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Hi Everybody

WE’RE BELIEVERS- Sometimes people think that chiropractors or alternative health practitioners are totally against modern medicine, and in many cases this may be true. However, we are not among these. We believe everything has a time and a place when used appropriately.

The stronger the intervention, the more carefully you need to approach its use. And medication and surgery are very strong. When used properly, medication and surgery are life savers, no doubt about it. But when used improperly, they can be “life-takers”, or “life-ruiners”.

In fact, modern medicine is ranked the #3 leading cause of death overall in America, right behind heart disease and cancer. Also, every time there is a medical doctor strike, the death rates go down. Again, this does not mean we don’t need medicine or surgery, it simply means they are powerful and need to be approached with respect. These days, however, surgical procedures and medications are dished out like candy.

WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU- We have seen several situations now where patients, friends and family have had to enter the hospital with what turned out to be side effects from their medications. The disturbing part is that even when the life-threatening event is obviously due to a side effect from one of their medications, the patient is most often not told that the medication was the cause.

As a result, all the hospital is doing is putting a temporary patch on what will now be an ongoing, possibly life-threatening problem. Only when the medication is discontinued or replaced with one better tolerated will the patient be safe. 

For example, we know a lady who went to the hospital with a major heart problem which turned out to be from a potassium imbalance caused by a mixture of a couple of her medications. The imbalance was leveled back out in the hospital, but she was never told her medication mixture had caused her problem. If she hadn’t figured it out on her own she could have died, or been in and out of the hospital over and over and over.

WHAT TO DO- If you develop weird or life threatening symptoms, especially if your medications or the amounts you take have been altered in the past month or so, get the emergency care you need, but follow up by looking up the side effects of the medications you are on.  Also run an “interaction checker” to see if the mixture of your medications could be the culprit. www.Drugs.com has a good side effect and drug interaction checker. We can’t tell you how often this turns out to be life-saving. These checks are the first thing that should be done at the hospital, but often never gets done.

Develop a good relationship with your doctor and keep a list of all the medications you are taking with you at all times.  Ask questions any time your doctor prescribes a new drug or changes an existing one.  Report any suspected side effects to your doctor immediately.  If you don’t feel that your doctor is giving you the time and care that you need, express your concern to him/her, and if the problem isn’t corrected, shop around for a new doctor.  Keep in mind that most medical practices are busy, so your doctor won’t have an hour to kick back and chat, but he or she should be spending enough time with you to address any concerns you have regarding your health.  Also, if you know a good Pharmacist, ask them for their advice. Medications and their interactions a Pharmacist’s expertise.  It is best to get ALL of your prescriptions filled at one pharmacy so that it is easier for them to spot any dangerous drug combinations.

Medications are powerful, and very useful, but you are absolutely going to have to keep an eye out for yourself.  These days, you simply MUST take the time to do your own checks and be your own advocate.

Hope this helps,

Dr Matt and Dr Robin

mattandrobin@yahoo.com (email)

This week’s bit of Useless Information:  There are more bacteria living in one linear centimeter of your lower colon than all the humans that have ever lived on Earth. 

This email is courtesy of Matthew Barnes, D.C. and Robin Barnes, D.C.  Neither this nor any of our emails are intended to be medical advice and should not be taken as such.  They are opinion and are for informational purposes only.  None of the nutrients discussed here are meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

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