I am really glad that we live in a time period where we have good medicines and good hospitals. However, as a holistic practitioner, I do not believe that medications should be a lifestyle. Medicines are a god-send in crisis situations, but the duration should be a few days to a few months.
Most medications are chemicals made from byproducts of the petrochemical industry. As such, they are not naturally occurring in the environment. Because they are chemicals, they have the ability to disrupt the ecosystem of the human gut.
The human GI tract is quite diverse with bacteria, virus, and fungi which create a healthy microbiome which fosters health. Nine out of ten regularly prescribed medications can leave permanent changes in that destroy that ecosystem:
- Antibiotics
- Beta-blockers
- Benzodiazepines
- Omrprazole
- Metformin
- Xanax
- Valium
- Statins
- NSAIDS
What the study found was:
- Even when the drugs were stopped, some species never came back or were replaced, causing permanent disruption to the GI tract.
- Increased risk of metabolic disorders
- Higher risk of allergies
- Higher risk of asthma
- Increased atopic disorders (skin issues)
- Contributed to insulin resistance
- Increased cardiovascular risk
Now, I don’t know about you, but the increase in risks would make me think twice about taking medications long term.
Until next time,
Dr. Polly
