You may have heard about drug interactions. These occur when you take two or more drugs and they can work together to cause dangerous, even lethal problems. In the last 10 years or so, we have told you that nutritional supplements and even natural foods can also interact with prescription drugs. Some of these interactions are good. But some are very dangerous.
Unfortunately, pharmacists are just now getting up to speed on drug/nutrient interactions. So your pharmacists may not be able to help you determine if the combinations you are taking have potential problems. But Ive discovered a new and simple way for you to maximize the safety of your prescription drugs and still take all the nutrients you need.
Leo Galland, MD is one of the more respected physicians in the alternative medicine community. He has developed a unique software that you and your physician (orthodox or integrative) should know about. He calls it the Drug-Nutrient Reference System. The information on drugs and supplements is just too voluminous to keep on your doctors desk. Theres no way anyone, even with a photographic memory, could remember all that is published. Even conventional physicians, who use nothing but drugs, cant keep up with all the drug-drug interactions.
Dr. Galland’s program is really quite simple and avoids mountains of books and paperwork. Anyone can use it, even a comparatively computer illiterate like me. And if I can figure it out just by looking at the computer screen, I think you or most any doctor could as well. Heres how it works:
Dr. Galland loaded all of the known nutrient-drug interactions into the program. When you boot it up, a screen appears for your name. After that, it gives you a list of hundreds of drugs and prompts you to click on the medications used. Next, you do the same with the extensive list of supplements provided. Then you press the interactions button and the software does its magic. It automatically goes through its database to compare the listed supplements to the drugs. Along the way, it notes favorable and/or unfavorable interactions.
But that is not all it does. It also looks at all the dietary influences on the drug, and/or interactions (both good and bad) with supplements. For example, if you are taking iron for iron deficiency anemia, it will tell you that phytic acid (found in grains) and flavonoids (found in teas) may inhibit your absorption of the mineral.
It also will tell you the known effects of any drug you are taking on your nutritional status. For instance, a particular drug may deplete certain nutrients. (Diuretics, for example, waste your important non-sodium minerals, such as magnesium and potassium.) Once you know this, you can prevent the depletion by taking supplements, which may prevent drug toxicity.
The software also lists drug-food interactions. That will help you see the effects of food on the drug. You can follow recommendations to insure a positive effect. The adverse effects of supplements on drugs are in red boxes (like taking your iron with bioflavonoids).
In clearly marked blue boxes, it lists the beneficial effects. For example, one box says CoQ10 is beneficial when taken in combination with a statin. Another box, in black, lists synergism (where affects are multiplied) of drugs and nutrients. For example, aspirin, a known platelet inhibitor (reduces clotting), has synergism with essential fatty acids. Synergism could be a positive or a negative for you. Here your health provider can be of great help.
Finally, another blue box lists supplements that might enhance your present treatment. Again using iron as an example, the program suggested that beta-carotene might enhance its availability for absorption by up to 300% simply by keeping it soluble. Supplements are also listed that might protect you from the toxicity of your drugs. Or you might find that many controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that fish oil supplements can enhance the response of many drugs. These include anti-inflammatories, heart rhythm drugs, antidepressants, psychiatric drugs, beta-blockers, cholesterol and lipid drugs, insulin, and lithium.
Lets say you are taking the statin drug Zocor. The software would warn you not to eat grapefruit or its juice. These can elevate the drugs concentration. That, of course, could lead to further toxicity. It would also show you that selenium enhances the drugs effectiveness. And it would suggest fish oils as an outright and possibly superior alternative.
The program works for over-the-counter drugs as well. If you are taking aspirin, it tells you that nutrients like cayenne pepper and vitamin C can protect your stomach from aspirin-induced bleeding.
One other detail I really like about the software is that it lists references for all the information. The program generates a voluminous summary of all the available data. The summary prints everything known to the program about what you are taking that you (and your doctor) need to know.
Dr. Galland collected all the information from scientific publications. He not only read the article abstracts (summaries), but the whole paper as well. It took well over 1,000 hours to compile. As a result, this program raises the bar for both alternative and orthodox doctors. Orthodox doctors could make outstanding use of this program to make their therapies safer and more effective. For example, oncologists ignorantly scare cancer patients over simultaneous use of vitamins and chemo. They would quickly see the many articles showing that antioxidants not only protect you from the potential ravages, but they also can make the chemo even more effective.
The bottom line for me is your health and quality of life. That should be the mantra of every physician. Its high time that the orthodox doctors learn integrative methods. That might spare the several hundred thousands who are dying each year from prescription drugs alone.
I cant possibly get into every drug-nutrient interaction, nor tell you all the things listed that can affect any particular problem. However, you can! The program is available for only $250 and anyone can buy it at Dr. Galland’s website. You do not have to be a medical professional. You can begin to change the paradigm of chemical-based medicine by demanding your doctor acquire the program for YOUR benefit. Before you take anything he recommends, make sure you know everything published on the drug.
Demand to know what might unknowingly make his recommendations more risky. You both will benefit. Consider that there are millions of drug-related injuries each year. Every doctor in the country will likely see several at this rate. You could become one! Eliminating even one injury per physician would likely more than pay for the program. Furthermore, the program will open your doctors eyes to proof he might have long demanded for published data regarding nutrition.