Did you know that more than 100,000 Americans of all ages take their prescription medications incorrectly? This can lead to serious illness, life-threatening side effects, and even death.
Medication errors are surprisingly common, harming at least 1.5 million people annually. In fact, 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries occur each year in hospitals, 800,000 in long-term care settings, and roughly 530,000 in outpatient clinics.1 And 7,000 people are estimated to die each year from medication errors.2
The reality is that most Rx drugs─even when taken correctly─have a range of possible side effects, some quite dangerous. Many medications also cause nutrient depletion, an important topic we recently covered here.
On top of all this, many Rx drugs merely manage symptoms as opposed to actually healing illness. So, are they really necessary? Certainly not in all cases, which is where natural wellness comes in.
A healthy lifestyle helps to maintain existing wellness and prevent disease down the line. Even serious health issues can be managed naturally, including─in many, if not all cases─heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and more. Your basic Rx for natural health should include, at minimum:
• Regular, daily exercise
• A healthy diet, rich in lean protein and fresh produce
• A good daily multi-vitamin/mineral formula plus fish oil
• Avoidance of sugar, refined carbs and fried/processed/fast food
• Plenty of pure water and sound sleep
• No tobacco, moderate alcohol
If you stick with this A-list for wellness, your odds of ever “needing” potentially dangerous medications will be greatly diminished. Here’s to a long and naturally healthy life.
References
1 “Medication Errors Injure 1.5 Million People and Cost Billions of Dollars Annually”. The National Academy of Science. 2006.
2 http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11623.
22002 Annual Report, The Commonwealth Fund
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