Become Your Own Health Advocate (Before It's Too Late)
Does your doctor really discuss all the risks and benefits for the treatment he prescribes to you or do you just willingly go along with what he says?
Do you believe that for every ill there is a pill?
In October 2017, my mom was suffering from frequent nosebleeds and high blood pressure.
When I took her to a doctor’s appointment, I found out she was on six different prescription medications.
It was painfully obvious these meds were doing nothing to cure her conditions.
This happens way too often.
I emailed an out-of-state doctor I knew and asked for her opinion of the drugs my mom was taking.
Here was her reply:
"It is very common to over-medicate seniors, and it happens for several reasons.
There is no acknowledgment that bio-markers increase slightly with age, even for healthy people.
And the assumption is often that all older people need meds;
I know this because doctors keep trying to give my dad meds and he is in perfect health at the age of 86.
For this reason, my dad does not visit doctors without my sister and me with him and we have power of attorney over all medical decision-making (he voluntarily signed the document, and it gives us access to everything).
I’d start by asking the doc what your mom’s numbers were before medication.
He should also be concerned that her blood pressure is spiking, which means that the blood pressure drug is not working.
Why is this happening? Is this a result of stress?
How much fluid is she retaining – could another blood pressure drug be used (hopefully potassium-sparing)?
For every medication – what are the risks of discontinuing this drug?
If you are not happy with this guy, fire him – we did this with my dad’s doctor and the new one tells him to stay off meds and not come back unless he is dropping in to deliver flowers or take the staff to lunch."
Not only was my mother suffering from the side effects of her meds, but she was also suffering from the side effects of not being fully informed by her doctors.
You don’t have to go through what my mother did.
Know the risks and benefits of any pill or procedure your doctor wants to prescribe.
This is called "Informed Consent."
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t settle for vague answers, it is your right.
Become your own advocate.
There’s more to know.
Let me help you cut through the BS so that you can be an independent, energetic, stress-free life with no limits.
All the best,
Ed Bishop
Don't Be a Victim of Polypharmacy
The general definition of Polypharmacy is the use of multiple concurrent medications or simultaneous long-term use of multiple drugs for a single patient for one or more conditions.
Danger of Drug Interaction Much More Acute for Older Seniors and Ageing Baby Boomers
Sometimes the Treatment is Worse Than the Cure
All drugs carry a risk but sometimes the risk may or may not be worth it.
Deprescribing is the cure for ‘disease’ of polypharmacy
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