Say yes to drugs.
Did I hear that right?
Welcome to The Own Your Health Podcast.
I'm Cyndi Lynne, and I can't wait to
help you step into your health power.
So one of the things I frequently hear is, well,
I'd like to own my own health, but I don't
think I can go all natural, or I don't think
I can go off my medications right.
I really just don't think that that would work for me.
And guess what?
Owning your own health doesn't mean that
you can't participate in the medical system.
Owning your health means that you're going to do
it on your terms with the full understanding, and
you're going to be intentional about it.
So let's talk about drugs.
And with this, I mean, pharmaceuticals and a lot of the
common prescriptions that many of my clients and friends and neighbors
and those who reach out to me are on, and let's
think about how you can own this process.
So the first thing I have to say is in
an emergency situation, in absolutely super high blood pressure, chest
pains, stroke symptoms, those things that we talked about in
two episodes ago that were what is an emergency?
Yes, you're going to take the drugs.
You're going to take whatever you need to take
at the time, and then in owning your own
health, you're going to check in, you're going to
learn, you're going to understand, and you're going to
manage afterwards what you continue to be on.
So one of the first messages I like
to come across and one of the first
really important aspects is that medications aren't forever.
And I know a lot of you have been put
on medications and you're like, yes, you're just going to
take this for the rest of your life.
And that may not be the case.
It may not be the case
because it may become ineffective.
You may need a different medication.
Your body, your hormones, your weight, your circumstances may
change that you don't need as much of that
medication or that you need more of that medication.
So the first point that I always want to
get across is nothing for medication is forever.
It always will have a time that it needs
to be reevaluated, whether it's dose, whether it's frequency,
whether it's side effects, whether it's compatible with other
things that you may need to be on.
So nothing is forever.
And if you go in with that idea, you
automatically start asking questions, okay, if nothing is forever,
how do I get off of this?
How do I reduce this medication?
If this one's giving me side effects, what other
options are there that can do the same task?
Okay, the other really great use for pharmaceuticals is
and there's some overlap in the last point with
this, is that pharmaceuticals can be a really good
bridge until you have the time to make lifestyle
or other types of changes.
I think one of the scariest things for people
who come and talk to me is the idea
of going on medication for mental health issues.
And there's people who really, really rile against it,
and they absolutely don't want to go on medications.
And at the same time, they're
unable to function in their life.
And when I say unable to function, I mean
unable to get out of bed, to shower regularly,
to feed them, to prepare food, to acquire food,
to really do those basic activities of daily living.
And in cases like that, the best way to
own your health is to find something that will
allow you to start those basic tasks.
And that's an area where I actually,
and people are shocked by this,
I encourage people to go on pharmaceuticals. And - this
is the big and, find a good doctor who
will not only prescribe them, but help you work
through the other facets of your health or of
your life that are contributing to this.
So there may be other things going on in
your body, other hormonal issues, other drug side effects,
but to find someone who can help you work
through the root cause of the problem.
But use pharmaceuticals as a bridge so that you
actually can get out of bed, get showered, go
to the grocery store and get food, prepare the
food, eat, and begin to get better, okay?
The same is true for high blood pressure.
If you're diagnosed with hypertension and you need to go
on medications because you don't want to have a stroke
or a heart attack, that may be necessary.
And it may be a really good
idea to go on those medications.
And then, as those of us who own our health
know, you say, okay, how do I get off?
How do I reduce?
What can I change in the root cause of this problem so
that I don't have to continue to be on this medication?
But in the meantime, this medication is
going to hopefully help prevent me from
having a stroke or a heart attack.
Medications can also be a good
bridge for managing blood sugars.
And this isn't one of the first ones
that I really encourage because it's fairly straightforward.
I won't use the word easy, but it's
fairly straightforward to control your blood sugars by
simply not putting sugar into the system, okay?
And that's one of those topics that
could be a whole other podcast.
But if you don't put sugar in, you're not going
to raise the blood sugar level the same way that
you will if you do put sugar into the system.
And by sugar, I mean all carbohydrates.
So medications in the interim for very, very high blood
sugars, to bring them down so that you aren't doing
damage to your tissues, damage to your nerves, and then
have the opportunity to make lifestyle changes with what you
eat and how you move your body to be able
to get off of those medications.
And that's where most physicians I think I can
clearly say most without batting an eye most physicians
see these drugs as long term, if not permanent.
But you don't have to.
You can see any of these drugs,
whether they're for mental health, whether it's
for blood sugar control, blood pressure.
I'm trying to think, of course, at a loss right now.
They can be a very good bridge to get you
where you need to be safely, to be in a
safe place so that you can make your lifestyle changes.
And that's where the ownership comes in, because
anytime you go on any medication, you say,
all right, what's the exit plan?
What do I have to do to get off of this?
What blood pressure readings do I need
to have to stop taking this?
Where does my glucose level to be,
to reduce or to stop this medication?
And I highly encourage you right from the
start when working with your physician to let
them know, okay, yes, you're making this recommendation.
It's for my safety at the moment.
And how do I get off?
What's the off ramp?
What's the exit plan?
And there should be one for every medication you're on,
and that can be an exit from that specific medication,
an exit from that dose to a lesser dose of
medication to a different type, a different acting medication, one
that has less side effects or fewer risks.
What's the exit plan?
So I absolutely say yes to drugs when
necessary as part of owning our health.
And I ask, what's the exit plan?
So just to be super clear on this, owning your
health does not mean that you can't ever take anything.
It doesn't mean that you don't go to your doctor.
It doesn't mean that you
don't ever take pharmaceuticals.
And great.
I mean, we all wish that we didn't have
to, but it does mean taking that responsibility and
doing your research as well, and what are the
side effects and what are the alternatives?
And continuing to ask those questions, even for pharmaceuticals
that you may have been on for a number
of years, it's like, okay, Doc, what's new?
What else is out there?
Can we try lowering the dose? What's the plan?
What's the exit plan for this?
And you may be surprised, because a lot
of times, people don't ask that question.
A lot of times, people don't
want to take the ownership.
So they get on the pill, they get on a shot,
they get on whatever, and then they don't change anything.
And in the defense of physicians, they are
so accustomed to people being unwilling to take
ownership or unwilling to change anything that very
often they don't lead with lifestyle changes anymore.
It's just not worth it to tell people to
move, eat a certain way, because people don't.
And then in their minds, they're simply postponing therapy
for that three months or six months or a
year until the person comes back in.
So I get very frustrated that
physicians don't offer lifestyle, meaningful lifestyle
changes and the education around them.
But I'm also in a position to understand that
after hundreds and hundreds of patients over years and
years of people being unwilling to take ownership, they
assume you don't want ownership and they step up.
And that's how you end up letting the medical
system own your health rather than owning it yourself.
The same is true of supplements.
And there are people who
are absolutely against taking supplements.
There's two schools of thought when it comes
to supplements, and one is that they can
make up for gaps in nutrition and that
it's relatively inexpensive insurance for your health.
And the other side of that story is that
it's just expensive urine that you're making with supplements.
And this, like everything else, depends on
your goals and what you're trying for.
But if you're attempting to make changes in your lifestyle and
you're attempting to make changes in what you eat and how
you cook supplements, in the short term, again, as a bridge
until you get the whole food nutrients in place, may help
you get to your goal more quickly.
There are certain supplements, for example, vitamin D.
If you live in the north, like I do,
I will probably always have to take some.
But again, I monitor levels, adjust and respond.
And it's a choice.
I mean, that's part of owning my health, is that I look
at where my levels are, what I need to get them there.
So I don't believe in just blindly taking
any supplement or any pharmaceutical forever without an
exit plan or without monitoring to see if
there's still a specific need for it.
So that's my words, my wisdom that
I have to offer on this topic.
No, you don't have to go without.
You don't have to give up all of your medical
system cold turkey to begin to truly own your health.
And I love to act as a bridge to
helping you do that, whether it's through the Community,
whether it's through you reaching out individually to me.
If you're looking for some help, if you're looking for
that bridge to being able to own your own health,
you can grab information in the show notes below.
So I'm going to wrap this
one up a little quicker today.
I know I've been getting long winded
and I will see you next time.
And until then, let's go out and own it.
