Quite often, patients are referred to me that are already taking prescriptions for pain, headaches and the depression that goes along with these chronic conditions. Those of you who follow my articles know I feel that most drugs treat symptoms, not patients, and in some cases they may also be delaying diagnosis of a serious underlying condition.
When asked, none of the patients taking antidepressants have been given tests that evaluate nutritional levels, yet lack of some nutrients can cause many problems, including depression. The following are just a few nutrients, the lack of which, can cause depression: Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Vitamin B complex, Foliate, Amino acids, Iron, Zinc, Iodine and Selenium.
Needless to say, these deficiencies can and do have other, sometimes serious, consequences. Thus, in many cases, in the doctor’s rush to get you out the door with a prescription rather than attempt to improve your all over health and even prevent a stroke or heart problems, an opportunity has been missed. To make matters worse, some of the TCI’s (tricyclic anti depressants), like Nortriptyline and Dexepin, actually have the side effect of a serious heart condition called tachycardia. For example, I have a patient on two TCI’s who recently spent several days in the hospital to treat tachycardia and was sent home with another prescription for a drug to treat tachycardia.
The other family of antidepressants is SSRI’s, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibiters (Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft and more). All of these have potentially serious side effects, especially when the patient is pregnant. To make the situation even worse, the presence of drugs in the patient can actually cause some of the symptoms and interfere with my ability to effectively control them.
My ultimate goal is to move the patient toward optimal health through diet, lifestyle changes, and supplementation. An example of the need for supplementation is the lack of minerals in our food. The farms rarely, if ever, replace them.
In spite of the resistance and pressure from the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA, new fields of medicine are developing, some redeveloping after 100 years, such as Integrative Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine and Anti Aging Medicine that treat patients, not symptoms. Though I am fully licensed to, I have not written a prescription in years. As a result, today my patients improve faster than when I did.
As I stated in previous articles, this method of holistic treatment has very serious side effects: a seriously improved all over health and a vitality that can last far beyond what present society thinks is possible.
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