Drug abuse is widespread not only for recreational use, but evident as a primary medical answer for coping with life, altering moods and silencing pain.
Addiction and adverse side-effects happen more often than many realize. When it happens to us, we wonder why we didn’t consider the warning pages that accompany a prescription. Then, there’s the initial relief we feel with a drug that silences the pain from whatever ill occurs, prompting us to continue its use unquestioned. No need to beat yourself up though, we’re human. We’re supposed to be able to trust the intentions of others we assume are wiser than us. But, is that safe?
Medical drug addiction is the least considered addiction in the eyes of many, but is an insidious addiction often unrealized until you decide it’s time to come off a prescription. It can match any addiction in the challenge of clearing your body – and mind – from dependency, and to become functional again. Mood-altering drugs do, after all, target your brain and nervous system. That unfortunately, was gained with first-hand experience, as with many of us. Yes – we didn’t know. . .
So…staying informed of basic body function can help you assess what’s best to accept for your body, or to be mindful of how long you stay on a drug.
Long-term adverse drug effects usually arise in vital organs like the kidneys and liver which are waste filters for metabolic waste, chemicals and harmful substances. Long-term means one year or more of use. Organs have a different innervation network than muscles. That’s important to remember because it means pain is not as easily detected from an organ as it is from a sore arm muscle.
Impaired kidney function will consequently, only give pain signals when they are already in trouble. Anyone using regular painkiller prescriptions can benefit from that awareness, because pain meds are almost as commonly prescribed as mood-management drugs. The strain of filtering a drug that rearranges normal body metabolism can have repercussions we don’t expect, reducing organ function – as with scarring in the kidneys. Sure, they can sometimes recover if you come off the drug. It’s all about timing. But what does that say about the drug?
It hasn’t been the job of the average person to realize that sensory fibers from organs are mainly unconscious reflex sensations that are normally undetectable. It is, in fact, reported as one reason why some organ cancers are detected too late for successful treatment beyond one year.
In North America’s current medical model, the intelligence of the body is ignored and the intelligence of man is deemed to be superior. That can be a problem. While we’re tops in surgery, maybe we’re not there yet with today’s medical dependency on drug therapy.
On the plus side, short-term relief from severe pain can give you time to investigate other options. But, it’s more common that once the pain is dulled, we forget the drug that dulled it comes with a threat to other body systems.
This article is not to debase drug use in all situations, it’s a reminder that dependency on drug therapy ultimately can return with a kick to the person accepting a drug as the only answer… for long-term, regular use. It’s a reminder to do your own research on a drug you are offered, making an informed decision on whether or not it really is the best answer. When it comes to initial symptoms of strain, you could investigate natural remedies first. It’s more effective to seek experienced guidance rather than guessing the best supplement or herbs from online promotions. If you decide to accept a drug, the length of time on it is an important reminder note in your calendar at the 3 month mark, the 6- month mark, and so forth.
The trust we put into the organization doctors are trained within is the point to consider, as the western medical model is based on only one form of treatment – drugs. Outside of North American, there are countries that combine medical models, sometimes beginning with natural forms and progressing to drug therapy if all else fails, or sometimes using both methods simultaneously.
A few doctors are emerging who suggest natural methods first to help re-balance the body, using drugs according to severity of a condition. That however, is based on the perspective of the practitioner. Natural remedies are not encouraged nor condoned by medical associations. There are also outdated doctors who still fail to mention the basics, like the need for acidophilus to repopulate the necessary intestinal flora when writing a prescription for antibiotics. When basic knowledge of physiology is ignored it becomes a comment on either the western medical education in body function or a physician’s shortcoming.
It’s true that choosing alternatives from herbs or supplements is not as inexpensive as Canadian drug therapy which is subsidized by the government. But, natural remedies may be claimed as a medical expenses at year-end for tax purposes when listed on a naturopath’s or conventional doctor’s letterhead. Herbs and supplements… when used properly… do not come with the same organ strain that long-term drug use does. We should also acknowledge that there are some conditions where drug therapy is the only route in our current understanding of the body, that permits improved function.
While it’s true that the science of interpreting body imbalance, the physiology of why A impacts B… should be possible today from a blood analysis… it’s often missed by today’s mainstream doctors who instead rely on their drug manual to cope with an abnormal test result. High cholesterol? Write a prescription for Lipitor …is a common medical response.
Prescribed frequently for high cholesterol, an online write-up by a Lipitor (atorvastatin) manufacturer states that it can cause serious muscle problems that lead to kidney problems, including kidney failure; that you have a higher chance for muscle problems if you are taking certain other medicines (without listing them), that common side effects are diarrhea, muscle and joint pain, (with muscle pain the most common); and that some people also experience fatigue and tendon problems.
Does this indicate that the drug Lipitor is not harmonious with various body functions? Someone recently mentioned their medical doctor prescribed Lipitor in case he might fall victim to a future of dementia because of a dementia parental experience. There are so many medicinal natural herbs for brain and nervous system health, herbs that complement the body systemically like foods do – that it’s shocking to hear a medical doctor will not refer to a naturopathic practitioner or master herbalist before promoting drug use for a future possibility. Such is their training, and they paid a lot to get it!
When a doctor’s creative mental process cannot extend beyond the drug-based education they received to silence imbalance signals, an individual could be in for a treatment plan that will miss the goal long-term, if targeting health and vitality.
The buyer beware philosophy is evident for both sides of this coin, conventional or alternative.
Links below can keep you informed of adverse effects from particular drugs commonly prescribed today and possibly, safer alternatives. Each practitioner invested much time and money in their training, it’s the training we might question – much more than the intention.
As always, educated and skilled guidance in matters that we don’t specialize in will be the choice that provides the most safety and efficiency when dealing with either medical drugs or medicinal herbs and supplements. It is, at times, wise to seek a second opinion within your field of choice. In the end, you are the only one who lives with the consequences.
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/
www.azcert.org/medical-pros/druginteractions.cfm
www.drugalert.org
