Death By Big Pharma: 5 Popular Pharmaceutical Drugs That Destroy Health

Since Western medicine tends to focus on the symptoms, rather than a cure, major red flags in certain drugs are becoming more obvious. There are five very popular and widely prescribed pharmaceuticals that will actually destroy your health more than they will help temporarily.

Rather than carefully identifying the root cause underneath and working to improve it in a holistic way (like changing environmental factors or diet) doctors are caught in a money web created by the pharmaceutical companies to generate revenue, and it’s often at the cost of patient health.

 The majority of prescription drugs for chronic conditions are associated with nutrient deficiencies and a number of side effects that become another health battle of their own. Soon, patients are stuck in a cycle of prescription after prescription; trying to manage the symptoms caused by the medication that came before it. In fact, the CDC states that 48.9% of people are currently taking at least one prescription and 23.1% of people are taking three or more. –Real Farmacy

The five dangerous drugs that all of us living in a “western medicine” society should be aware of are:

1. Proton Pump Inhibitors

Known as PPI’s, proton pump inhibitors are commonly prescribed for acid reflux. You may be familiar with their brand names Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec. However, they have been associated with higher risks of dementia, kidney disease, and heart attacks. PPI’s can cause chronic constipation, low magnesium levels, and increase the risk of bone fractures.

There are very simple holistic approaches to help with acid reflux. Consider discussing these options with a doctor rather than taking a dangerous PPI.

2. Prednisone

Prednisone is a multi-tasking steroid often prescribed for autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and ulcerative colitis. It suppresses the body’s natural immune response that causes it to attack itself, but at the same time it is literally compromising your immune system and making you more susceptible to infections, both mild and serious.

3. Statins

Statins are among the most common medications taken by adults and are prescribed to control high cholesterol levels. As of 2012, over 23% of all American adults over 40 reported taking statin drugs (such as Crestor, Zocor, Lipitor, Livalo, Mevacor, and Pravachol). On a short-term basis, side effects can include headaches, insomnia, muscle aches, nausea, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and rash. But the risks of long-term statin use are even more serious.

Some long-term problems are coenzyme Q10 and vitamin K2 deficiencies, which increase your risk of breast cancer and diabetes, and can raise the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

4. Antidepressants

One in ten Americans take an antidepressant and 60% of those people have been taking antidepressants for more than two years in a row. Unfortunately, their side effects are plentiful and include weight gain, low libido, nausea, problems sleeping, constipation, irritability, and anxiety. But for adolescents and children taking antidepressants, there’s also a heightened risk of suicide, making the drug very dangerous.

It’s crucial to note that antidepressants do work well for some people, but for many people, they simply aren’t an effective treatment. Pay special attention to your body and your wellbeing overall and work with your practitioner to find strategies that help you manage depression.

If you or someone close to you is showing signs of needing help, don’t ignore the red flags. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at any time at 1-800-273-8255 or by chat online.

5. Opioids

While and appropriate prescription of opioid painkillers for acute pain can be effective, opioids are not an appropriate solution for chronic conditions. Because of their highly addictive nature, even people who are prescribed opioids for a brief time (such as for post-operation recovery) can very easily become addicted and begin abusing their prescriptions.

Talk to your doctor or surgeon about your recovery options and other pain management techniques and express your concerns about steering clear of potentially addictive substances.

You should never remove yourself from a prescription without speaking to your medical care provider about it. You can work with your family doctor or a naturopathic doctor to determine a plan to safely wean yourself off of a prescription and replace it with a natural and safer alternative that works for your lifestyle and your body. Just because a more holistic approach isn’t backed by millions of dollars of research doesn’t mean it isn’t effective; it simply means there is a lack of interest in studying it.

H/T [Real Farmacy]