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Too Many Pills? How To Live Independently Healthy By: Vida Humphreys
Each day, television viewers and magazine readers are bombarded with advertisements for prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. These drugs present themselves as the solution for everything from a minor headache to insomnia to depression. Patients and their doctors frequently turn to pharmaceuticals to treat such common conditions.
Unfortunately, patients don't always tell their doctors or their pharmacists what medications (prescription, OTC, and natural) they're currently taking. The result can be deadly drug interactions.
At times, a person may need to take prescription drugs for a short time to treat an illness. However, on a day-to-day basis, in the absence of chronic disease, a person should think carefully before willingly accepting a prescription for long-term drug therapy.
Natural remedies exist for many common ailments and lack the side effects of prescription and OTC medications. In addition, finding a natural, permanent solution to a condition eliminates the chances of suffering from the complications of adverse drug interactions.
Taking two prescription drugs gives you a 5% chance of having a drug interaction. Five medications ups those odds to 50%. If you end up taking a pill for blood pressure, one for cholesterol, an aspirin, something to help you sleep, and an antibiotic, you've set yourself up for a potentially unpleasant experience.
Talk to your physician about avoiding longterm prescription drug use by making lifestyle changes and using natural remedies. Below are some alternatives to traditional prescription treatments to common problems.
Heartburn or Acid-Reflux
Some of the most popular drugs on the market are proton pump inhibitors (PPI) -- drugs that reduce the acid in your stomach and thus reduce the sensation of heartburn or acid reflux. The latest research indicates that PPIs make a patient more likely to suffer a hip fracture. These drugs may help with the acid reflux, but they're destroying your bones in the process.
The best natural method to control heartburn is to eliminate the foods from your diet that cause the heartburn. Next, get some exercise and practice relaxation techniques to reduce stress levels. Finally, you can use licorice root extract as a natural remedy to relieve heartburn.
All sleep-inducing prescriptions come with a host of side effects, including next-day drowsiness, sleepwalking and sleep eating, and the risk of developing a dependence on the medication. Valerian Root is an excellent natural remedy to help you sleep. It's inexpensive and you can buy it at any drugstore.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol are serious and life-threatening problems. Anyone diagnosed with these conditions needs to stay on top of monitoring and treating the problems.
Prescription drugs are normally a doctor's first course of treatment. However, unless you are in immediate danger, such as known blockages in the arteries, ask your doctor about a more conservative approach. Blood pressure often responds to a program of weight loss, exercise, and the use of garlic and potassium supplements.
High cholesterol can also be reduced by diet and exercise; eating your oatmeal and other high-fiber foods really does work. Also, take an Omega-3 supplement and add Omega-3 rich foods, such as fish, tofu and avocados to your diet. Omega-3 improves overall cardiovascular health.
By asking your physician or naturopath about natural remedies to help you stay well with minimum medications, you can live independently healthy and feel great.
For more tips and information about aging slowly, feeling great and looking younger, please visit Vida Humphreys at www.simplyanti-aging.com
Unfortunately, patients don't always tell their doctors or their pharmacists what medications (prescription, OTC, and natural) they're currently taking. The result can be deadly drug interactions.
At times, a person may need to take prescription drugs for a short time to treat an illness. However, on a day-to-day basis, in the absence of chronic disease, a person should think carefully before willingly accepting a prescription for long-term drug therapy.
Natural remedies exist for many common ailments and lack the side effects of prescription and OTC medications. In addition, finding a natural, permanent solution to a condition eliminates the chances of suffering from the complications of adverse drug interactions.
Taking two prescription drugs gives you a 5% chance of having a drug interaction. Five medications ups those odds to 50%. If you end up taking a pill for blood pressure, one for cholesterol, an aspirin, something to help you sleep, and an antibiotic, you've set yourself up for a potentially unpleasant experience.
Talk to your physician about avoiding longterm prescription drug use by making lifestyle changes and using natural remedies. Below are some alternatives to traditional prescription treatments to common problems.
Heartburn or Acid-Reflux
Some of the most popular drugs on the market are proton pump inhibitors (PPI) -- drugs that reduce the acid in your stomach and thus reduce the sensation of heartburn or acid reflux. The latest research indicates that PPIs make a patient more likely to suffer a hip fracture. These drugs may help with the acid reflux, but they're destroying your bones in the process.
The best natural method to control heartburn is to eliminate the foods from your diet that cause the heartburn. Next, get some exercise and practice relaxation techniques to reduce stress levels. Finally, you can use licorice root extract as a natural remedy to relieve heartburn.
All sleep-inducing prescriptions come with a host of side effects, including next-day drowsiness, sleepwalking and sleep eating, and the risk of developing a dependence on the medication. Valerian Root is an excellent natural remedy to help you sleep. It's inexpensive and you can buy it at any drugstore.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol are serious and life-threatening problems. Anyone diagnosed with these conditions needs to stay on top of monitoring and treating the problems.
Prescription drugs are normally a doctor's first course of treatment. However, unless you are in immediate danger, such as known blockages in the arteries, ask your doctor about a more conservative approach. Blood pressure often responds to a program of weight loss, exercise, and the use of garlic and potassium supplements.
High cholesterol can also be reduced by diet and exercise; eating your oatmeal and other high-fiber foods really does work. Also, take an Omega-3 supplement and add Omega-3 rich foods, such as fish, tofu and avocados to your diet. Omega-3 improves overall cardiovascular health.
By asking your physician or naturopath about natural remedies to help you stay well with minimum medications, you can live independently healthy and feel great.
For more tips and information about aging slowly, feeling great and looking younger, please visit Vida Humphreys at www.simplyanti-aging.com
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