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What's in your medicine cabinet?
I recently came across an interesting statistic: 50 percent of all Americans are currently taking at least one pharmaceutical medication daily.
That got me thinking, if that many Americans used acupuncture daily how much healthier would we be as a nation?
Especially when you consider that every year over 100,000 Americans die as a result of taking their pharmaceutical drugs, as prescribed. I'm not talking about the abuse of drugs—which is another issue in itself.
According to a meta analysis of hospital records, the fourth leading cause of death in our country is due to complications from the prescribed use of pharmaceutical medications.
As someone who "takes one or more" prescribed medications a day myself, I am wholly in favor of the appropriate and judicious use of pharmaceuticals. I grew up in the generation that bought into the notion of "better living through chemistry."
I realize that pharmaceutical drugs relieve much pain and suffering and are able to treat and often cure many serious illnesses. My concern is for the great number of patients that take multiple prescriptions daily. These are often for chronic degenerative conditions and must be consumed indefinitely. Consider this: people age 65 and older make up 13 percent of the population, and this number will only continue to grow as we baby boomers mature. Seniors take one third of all prescriptions. Twenty percent of seniors take five or more medications daily.
Given the number of potential side effects for each medication and the potential for interactions between medications it's not surprising that at some point patients are taking medications to treat the side effects of other medications and eventually this becomes a case of the "dog chasing it's own tail."
Let me remind my readers that acupuncture and Chinese medicine are often as effective or more effective than standard allopathic care for treating many common conditions. And while I would never advocate that a patient go against their doctor's orders and discontinue any medications, it is often very beneficial to include acupuncture as part of their health care regimen.
I often urge my patients to discuss potential side effects from their medications with their doctor and pharmacist when their symptoms may be related to their prescribed medications.
The aim of Chinese medicine is to treat the root of the problem, not just the symptoms. Acupuncture, as with many natural therapies works by supporting our bodies innate ability to heal itself. Acupuncture in particular has been shown to be effective in helping to detoxify the body by promoting the healthy function of the kidneys and liver.
Bottom line: patients are best served when they have options in how to best address their health conditions. It should never be an either/or situation. Eastern and western medicine should work together for the best outcomes of all patients. Salud!
© 2012 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
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