The Problem with Drug Interactions for Diabetics

There is often a cascade effect from drug use, resulting from both drug interactions, and the nutrient depletion they cause.

A prime example: The high blood pressure and congestive heart failure that results from the use of drugs used to lower cholesterol. Many doctors routinely put diabetics on cholesterol medication as “preventative” measure… whether their cholesterol is high or not.

Your doctor would likely then place you on anti-hypertensive (blood pressure) medication for that problem. There are several blood pressure medications, each with their own set of problems (which I’ll discuss in the future). They are often prescribed in tandem (combination) today.

Incidentally, there are over 20 brands of beta-blockers, a popular blood pressure medication, and they all just happen to deplete the very same critical nutrient CoQ10 that is also depleted by the statin (cholesterol lowering) drugs, which would just make a bad problem even worse. CoQ10 is a natural and extremely critical enzyme used in every cell of the body for energy production. We will soon be discussing the importance of CoQ10 in considerable detail.

Although the combination of many prescription medications may be very profitable for the pharma companies, it just increases the potential for side effects for the recipients.

The congestive heart failure that can also be caused by statin drugs and results in edema (fluid retention) is then treated with diuretics. The problem with the diuretics is that they remove critical vitamins and minerals along with the excess body fluids. The most critical mineral depleted is magnesium, which often results in an irregular heartbeat, for which your doctor might then recommend installing a pacemaker.

That might sound like a stretch, but that is often standard protocol for modern medicine that considers drugs and surgeries as the only available options.

Regarding the pacemaker implant to resolve a temporary mineral deficiency, my aunt Daisie is a prime example. Over 50 years ago her doctor indicated that she needed a pacemaker. When she refused, he insisted that he would no longer be her doctor unless she agreed to the implantation. Fortunately, she didn’t give in, and is still alive today at 93, and without a pacemaker!

The question remains: Just how long can we allow this obvious deception to continue?

Millions of lives were already at stake, and even millions more are now with the more aggressive measures regarding cholesterol-lowering drugs in place. We will soon experience a dramatic increase in not only strokes and heart attacks, but also kidney failures requiring dialysis or transplants (if any available kidneys can be found).

Sadly, we are not the only country having this particular problem. The following article, regarding the frustrations of doctors in Britain, was taken from an emailed issue of the McAlvany Health Alert (October 23, 2004):

The Royal College of General Practitioners has accused drug companies of “disease-mongering” in order to boost sales.

The college, whose members include many of Britain’s 37,000 GPs, says the pharmaceutical industry is taking the National Health Service to the brink of collapse by encouraging unnecessary prescribing of costly drugs.

In evidence to a parliamentary inquiry, the college accuses the companies of over-playing the dangers of conditions such as mild depression or slightly raised blood pressure.

Dr. Maureen Baker, the college’s honorary secretary, wants the Commons health inquiry to investigate the companies’ practices.

“It would be fruitful to look into the increase in disease-mongering by them,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.

“It is very much in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry to draw a line that includes as large a population as possible within the ‘ill’ category. The bigger this group is, the more drugs they can sell. If current trends continue, publicly funded health-care systems will be at risk of financial collapse with huge cost to society as a whole.”

The college lists hypertension, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression as examples of common conditions that, in mild forms, are often inappropriately treated with drugs.

Sound familiar? I can only add “Amen!” That is my sentiments also. Britain is apparently experiencing the very same problems associated with the pharmaceutical industry that we in the U.S. have been dealing with. Apparently, they are now attempting to deal with the issue head on… and the problem in this nation will not go away unless we also begin to address this critical issue.

- Dr. David W. Tanton