Coz Being Ageless Is Priceless

Archive for July 21, 2010

Medication Side Effects (and how to prevent them)

A pill box with various medications in it.

Image via Wikipedia

Medications are essential for certain acute conditions. There are people who take medications for chronic symptoms, however. It’s all fine and well until side effects happen. That’s why, a person’s biochemical individuality should always be taken into account when a person has to take medications long-term. A regular review of your medications should be in order, taking into account that there’s less metabolism or excretion of medications as we age.
Fortunately, there are genomic tests available that could tell you instantly and reliably on the kind of pharmacological substances which are most suitable for you. It furthermore advises you which dose grants you optimized therapeutic success.
One such lab is called Genosense in Vienna, Austria. They have a genomic test called Pharmacosensor. This test examines carefully selected polymorphisms which lead to structural changes in proteins that strongly influence the speed of metabolism in a series of pharmacological substances and also account for the accelerated or reduced transformation of harmless precursors of given medication into highly efficient substances.
If a person is unable to do this test, then at least they should be aware of possible nutritional deficiencies their medications could cause and make sure to replenish them.
One such class of medications are the antacid or ulcer medications. Nutrient deficiencies in Vitamins B12, folic acid, Calcium, Iron and Zinc could occur with the following potential health problems: anemia,depression, birth defects, increased cardiovascular risk, cervical dysplasia, heart disease, cancer risk, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, hearing loss, tooth decay, hair loss, brittle nails, loss of sense of taste or smell, and sexual dysfunction.
Another class of meds are the cholesterol-lowering agents called “statins”. They deplete the body of Coenzyme Q10. When this happens, various cardiovascular problems, a weakened immune system and low energy could occur.
Anticonvulsants could deplete the body of Vitamins D, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, Magnesium, Selenium and Zinc. Potential health issues could include osteoporosis, muscle weakness, hearing loss, tooth decay, heart and blood pressure irregularities, cervical dysplasia, anemia, hair loss, depression, dermatitis, fatigue, reduced antioxidant protection, poor wound healing and skeletal problems.
My purpose is not to alarm people who take these medications but to make them aware that an integrative approach to any medical condition yields better results. It’s a good thing that we can now check for nutritional deficiencies. One such functional test in done through Spectracell. It checks for 33 nutrient deficiencies. I love this test because it takes the guesswork out of supplementation. Better yet, most PPO’s and Medicare cover for this test.

Related Articles

Category:

Tips

Organic, really?

Official seal of the National Organic Program

Image via Wikipedia

There are a lot of products in the market that claim to be organic. Just go to Whole Foods Market or your local supermarket, where they now have organic sections or aisles. Does it really mean anything? Up to now, a lot of companies are using the word “organic” or “natural.” These words are used liberally and loosely to create a niche for their products and to attract green shoppers. What’s up with personal care products that say organic ingredients in percentages? I’ve seen labels on personal care products that say 72% or 94% organic. What does that mean? Isn’t a product supposed to be 100% organic or not at all? Anyway, it’s dizzying just reading labels, much more deciphering what they mean. In a New York Times report, it asks the basic question: is it organic or not? Can a product be 100% organic if water used to grow a produce is not filtered or if there’s cross-contamination from a field that has GMO crops? Is biodynamic farming better? Ideally, one should grow their own crops. But, that’s not possible for most people. I myself can’t do it. I can barely keep my bonsai tree alive and healthy! So, I put my blind faith on these big retailers like Whole Foods. Finally, they’re going to require their suppliers to be certified by 2 agencies. Why just now, however? Shouldn’t they have done this a long time ago. Just wondering….

Related Articles

Category:

News, Opinions

Tagged with:

Bad Make-Up

Assorted cosmetics and tools

Image via Wikipedia

What I mean by bad make-up is not how bad the way a person is made up (although, that gives me an idea on something to write about in the future). I’m actually referring to how harmful some of the make-up/cosmetics/personal care products are for our health. The cosmetic and even the perfume industry are industries that are not regulated. As such, some unscrupulous companies could use whatever they hell they want in their products. Some of these products are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) and hormone disruptors. Some companies (even those that claim to be natural) state that the amounts of chemicals (used as preservative agents, among other things) found in their products are so minute to make a dent in someone’s health. Not if you’re getting a little bit of everything here and there. Who decides on what is too much or too little? An article on Time.com called “Toxic Cosmetics” is quite enlightening. Some examples of toxic chemicals include formaldehyde in hair-straightening agents, toluene in nail polish, mercury in skin whitening agents, parabens in shampoos and skin creams/lotions, coal tar in mascara and lead in lipstick. Men are not safe from these chemicals either. Some agents found in men’s personal care products are hormone disruptors, causing an imbalance in testosterone and estrogen. My advise is to use natural, organic products as much as possible. And don’t take a company’s word for it, do your research. Dr. Haushka’s form Germany, Jurlique from Australia and of course, Young Living Essential Oils are among the purest skin care companies on earth.

Related Articles

Category:

News, Tips

Tagged with: