Drugs don't work. They just make you worse. It's time to Evolve Medicine

You could tell from her a furrowed brow that Nadine was in pain. She had been suffering from chronic neck, upper back and arm pain for the past four months. The pain had started a week after she began to take, Nexium, a proton pump inhibitor medication that is used to control symptoms of heartburn and indigestion. Although, her heartburn was gone she said the pain she was experiencing was just as distressing. 

She asked me, "Could help her wean off the medication."

"I could," I replied, "but it would be a two stage process. Firstly, we would need to identify and treat the cause of your heartburn. Secondly, while you reduced your medication, we would need to encourage your body to switch on the acid producing mechanism in your stomach that had been turned off by the drug.

That sounds like a good plan." she said "but why had my doctor not looked for the cause of her heartburn rather than using medication."

"Doctors, in the current medical system," I replied "are trained to manage chronic health conditions by suppressing symptoms with medication. In your case, your doctor stopped the acid moving from your stomach into your esophagus by giving you a drug that lowered stomach acid. If you had high cholesterol, then the doctor would have given her a statin medication to lower your cholesterol. Medications rarely if ever deal with the underlying cause of symptoms. If you had a pebble in your shoe, you could just take an Advil to relieve the pain or you could just remove it and dump the rock. Medications not only suppress symptoms, but they also reduce functions in the body. In the case, of the Nexium you are taking it stops your stomach from producing acid. Adequate stomach acid is essential for the digestion of proteins including red meat. If the stomach acid is low, the body will not be able to assimilate essential nutrients including B12 and iron. The acid in the stomach also acts as a protective barrier against bacteria and other pathogens including parasites. Low stomach acid would make it easier for such unfriendly visitors from making their home in your small intestines and potentially affecting your health. A final reason medications are not a good long-term strategy for chronic health problems is that they correct one imbalance only to cause another or many others. These imbalances cause what we know as side effects, in your case the pain you are experiencing."

Nadine, who had been quietly listening to me, asked. "So why if this approach is not solving people's problems and, in cases such as mine, is causing more problems, is somebody attempting to change the system."

"That is an excellent question" I replied "There are many reasons, but two important ones. Firstly, there are that there are stakeholders interested in maintaining the status quo, for example, drug companies. Secondly, It would be an administrative nightmare and very expensive to change an already well-established system."

"So what is the answer" Nadine replied.

"It is interesting you ask that Nadine," I said "I am a member of a group of healthcare professionals that is working towards not changing the current system but replacing it with a new one. By getting doctors to change they way they treat their clients, through diet and lifestyle changes, the aim is to grow a new system of medicine from the roots up. This idea is the brainchild of James Maskell from the Evolution of Medicine. Over the past two years, he has brought together some of the top doctors and other healthcare practitioners across North America, who to help him. The group is focused on the US health system, but I hope any change there will be a catalyst for reform in Canada."

"That sounds encouraging," said Nadine "how can I find out more about the Evolution of Medicine."

"That is easy," I replied, "Go to www.evolutionofmedicinesummit.com, where you can sign up to listen to some of the top innovators in this new approach to medicine. If you would like to see a change in Canada, why don't you send the link to your family doctor."

Finally

I hope you found these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with them.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.