Participants: Don Mackintosh, David DeRose
Series Code: HFAL
Program Code: HFAL000089
00:47 Welcome to "Health for a Lifetime"
00:49 I'm your host Don Mackintosh 00:51 and today we're going to talk about medications... 00:53 Are they a panacea? 00:55 Is there a pill for every problem? 00:57 Or are there concerns that we should have when we talk 01:00 about medications? 01:01 Joining us today is a specialist in internal medicine 01:04 Dr. David DeRose 01:05 Currently, you're practicing at the Lifestyle Center of America 01:09 which is really preventive medicine, 01:11 which is another specialty that you have... 01:14 And so, this idea of medication, as an internist, 01:18 and I've been a nurse for many years, 01:19 I know that internal medicine specialists give a lot of 01:21 medication - a very highly technical field many times in an 01:25 ICU, CCU... those settings, 01:28 and in preventive medicines, many times physicians 01:30 that are practicing those, they try and stay away from them 01:33 Where do you fall on this? 01:34 Well it actually is a very contextual 01:37 question... like you mentioned. 01:38 In the intensive care unit, we're often dependent 01:41 on medications and there are life or death issues 01:44 that hinge on whether the right medications are prescribed. 01:48 I have nothing against using 01:50 medications in the intensive care setting. 01:52 But, when it comes to the common things 01:55 that people see their physicians for, 01:57 we're often using medications, 01:59 as you and I have talked about before, Don, 02:02 in SUCH a way that we're causing, I believe, 02:06 a misplaced focus in our country. 02:08 And people's minds - they're thinking that DRUGS 02:11 are the SOLUTION when really 02:13 the solution is addressing lifestyle issues. 02:16 So we need to look at what we can do ourselves 02:18 to prevent, stop or reverse conditions we have 02:21 rather than what someone ELSE can package for us, 02:25 and then just hope... Well, that's gonna do it! 02:27 That should be the first line. 02:29 And if the lifestyle is NOT delivering the endpoints 02:32 that we need to ACHIEVE, 02:34 THEN medications may well be appropriate. 02:37 Let me give you a couple of examples... 02:39 Blood pressure and diabetes, 2 very common problems 02:42 that people come to us at the Lifestyle Center of America 02:45 With high blood pressure, if lifestyle is NOT getting your 02:48 blood pressure in a reasonable control, 02:50 and by that, I like to see that 02:52 systolic number optimally below 140... 02:56 and the diastolic number into the low 80s. 02:59 If you're not into that level of control, 03:02 you're running a significantly 03:04 increased risk of stroke and heart attack. 03:06 And you would be better off taking a medication for 03:09 the short-term EVEN if, in the LONG-TERM, 03:13 LIFESTYLE is going to help address it. 03:15 After all, if somebody is carrying an extra 100 pounds, 03:17 they can't lose it in a week, right? 03:19 Not normally. No, even in our program, Don, 03:22 I think the record there, 19 days, 03:26 I think one guy actually lost 50 pounds. 03:28 In 19 days? Yeah, but this is real unusual. 03:31 He had a rare condition where he was retaining a lot of fluid 03:35 So a lot of that was just fluid weight. 03:37 But the point I'm making is we don't change our 03:40 bodies overnight with lifestyle; 03:42 medications may be necessary to decrease risk. 03:46 Another example with diabetes... 03:48 High blood sugars put a toll on 03:50 many organs; one of them is the kidneys. 03:52 Early on when people come through our program at the 03:54 Lifestyle Center of America, we check their 03:56 indicators of kidney damage. 03:58 We check a very sensitive measurement 04:00 called "microalbumin" 04:02 It's looking for how much of a tiny amount of protein 04:06 is in the urine. 04:08 If there's an elevated amount, this shows 04:11 that early kidney changes are occurring. 04:14 We don't want to play games with that. 04:15 We don't want to say, "Well, you know, lifestyle, 04:17 when you lose these 200 pounds and you stick with this diet 04:22 for 2 years, your blood sugar will probably be fine" 04:24 No, we want to say... "Look-it, if your blood sugar 04:26 is not under control with lifestyle, 04:27 after 2 weeks or so on our program, 04:30 we're going to have you leave on medication. " 04:32 So you actually, sometimes, PUT people on medication. 04:34 Sometimes I put people on medication. 04:36 But your IDEAL is to get them off that eventually. 04:39 Yeah, the FOUNDATION is LIFESTYLE. 04:41 Medication may be used in the short-term if it's necessary; 04:44 in the long-term if that's the only option we've got. 04:46 So you're not saying... Go home and throw out all my medications 04:48 but WISELY consider what you really need for the short-term 04:53 with somebody who knows what they're doing. 04:54 That's exactly the message we're giving. 04:56 I think the average American is not aware 04:59 of all of the problems there are with medications 05:01 on an individual basis. 05:03 We've talked before about societal problems... 05:06 We've talked about this misplaced focus that the 05:09 drug marketing and the drug emphasis has led to. 05:12 We've talked about societal problems like 05:15 antibiotic resistance and how that has fed into 05:18 this culture of indiscriminate use of antibiotics. 05:22 But Don, there are some REAL problems when it comes 05:25 to the INDIVIDUAL when it comes to using medication. Like what? 05:29 Let me tell you one of them... Allergies 05:32 Allergies FROM medications... From medications 05:35 A very common cause of allergies is medications. 05:38 It can be anything from skin reactions to 05:40 serious life-threatening reactions like anaphylaxis... 05:44 ...A shock condition - can kill a person. 05:48 Stop breathing, blood pressure drops down to next to nothing... 05:51 And you can DIE! 05:53 The leading drug in anaphylactic reactions on a recent review 05:56 that I look at was penicillin. 05:59 Another study looked at the experience in another 06:03 Western nation with drugs and liver injury; 06:07 sometimes fatal injury. 06:09 The leading drug that emerged in that study was erythromycin. 06:13 and this is because they're allergic to it, 06:15 and the liver reacts? These are toxicities 06:18 In the case of the liver problem with erythromycin, 06:22 it wouldn't necessarily be allergic. 06:24 It's because it goes to that organ and it's supposed to 06:28 eliminate it from the body and it has problems doing that... 06:30 That can be one scenario, or the liver can be a 06:32 target for the drug for other reasons. 06:35 To attack it because it has disease-type things there, 06:37 or it thinks it does, something like that. 06:39 There is a variety of mechanisms why drugs have toxicity. 06:43 One.. is an allergic mechanism. 06:45 Okay, so that is sometimes involved in some of these things 06:47 and there are drugs that can cause, what we call, 06:49 "autoimmune liver problems" 06:52 They can cause an autoimmune hepatitis from a drug. 06:55 But, these immune system allergy-related phenomena 07:00 are ONE side of the picture, 07:01 but then there are other side effects from the drugs 07:04 that different tissues can be targets for that drug; 07:08 the tissue, the nature of that tissue, 07:10 whether it's the kidney, whether it's the liver, 07:12 whether it's MUSCLE - it doesn't have to be involved in the 07:15 elimination of the drug. 07:16 Muscle is a target for some of the cholesterol-lowering drugs, 07:19 and some people who are susceptible to 07:22 these drug side effects get problems in the muscle 07:25 because of the drug. 07:26 Are there any common side effects that we 07:28 have that we can prevent? 07:31 Clearly... One way, the BEST way to prevent any drug-related 07:35 side effect is not to use the medication, 07:40 and because these side effects are rare, 07:41 I mean, they are often in the 2% - 5% range, less than 1% 07:47 People say, "Well, I take medications all the time, 07:50 I never have side effects" 07:52 But the list of side effects is growing, 07:54 and the list of concerns is growing. 07:55 And Don, often in the life history of a drug, 07:59 we become aware of side effects 08:01 that we were unaware of at another point in time. 08:04 Take for example... aspirin 08:06 MOST parents know today... you don't give it to your kids 08:11 because of Reye syndrome. 08:13 Whether it's influenza or chickenpox... 08:15 certain viral illnesses, if you give the kid aspirin, 08:19 they can get FATAL brain and liver problems 08:21 called Reye syndrome. 08:23 But back in the 80s, before, we didn't REALIZE that! 08:27 And so ASPIRIN - has it now become more dangerous? 08:30 NO, it was always dangerous in these situations, 08:34 but we didn't REALIZE it. 08:36 We're NOW starting to raise 08:37 concern about many common drugs. 08:40 Antidepressants... a number of them, 08:42 concerns coming out in the medical literature 08:44 they may increase the risk of breast cancer. 08:47 Does that mean we throw out the antidepressants? 08:49 NO... but we don't just say, 08:51 "Well look-it, ANY antidepressant for the 08:53 rest of your life... that's fine" 08:55 Calcium channel blockers, a category of drugs used 08:59 for high blood pressure and heart conditions... 09:01 There's some indication that these drugs 09:03 may be associated with increased risk of intestinal bleeding 09:07 which can lead to hospitalizations and even DEATH! 09:10 So, we're saying, "Well, is all the evidence there yet?" 09:13 "Is this dyed-in-the-wool medical science and fact?" 09:17 No, not yet... but the concerns are growing. 09:20 And Don, here's the real shocker... 09:22 Growing epidemic in our country CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE! 09:27 Which means... what? 09:29 I'm glad you're pinning me down on it 09:30 because I always try to let patient's know 09:32 I wish we had a different term for this... 09:34 You know, you hear "heart failure" 09:36 ...you think the person has one foot in the grave, right? 09:39 Heart failure... we use that terms medically, of course, 09:42 when the heart has more work to do than it's able. 09:45 And so congestive heart failure is a condition 09:48 where the person's heart is just not able to pump 09:50 as much as the body needs, 09:52 and typically fluid will back up into the legs, 09:54 maybe back up into the lungs... 09:56 But here's the real shocker... 09:58 Some recent research is suggesting that the common class 10:03 of drugs called "nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs" 10:06 ...these are drugs like over-the-counter Nuprin, 10:08 ibuprofen, Motrin, Clinoril, a whole host of these drugs, 10:15 Advil, naproxen, Naprosyn 10:17 All these drugs that we just 10:20 TAKE for any kind of ache or pain, 10:23 they may be actually contributing to heart failure. 10:26 Preliminary studies... it's not fact yet, 10:30 but when you start seeing these concerns, Don, 10:32 I HAVE TO ASK... and I have to tell my patients, 10:34 "Look, when you take these things that you think are 10:37 innocuous, they may be just as innocuous as aspirin was 10:41 in its relation to Reye syndrome. 10:42 The were only innocuous in the perception of the 10:45 consumer and the physician because we had 10:48 NOT recognized the linkage with health problems yet. 10:51 But isn't that what they're supposed to do 10:53 when they produce these drugs? 10:54 Isn't this why they have the FDA and all these different 10:57 companies that are watch groups that look over 11:02 medication and whatnot? 11:03 You know, I have to tell you, Don, I'm thankful that we 11:05 are fairly careful as far as what drugs 11:08 are released on the market. 11:09 We do fairly well, FAIRLY well; I'm not going to say we're 11:13 perfect at not releasing drugs 11:16 that cause sudden toxicity in lots of people. 11:20 We're pretty careful about that... 11:22 but all you have to do... 11:24 Most people if they've been on prescription drugs 11:26 they've gotten a call at some time, from their physician 11:30 saying, "You know this antiarrhythmic, 11:32 this drug for your heart rhythm problem - just off the market, 11:34 more people using it are dying than it is actually saving. " 11:38 Or, "People are dying from this pain pill, 11:41 and you're on it, we need to stop it. " 11:44 Or, "This drug for your diabetes has caused some liver deaths, 11:48 and this drug is now off the market. " 11:51 And so people that have been on many medications 11:53 and taking them for a period of time, 11:55 this is where we especially need to be concerned... 11:57 They know that these drugs slip off the market 12:01 because what happens is over time, Don, 12:04 we REALIZE the problem. 12:05 It's a bigger study that goes on when everybody 12:07 starts taking it. That's exactly right 12:09 And let me ask this... 12:11 Is it true also they may do a test on a particular medication 12:15 but then once you start taking it with the other medications 12:17 you've already been taking, you've got a new mix 12:20 or a new blend that they never studied! 12:21 This is another huge issue. 12:23 Another huge issue is this whole area of drug interactions. 12:26 And the more drugs we use, the more we increase the risk 12:31 of interactions and it's not just limited to DRUGS! 12:33 You know as we're talking about drugs and medications, 12:35 whenever I TALK about medications, I know there are 12:38 people listening to me and they say... "Yeah, see - look quick 12:41 ...quick send this out because we're selling these 12:43 nutrient supplements and quick ... have them watch Dr. DeRose 12:46 and hear what he's saying about all the side effects of drugs. 12:50 Because they need our supplement? That's right! 12:52 But supplements have their problems too... 12:56 not only with toxicities but with drug interactions; 12:59 these are REAL concerns! 13:00 And now physicians are being URGED to take not just a 13:04 careful medication history on their patients, 13:06 but to find out what herbs they're taking; 13:09 what supplements they're taking. 13:11 Some of these things are FAR from innocuous 13:13 especially because we take them in huge amounts. 13:16 What types of herbs and supplements do you especially 13:20 CAUTION people to avoid? 13:22 Well maybe it's better expressed when we talk about 13:25 what other drugs a person may be on. 13:27 Let me give you a classic one... 13:29 And that's the anticoagulant, the blood thinner, 13:31 warfarin or Coumadin. 13:33 A very common drug and it does have some 13:36 VERY important benefits. 13:38 People that have had serious problems with blood clots, 13:40 people that have serious heart rhythm problems, 13:44 even though they feel well, like atrial fibrillation which 13:47 is a quivering of the chambers in the upper part of the heart 13:51 Coumadin.. warfarin could actually 13:53 decrease the risk of a stroke. 13:55 The clots don't form... Yeah, clots don't form 13:57 in that quivering chamber and then flick off 14:00 and go to the brain; so a very useful drug 14:03 But this DRUG, if you're changing what you are 14:06 taking into your mouth, even if you make healthy dietary changes 14:10 you've got to be careful if you start taking supplements 14:12 you've got to be very careful, 14:14 in fact, you shouldn't do it without telling your doctor. 14:16 This is something we're very mindful of at the 14:18 Lifestyle Center of America because we have people 14:20 start eating a better diet when they come. 14:22 That means more green leafy vegetables... 14:24 and that actually typically increases the need 14:28 for warfarin or for Coumadin 14:30 if people are going to keep their blood just as thin 14:32 because the green leafy vegetables have 14:34 lots of vitamin K which works 14:37 AGAINST these blood-thinning medications. 14:39 So it's not as simple as saying "NO" to medicines, 14:41 you're saying - you increase their blood thinner because 14:44 they have increased their other plant-based medication 14:48 if you will, the green leafy vegetables... 14:49 And so you really need to have the input of someone 14:52 that's really been looking into this. 14:54 When you're on medications, you DON'T want to play games! 14:58 If you've got serious medical problems, 15:00 you don't want to just treat yourself. 15:02 I'll tell you, there is a fellow that came into my office 15:05 ...not an uncommon story, with BAGS of supplements. 15:08 One of these individuals said, "Look-it, I'm stopping all 15:11 these things because I think it's contributing 15:13 to some of the problems I've been having, 15:15 and that's NOT an underestimation. 15:17 We've been talking with Dr. David DeRose 15:20 We've been talking about medication. 15:22 It's not a panacea... They are needed. 15:24 You need the information that you can gain from people 15:28 that have studied this and made this their lifework many times, 15:32 but just good common sense as well. 15:34 One of the things that the doctor has been saying is 15:37 look for ways to meet the objectives 15:39 WITHOUT medication and don't just start 15:41 medication without really thinking it through 15:43 whether it's prescription or over-the-counter. 15:45 When we come back we're going to further 15:47 look at this issue and I'm going to be asking 15:50 the doctor about over dosage and different other 15:53 situations that you may have heard of 15:55 or maybe have experienced yourself... 15:57 And we hope that you can join us when we come back. 16:03 Have you found yourself wishing 16:04 that you could shed a few pounds? 16:05 Have you been on a diet for most of your life, 16:08 but not found anything that will really keep the weight off? 16:11 If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, 16:14 then we have a solution for you that works! 16:17 Dr. Hans Diehl and Dr. Aileen Ludington 16:19 have written a marvelous booklet called... 16:22 "Reversing Obesity Naturally" 16:24 and we'd like to send it to you FREE of charge. 16:27 Here's a medically sound approach successfully used 16:29 by thousands who were able to eat more and lose weight 16:32 permanently without feeling guilty or hungry 16:35 through lifestyle medicine. 16:37 Dr. Diehl and Dr. Ludington have been featured on 3ABN 16:41 and in this booklet, they present a sensible approach 16:43 to eating, nutrition and lifestyle changes 16:46 that can help you prevent heart disease, 16:48 diabetes and EVEN cancer! 16:50 Call or write today for your free copy of... 16:52 "Reversing Obesity Naturally" 16:54 and you could be on your way to a healthier, happier YOU! 16:57 It's ABSOLUTELY free of charge, so call or write today. 17:03 We've been talking with Dr. David DeRose 17:04 We've been talking about medication. 17:06 What is the wise way to utilize medication? 17:09 What are harmful ways? 17:11 What are ways that we need to be cautious, 17:13 or things we should avoid when dealing with medication. 17:16 Doctor, another question that comes to mind here... 17:20 You know, some people maybe are perpetuating the very 17:24 conditions they want to avoid. 17:26 Is this true... when they take medications? 17:28 This is a VERY interesting question. 17:30 A classic example has to do with headache preparations. 17:33 This is true of over-the-counter headache medications 17:36 as well as prescription drugs. 17:37 Usually very high in caffeine, right? 17:39 That's exactly right and that's the CATCH! 17:41 Many people have caffeine withdrawal headaches. 17:44 And so what do they take to get rid of their 17:46 caffeine withdrawal headache? 17:48 Well they take their pain pill that has CAFFEINE in it! 17:51 And there are some people in our country, 17:53 it's not the majority, I don't think, 17:55 that are avoiding caffeine... 17:57 Because they're concerned about 17:59 caffeine withdrawal headaches... Yeah, not too many! 18:01 But here's what happens though... 18:02 even in those people, the drug ITSELF can be 18:05 perpetuating the condition. 18:07 You see, they take caffeine to get rid of the 18:09 caffeine withdrawal headache, 18:11 and then when the caffeine level drops, 18:13 the caffeine withdrawal headache recurs, 18:15 and then they take the caffeine- containing headache pill. 18:18 Boy, that's a pretty sneaky way to get your 18:21 medication to be needed, right? 18:23 Well, I don't want to speculate on motives! 18:28 But definitely there are patients who get into a 18:31 vicious cycle where the medication 18:33 is contributing to the problem. 18:35 Headache is a classic example 18:36 with these caffeine-containing preparations. 18:38 So, if you're taking something for headache, 18:40 make sure and look at it and say... 18:41 "Hey, does it have caffeine?" 18:43 It usually says, right on the side whether or not 18:44 it has caffeine, doesn't it? 18:46 Labeling generally will disclose that, 18:48 and talk with your physician... 18:49 If you're being prescribed a prescription 18:51 caffeine-containing pill, 18:53 you may need to make a break with the caffeine for a while 18:56 with the guidance of your physician if you are 18:58 being prescribed something I say that. 19:00 If you are just taking over-the-counter stuff, 19:02 it's usually safe to make that break on your own. 19:04 Now maybe some people are taking some medications 19:06 and they're having side effects that they don't 19:08 see as side effects, so they just don't even KNOW 19:10 they're having side effects! 19:12 Is that true and, if so, what are those? 19:15 Well you know, we've talked a lot, Don, 19:17 about side effects that kind of creep up on you. 19:20 For example, we mentioned the calcium channel blockers, 19:23 and the risk of bleeding perhaps; 19:25 increased risk of congestive heart failure with 19:28 certain pain-relieving drugs, 19:30 or even the increased risk of breast cancer with 19:32 certain antidepressants... 19:33 Well what kind warning signs do people have with these things? 19:35 I mean, before you have a big bleed in your intestine, 19:40 a big bleeding problem, do you have little blood spots 19:43 that you'd find in your stool? No, not usually 19:46 Before you have breast cancer, do you start feeling your 19:49 breast tingling because of the - ... No 19:51 No, I mean, so often these things creep up on you. 19:54 One of the scariest ones to me actually, Don, is 19:57 "tardive dyskinesia" 19:59 What in the world does that mean? 20:01 Well, I'll tell you, if you've visited a nursing home 20:05 you've likely seen people with tardive dyskinesias. 20:08 They're usually... Well, what they are is uncontrolled 20:12 movements, often kind of lip-smacking or twisting 20:15 movements of the face and 20:17 yeah, it can affect the hands and other things. 20:20 These are uncontrollable movements; 20:22 it's usually irreversible and they're associated with 20:24 major tranquillizers... 20:25 And unfortunately, many times in these 20:27 extended care facilities, people are on large amounts of these. 20:31 Now people say, "Well you know, I feel sorry for grandma, 20:34 that she's on these medications but she's not aware of anything 20:37 so, it's sad but we understand you gotta keep her sedate. " 20:43 Here's the issue... 20:44 These same class of medications are used by healthy young people 20:48 For example, "Reglan" a drug 20:51 that is used to regulate intestinal function, 20:54 or "Compazine" a drug that's 20:55 used to treat nausea and other problems... 20:58 These DRUGS are used often FREQUENTLY 21:01 and sometimes repetitively by people, 21:03 and they are in this same class of major tranquillizers. 21:06 They're not being prescribed for mental reasons. 21:09 But they can cause these tardive dyskinesias, 21:12 and the problem is, Don, people often don't have any warning. 21:15 It just comes up on them and... 21:17 And then it's irreversible! Yeah 21:19 So the message is... BE AWARE THAT DRUGS 21:22 CARRY WITH THEM SIDE EFFECTS, 21:24 and DON'T just say, "What's the next pill I can take 21:26 for this problem?" 21:28 Ask your doctor, when he or she is prescribing a drug, 21:31 say, "Look-it, there are other options" 21:33 "Is there anything I can do with my lifestyle?" 21:36 "Any changes I can make in my diet that may 21:38 help me avoid this drug right now or down the road?" 21:42 So, what you've said is 2 things... 21:44 You said... When you take medications, 21:45 or change medications or think about doing something different 21:49 in that area, TALK to your physician. 21:51 But now, what you are saying is... 21:53 Don't just LISTEN to your physician 21:55 ...I want to put you on this next medication, but say, 21:58 "WHY... is there any way we can avoid drugs altogether" 22:01 and ask that question, is that what you're saying? 22:03 That's the message I try to give people. 22:05 It's a re-education because what we're trying to say 22:08 is we've got to move from this mentality as a society. 22:11 If I have a problem... I've got to take a drug. 22:14 There are problems for society, 22:16 we've talked about this before with antibiotic resistance. 22:18 There are problems for the individual, 22:19 whether it's allergy, whether it's other side effects, 22:22 and these are real issues that we need to talk about. 22:25 What about poisoning? 22:26 Well poisoning is an issue that most people say... 22:30 "Oh, it's not really a danger for me" 22:32 We've alluded to this in some of our discussions before, Don, 22:35 but most people may be aware that alcohol is something 22:39 dangerous when there are kids around. 22:41 Most people are aware that prescription drugs should be 22:44 kept out of the hands of children, 22:46 but they don't realize that when you keep powerful drugs 22:50 in your medicine cabinet, they may be at risk for YOU. 22:53 If you get down, if you get depressed, 22:56 YOU may be tempted to reach for 22:58 that bottle of sleeping pills and maybe just try to end it all 23:04 ...And so this is a real consideration. 23:06 Some of these medications can be toxic when taken 23:09 in large amounts and can be life-threatening. 23:11 Medications and accidents... 23:13 You know, a lot of people, when you talk to them about 23:15 accidents, you say - Well what kind of drugs cause accidents? 23:18 Well they say, "Illicit drugs, it's these drug abusers" 23:21 "Boy, if someone is driving wildly on the road, 23:24 they're probably taking cocaine or heroin. " 23:26 Actually if you look at the statistics - workplace injuries, 23:30 it's not illicit drugs that are causing the problem. 23:33 It's things like alcohol and prescription drugs. 23:36 Many of the drugs that we've been tempted to think 23:40 are innocuous and I say "tempted" 23:42 I think most people realize that medications are not as 23:46 squeaky-clean as we may like to believe. 23:50 And so... take for example anti-allergy pills... 23:53 Cold and flu preparations... 23:55 These drugs with antihistamines often can impair performance. 24:00 Very interesting study on the 24:02 drug "diphenhydramine or Benadryl" 24:04 VERY INTERESTING! 24:05 I was just going to ask about that... 24:07 Yeah, yeah... you were going to ask about Benadryl. 24:08 You've probably seen some of the research that has 24:10 come out lately because people who 24:13 have NO APPARENT performance- limiting effects from this drug 24:20 Benadryl or diphenhydramine which creeps into 24:22 all kinds of over-the-counter preparations, 24:24 their performance, when it's measured, is impaired! 24:27 Behind the wheel, they don't drive as well. 24:30 And if you talk about leading causes of accidents on the job, 24:34 it's not some guy on a scaffold up at 500 feet, 24:38 it's people behind the wheel, 24:40 and it's often these common drugs! 24:42 Whether it's Benadryl or something else, 24:43 it's impairing our cognitive abilities, 24:46 decreasing our mental faculties. 24:49 And I know it says it right on the package many times that 24:51 these things can, in fact, happen... 24:53 But most people just don't seem to get the message. 24:57 Well you know what? 24:58 We don't rely on what the message says, Don. 25:01 You know what we rely on? Our personal experience. 25:04 I FEEL FINE! 25:06 Same with the person who says "I can handle my alcohol" 25:08 Even a LITTLE BIT of alcohol 25:10 measurably impairs performance. 25:13 It's the same with many of these medications. 25:15 It's almost as though there are really some kind of 25:17 maybe even moral issues that are associated 25:22 with how we choose to take medications, 25:24 and maybe how we, as a country, manufacture them. 25:27 You know a lot of people would say this is 25:28 this is taking the issue too far, 25:30 but I've got to think of the example of our Lord... 25:34 As He was on the cross on that dark Friday, 25:38 He was offered an over-the-counter pain reliever, 25:41 and what did He do? 25:43 "I don't want it" He didn't want it. 25:44 Now WHY not? 25:45 He wanted to be fully aware about what was happening. 25:48 That's right... He didn't want to suppress His mental faculties 25:52 How does God communicate with us? 25:55 Through our mind. 25:57 And so JESUS, as He's there, 25:59 I mean - what kind of pain was He dealing with? 26:02 On a spiritual level, on a physical level, 26:04 and what do we pop pills for? 26:06 I'm NOT saying we can never use a pain pill. 26:09 I've been in situations where 26:11 I, myself, have even taken a pain pill. 26:13 Not typical, very unusual but I was in a serious 26:16 auto accident once and I did take some pain pills. 26:20 And there are situations in life where medications 26:24 may be the BEST response we know... 26:26 But too frequently, we resort to these things 26:31 when there are better alternatives, 26:32 and they would keep our minds clear 26:34 for God's communication. 26:36 Reminds me of another story in Scripture about 26:39 the first tempter in the Bible that being the serpent, 26:42 who said... take some of this and you'll feel better, 26:45 your mood will change, you'll get high, so-to-speak. 26:49 I mean it's a beautiful analogy! 26:51 ...Because Satan was telling Adam and Eve to deviate 26:54 Deviate from God's lifestyle program. 26:57 Deviate from this perfect plan He gave in Genesis. 27:01 It included everything there, not just relationship with God 27:04 but diet, exercise, fresh air, sunshine. 27:06 It was all there - these health-giving, 27:09 life-giving benefits and Satan said, "No take THIS" 27:13 I'm not trying to say all drugs are a temptation from Satan 27:16 ...you know, we've got to give that message. 27:19 But we have to be wise. We gotta be wise! 27:21 So you're not saying throw everything out. Definitely not 27:24 But you're saying - be wise about what you use, 27:26 why you use it, how you use it and consider all these issues. 27:29 We've been talking with Dr. David DeRose 27:31 He is a physician at the Lifestyle Center of America 27:34 He helps people UNTANGLE their medication difficulties 27:38 with the common illnesses that afflict Americans, 27:41 heart disease and diabetes 27:43 and other things also are addressed there. 27:46 We hope that you have enjoyed the program today, 27:48 and we hope that you'll be wise in using your medications 27:51 and directing and leading your family in that regard... 27:55 And we hope that you do consult with those 27:57 who really can help you if you have questions. |
Revised 2014-12-17