Are You Taking These 5 Dangerous Medicines Daily? Insights from Dietician Priyanka

These days most of us are leading an unhealthy life because of problems with the medicines and their side effects. Almost all medicines including antibiotics taken for long damages liver and destroy healthy bacteria in gut which may lead to severe nutrient deficiencies . These bacteria are extremely beneficial for us. They protect us from harmful bad bacteria and help to digest food. Some of the bacteria also helps in the synthesis of vitamins like Vitamin B12.

A study was conducted to find the adverse effects of antidepressants and it was found that 74% of participants reported problems with withdrawal symptoms like agitation, insomnia and mood changes. One of them even tried to commit suicide. Most of them commented that they had not been informed about the side effects of its long-term use. I have found in my practice that a change in the thought process, some breathing techniques, 20mins of exercise or any other physical activity daily and improving gut microbiome along with few modification in diet can help to reduce the withdrawal symptoms of depression and reduce the dose of medicines.

These days most of us are suffering from gastric problems like gas, acidity, bloating, indigestion and constipation which can be due to side effects of medicines. Following a gut friendly diet can go a long way toward relieving your symptoms and helping you feeling better. According to some research, about 75% of people with IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (a serious intestinal disorder) can benefit from diet alone. But we never visit a dietician for these health problems and choose to take medicines for the whole life.

Similarly non communicable diseases like high cholesterol, PCOS, high uric acid, high blood sugar or diabetes can be managed effectively with a simple change in diet like adding more fiber, Fenugreek seeds or methi and cinnamon in your diet.

It has been found that half of the people with high blood pressure don't have it under control even with high dose of medicines. That's worrisome because it is the leading cause of heart attack or stroke. It damages the kidneys and may even cause loss of vision. The problem is that drugs that lower blood pressure tend to work well but they don't necessarily attack the cause of the problem.

It has been proven that a healthy diet is an effective first-line defense for preventing high blood pressure and a perfect partner for medications at its initial stages. Unfortunately, most of us are not informed about it.

Recent studies and research has revealed that certain social, environmental and lifestyle factors can promote systemic chronic inflammation (SCI) which is the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and autoimmune (Thyroid, Arthritis) and neurodegenerative disorders.

Therefore only medicines cannot help in management of these diseases. Your current diet and lifestyle is what brought you here. Continuing to live the same way just means your condition is worsening every day and your dosage will need to increase to keep you safe. This leads to organ failure and loss of health & money both.

Some of the adverse effects of 5 common medicines are given below:-

Medicines	Side effects
Antibiotics taken normally for bacterial infections	allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance, digestive problems
Proton pump inhibitors generally taken for gas or acidity	kidney damage, weak bones, loss of memory, heart disease, nutrient deficiencies and lot more
NSAID used for reducing pain and heart diseases	cause lots of gastric issues like gas, heart burn, nausea, diarrhea, constipation
Blood thinner normally used to prevent heart disease and stroke	may increase risk of bleeding and cause muscle weakness
Statin used to reduce cholesterol	cause muscle weakness, liver damage, increase risk of type 2 diabetes and loss of memory