Health Notes- Our country has been manipulated into a nation of drug users

(Adapted from an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola; http://www.mercola.com)

From 1992 to 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased 61 percent and the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent. According to the latest statistics from the Kaiser Health Foundation, the average American, aged 19 to 64, now takes more than 11 prescription drugs!

This is a significant problem, which is the exponentially increased health risk of mixing multiple drugs. The word ‘polypharmacy’ means “many drugs,” and essentially refers to instances where an individual is taking too many drugs. This situation used to be primarily a concern for the elderly—in the US, the average senior fills more than 31 prescriptions per year. But over the past several years, even children as young as three are increasingly being prescribed four or more drugs!

This brings up another problem, as the more drugs you mix together, the greater the chances of serious side effects. People (of all ages) taking psychiatric drugs appear to be particularly prone to polypharmacy, which is particularly disturbing since each and every one of these drugs are quite potent and potentially dangerous when taken all by itself.

You are Responsible for Your Health

You need to force change the current drug paradigm. I don’t think doctors will change their prescribing ways anytime soon—it’s what they’re trained to do. In many cases, it’s ALL they do! You have to take responsibility for your health, and question the drugs prescribed to you. Ask yourself (and your doctor)

Do you really need that drug?
Is it prescribed appropriately, or is it being prescribed for an off-label use?
What are the side effects?
Is it addictive?

These are but a few of the most common-sense questions you need to ask before you swallow any pill.

Prescription Drugs Cause More Deaths than Illegal Drugs

In addition to exorbitant health care costs for drugs and their subsequent side effects, the cost in terms of lives has also skyrocketed. Opioid painkillers alone — opium-like drugs that include morphine and codeine — now claim more than 13,800 lives each year. This means prescription painkillers have surpassed both heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of fatal overdoses.

More than 700,000 people visit U.S. emergency rooms each year as a result of adverse drug reactions.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), adverse drug reactions from drugs that are properly prescribed and properly administered cause about 106,000 deaths per year, making prescription drugs the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. The death toll from illegal drugs — is about 10,000 per year — indicating the magnitude of the problem the pharmaceutical industry is propagating.

A Very Real Side Effect: a 25 Percent Chance of Premature Death

Three years ago, an analysis of federal data by the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) offered up some truly shocking information. In the first quarter of 2008, fatalities from adverse drug reactions accounted for 23 percent of all adverse reaction reports!

There are NO Absolutely Safe Drugs

A clear majority of people have been successfully brainwashed into thinking that FDA-approved drugs can safely and effectively treat every possible ailment under the sun.

Unfortunately, studies are frequently biased, results are skewed, and drugs are put on a fast-track to be approved long before anyone knows whether they’re safe. In essence, it’s all a gamble, and there are NO 100 percent safe drugs.

Should You Medicate or Not?

Ultimately, it’s your body, and the decision to medicate yourself for an ailment is yours alone.

However, I urge you to research any drug your doctor prescribes before you take it. Do not just take your doctor’s word for its safety. Most physicians have little information to offer you aside from what they’ve been told by their drug reps. Make sure you are aware of the potential side effects of the drug, read the package insert, and remember that even if it lists a side effect as rare, it can still happen to you. Then decide whether the potential benefits truly outweigh the potential risks. Also remember that a large number of drugs are vastly over-prescribed and unnecessary.

What is Health?

What does “health” mean to you? Does your idea of being healthy include taking a dozen medications or more? If you make drugs a last option instead of a first choice, you will have taken a major step in the right direction. “Health” does NOT equate to “suppressing symptoms of disease.” Rather, true health means having a body that actually functions as it should… And the only way to get there is by addressing the root causes of any symptoms of disease you may have—not covering them up with a drug. The “problem” with this mindset, however, is that the medical- and pharmaceutical industries can’t make any money through this strategy. If you get rid of the underlying cause of a disease, you effectively cure it and all symptoms go away. If you have no symptoms, there’s no reason to take medications to suppress those symptoms.

People take drugs in the belief that they’re doing something beneficial to their health when in fact there’s not a single drug on the market that is designed to cure anything. The only thing a drug can do is address a particular symptom or set of symptoms. And, if you don’t address the root cause, your problem never goes away! This is how you get stuck in the mindless never ending loop of polypharmacy.

Basic Health Strategies that Can Address a Large Number of Health Problems

There are many health conditions that can be prevented or effectively treated with lifestyle changes alone, yet if you go to a typical doctor, you’ll walk out with one or more prescriptions. Examples of health problems that typically don’t require drug intervention include: Diabetes ,

Heart disease, High blood pressure , High cholesterol, and Insomnia. I realize it may require a massive shift in thinking to realize that your body can heal itself, and that drugs typically only hinder the process. But I can’t stress enough the importance of this most basic principle:

Disease can only be resolved by addressing its root cause!

What many people fail to realize is that it is possible to maintain optimal health by simply avoiding unnecessary drugs and by understanding the fundamentals of good nutrition and exercise. Remember you can Take Control of Your Health by: