Drugs and Medicine

      Although it seldom receive media attention, the other drug problem (prescription and OTC drugs) take a larger toll, in terms of lives, health, and money, than all the illegal hard drugs combined.

      The current edition of the Complete Drug Reference contains thousands of different medications. According to the FDA, there are hundreds of different OTC drug products available. Almost every one of these drugs, whether it's prescription or accessible over-the-counter, it can produce harmful effects. Furthermore, many are highly addictive. One study showed that it's easier to get hooked on commonly prescribed tranquilizer, Valium, than on coccaine or heroin!

How Safe is Safe?

      The truth is that even so-called "safe" drugs aren't totally harmless. In an average twelve-month period, more than 1.5 Million hospitalized people suffer from side effects of the drugs and therapy they receive there. Aspirin alone sends about 1,600 people to the hospital each year who die from gastric bleeding.

      Drug interaction also creates a serious problem. Some individual drugs may be relatively benign but taken together, they can be deadly. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the average American senior citizen is given more than fifteen prescriptions each year. Sometimes, these come from doctors who aren't aware of the other medications the patient may be taking. This could lead to tragedy if the drugs cause a toxic reaction.

All the drugs in the world cannot adjust a subluxated vertebrae.

B.J. Palmer, D.C.