What Doctors won't tell
you.
In the West we've cured the old diseases
like diphtheria, smallpox and polio and replaced them by modern diseases of
cancer, heart failure and diabetes.
Most of us are chronically deficient of some
nutrient or other. Why? Because our modern diet is far from ideal, and intensive
farming has depleted many essential trace elements from the soil (soil
depletion), so even the
most healthy diet is still lacking in some essential nutrient or other.
This chronic shortage takes a long time
to show because your body uses up the last smidgen of these nutrients before
deficiencies start to reveal themselves.
In the Western world, medicine is mainly
curative, not preventive, i.e. we are treated with drugs/chemicals when we
become ill. A doctor in Britain takes five and a half years to qualify and usually
receives only half a day of teaching in nutrition.
But there is a growing awareness that our
future lies not in drugs, but in nutrition and dietary supplements. The
following summary has been taken from several sources and has been edited for easier
reading.
Some foods and drugs are not the answer
Many prescribed drugs--including over-the-counter medications-- can create more disease than they cure. How? By increasing depletion
of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that have essential roles to play in
maintaining or restoring health.
And modern diets are no better (see our
prehistoric beginnings).
Hydrogenated oils that are in just about everything can't be digested, they are
excreted in your stools. But they are the ideal solvent for vitamins, flushing
them out of your body rather than allowing you to absorb them. Palm oils,
hydrogenated oils, milk proteins, lupin flour, and many other ingredients are
used to bulk out manufactured products that are an unnatural diet.
Many doctors are unaware of such nutrient depletion because food and pharmaceutical
companies don't tell them.
If you notice any of these symptoms early on, you're lucky. Until Body Language came along, symptoms often remained hidden--or their causes
went undiscovered -- until life-threatening consequences appeared. Depleted levels of vital body nutrients also
lead to lowered immune system function, in turn causing a host of other
maladies. Now you can target your deficiency with the right food.
Common Drugs, Common Problems
Aspirin, acid-blockers, and cholesterol-lowering drugs can put you at risk for
anemia by depleting the body of iron, the signs of which include weakness and
hair loss. If your doctor detects anemia, they may offer iron supplementation yet
still not identify your medication as the source of the problem.
A lot of drugs also interfere with nutrient absorption or with their metabolism,
storage, transport, or use by cells. Because the initial signs of nutritional
deficiency are subtle, cells and organs may become prone to disease conditions
before the need for supplements (or for changing medications) is recognized.
Medications that interfere with calcium absorption, for instance, can lead to
osteoporosis.
Antibiotics are a good example because they kill helpful bacteria. Women
taking antibiotics consequently develop an overgrowth of Candida, including
vaginal yeast infections, and doctors prescribe even more medications to combat the
yeast. This cycle can lead to immune system disturbance if overused. Antibiotics
also deplete B vitamins that are necessary for hundreds of biological processes,
including proper nervous system functioning--suggesting, yes, another array of
pharmaceutical interventions.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is another category of nutrient-depleting
drugs. Vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium can be depleted, causing lowered
resistance to colds and stress; magnesium depletion also interferes with
absorption of calcium. Low levels of vitamin B-6, B-12, and folic acid
associated with HRT or oral contraceptives also have a high correlation with
elevated homocysteine levels, which result in arterial plaque build-up. When the
heart has to work harder to adapt to plaque-narrowed arteries, blood pressure
rises.
Medications that lower blood pressure cause escalating problems of their own.
Some reduce the levels of coenzyme Q10, a powerful
antioxidant that is essential for cell energy and repairing free-radical
damage to the heart muscle. Deficiencies can put you at risk for heart disease.
Pretty ironic for a cardiovascular medicine!
Blood pressure medications further deplete vitamin B6 (already depleted by
estrogen replacement), thereby interfering with neurotransmitters that regulate
mood, sleep, and appetite--all disturbances that can cause depression. To treat
depression, doctors often prescribe antidepressants that would be unnecessary if
the causes of depression were recognized. Some antidepressant drugs also deplete
Vitamin B2, and can trigger suicide attempts.
Many medications can contribute to making the body too acidic, a condition in
which opportunistic diseases can take hold and in which cancer cells can thrive.
The typical Western diet, rich in meat, dairy products, sugar, alcohol, and
processed foods, already tends to make the body acidic; medications may compound
the problem.
Correcting the Problem
In Europe, one third of cancer sufferers also take alternative medication. Many health problems can be alleviated through methods other than prescription
drugs. If you choose to try alternatives, be certain to consult with a health
professional before stopping any current prescription medication, and continue
to take nutritional supplements to counteract the existing deficiencies.
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