
Stay healthy!
Dr Dan
