Dr. Craig Reese, DC, PC
DR. CRAIG REESE, D.C., P.C.
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DR. CRAIG REESE DC, PC
April 2009 Newsletter
Spring has officially arrived and we had our first mini-blizzard last week. Sorry for any inconvenience when we closed early last Thursday. We need to have everyone's email address so we can send out emergency announcements like "closed due to the weather". We will be collecting emails for the next month to make sure we have everyone on our list. If you get our newsletter we have your correct address. If you know someone who doesn't get our email newsletters then tell them to send us their email address at staff@drcraigreese.com. Thanks!
Why Your Doctor Thinks You Are Crazy
I read
a book a month or two ago that someone gave me that was written by a Dr.
Steven Hotze, MD called Hormones, Health and Happiness. It is a book about
how this doctor had overcome his traditional training and start looking
at ways to get his patients well. I joked that it looks like he had been
reading my newsletters because the chapters were about weak thyroid, yeast
infections, hormone imbalances, the importance of diet and nutritional
supplements.
There was something he said in the book that I had never heard before
that suddenly made sense as to why so many women are being put on antidepressants.
He states, "The professor teaching this course [History and Physical
Diagnosis] instructed us that if a woman in midlife had more than one
complaint during the review of systems [digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular,
musculoskeletal, and so on], then she was a hypochondriac and should be
placed on an antidepressant." [denotes inserted information from
the same pg. 11]
That was a pretty revealing statement to me since most of the things I
treat affect multiple systems in the body. Hopefully, this was just this
professor's bias and not something that is taught to the whole medical
profession. But since antidepressants are one of the most prescribed drug
categories, I believe this is a widely-held belief.
Not a Sugar Pill
Dr
Al Sears, MD, who I have quoted a lot in the past, recently sent out this
news bulletin:
The FDA Kept This Secret from You for 70 Years
Dear Health Conscious Reader,
Here's
yet another disturbing case of the FDA dragging its feet... After 70-plus
years, the FDA is finally warning doctors that a category of drugs used
by millions to treat seizures, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety,
and migraine headaches doubles your risk of suicide.1
Of the 43,892 people aged 5 and older in the clinical trials, four patients
taking these drugs committed suicide during the trials. Zero of the people
taking the placebo killed themselves.
And this is nothing new. Other brain-altering drugs like antidepressants
have shown evidence of increased suicide, and the FDA has failed to act.
For instance, the FDA's chief suggested that Prozac carry a warning label
when Eli Lilly first submitted it for approval back in 1985. He found
evidence that its use could intensify depression symptoms in some cases.
After doling out more than 300 million prescriptions, the FDA added a
warning label in 2004 - nearly two decades later!1
The bottom line is that these pills mess around with your brain chemistry.
In addition to having many side effects, we still don't know a lot about
their long-term impact on health. So before you accept your doctor's prescription
for one of these drugs, or any drug for that matter, here's what I tell
my patients to do.
The new FDA ruling requires these drug carry a warning that they may increase
the risk of "suicidal thoughts and behaviors."
·
Celontin (methsuximide)
· Mesantoin (mephenytoin)
· Depakene (valproic acid),
· Depakote (divalproex)
· Dilantin (phenytoin)
· Felbatol (felbamate)
· Gabitril (tiagabine)
· Keppra (levetiracetam)
· Klonopin (clonazepam)
· Lamictal (lamotrigine)
· Lyrica (pregabalin)
· Mysoline (primidone)
· Neurontin (gabapentin)
· Peganone (ethotoin)
· Tegretol (carbamazepine)
· Topamax (topiramate)
· Tridione (trimethadione)
· Trileptal (oxcarbazepine)
· Vimpat (lacosamide)
· Zarontin (ethosuximide)
· Zonegran (zonisamide)
1. Make sure you understand everything about the drug your doctor has
prescribed. Be informed, ask questions, and know the risks involved. Here
are some questions you should ask your doctor before taking any drug.
· Why are you prescribing this drug for me?
· How does it work?
· Are there any side effects?
· Does it interact with other drugs, supplements, food, etc?
· Are there any natural alternatives to this drug?
2. Tell your doctor about any concerns you have. There are two websites
that you may find helpful for providing information about side effects
and reactions to drugs and treatments.
· www.drugs.com
· www.Rxlist.com
3. Make sure your doctor knows about any other medications you are taking.
There can be interactions. This is true for both prescription and over-the-counter
drugs.
4. If you wish to stop taking any of these types of drugs, I advise you
to discuss it with your doctor first. Abruptly stopping medication can
result in severe withdrawals.
5. Make sure your doctor is looking for underlying causes of your condition
and not just writing a prescription. Many times a condition can be resolved
once the underlying cause is treated. For example, stress, nutrient deficiencies,
and thyroid disorders can all trigger seizures.
Bottom line: Make sure you cover all the bases when it comes to these
types of drugs. Your life could depend on it.
(http://www.alsearsmd.com/content/index.php?id=dr_house_call_240)
#4 is very important! In the meantime, there are things we can
do to help you get healthier instead of being drugged up to hide symptoms.
Some people may need these drugs but there is still a health issue that
needs to be addressed as well.
