What’s happening to Grandma? Could be overmedication

Is Grandma’s doctor slowly harming her by overmedication? I’m being facetious here, as no doctor wants to injure patients. But remember, today is not the horse-and-buggy era of medical practice. Today, rushed doctor visits and potent drugs can be a hazardous combination. So, can you protect a beloved grandparent?

First, keep an eye on what grandparents are consuming. Studies show that 60 percent of those over 65 are taking five or more prescription drugs. This includes one in five who are taking 10 or more drugs and one in 20 using 15 or more. “Pillitis” has reached staggering levels in 2017, and it’s potentially harmful. Especially when natural remedies may treat Grandma better.

Today, there’s a 30 percent chance she’s taking a drug to lower blood pressure. And also a good possibility it’s making her sleepy.

Make sure Grandma truly has hypertension before she resorts to drugs, as once started it may mean lifetime therapy. She may only have “white coat hypertension,” a temporary increase in blood pressure when she’s visiting a clinic or doctor’s office.

Elderly patients need blood pressure readings taken by a nurse, or the purchase of a digital blood pressure cuff for home readings. These may show no hypertension. Sometimes, even the addition of magnesium such as MagSense will dilate arteries and reduce borderline hypertension. Many North Americans lack adequate amounts of this important mineral.

Anumber of other Grandmas are on antidepressant medication, frequently associated with sideeffects. The elderly may need it, but for those with mild anxiety there is no harm to first see if other measures will ease the problem.

For instance, Harvard researchers showed that a program of exercise resulted in a 50 percent decrease in depressive symptoms. This is the same amount of relief that occurs when patients take antidepressant medicine or receive psychotherapy.

Researchers believe that physical activity improves the connections between brain cells. An added benefit is the camaraderie of exercising with others and having the brain focused on something other than personal problems.

Doctors should write prescriptions for the elderly to have a pet dog or cat to treat depression and anxiety. Harry Truman, former U.S. president, once remarked, “If you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog!” Older people are happier when “Whiskers” curls up on their lap, or “Fido” at their feet.

Historians will be appalled that, today, almost 40 percent of those over age 65 are using cholesterollowering drugs (CLDs). This, even though CLDs are known to harm liver and kidneys, degenerate muscle tissue, are linked to cancer, result in severe emotional problems and increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Sytrinol may be a better option for Grandma. It’s a safe natural plant sterol, helps to lower blood cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, the bad cholesterol, and increases HDL, the good cholesterol. Sytrinol works by decreasing the oxidation of LDL, a factor in plaque formation in coronary arteries, decreases inflammation of arteries linked to heart attack, and lubricates blood platelets to decrease the risk of clot formation.

Unfortunately, few doctors know that high doses of Vitamin C and lysine help prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), a major risk for coronary attack. High doses of C lower blood pressure the longer it is taken. And all of these products are available in health food stores.

Regrettably, it’s highly unlikely Grandma will be informed of these natural remedies. So make sure you or Grandma ask if a natural remedy is available. It makes sense, as 100,000 people die annually from drug complications in North America. To my knowledge, no one dies of natural remedies.

A surprising update: Several people I know have died of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) but never used high doses of Vitamin C. I find it interesting that so far none of my readers can tell me of one person on high C who has died of AD. But the question is why? Since high doses of C help to keep brain arteries open, more oxygenated blood reaches the brain, and this may protect cells from degeneration. And remember, high doses of C also increase immunity, decrease the risk of arthritis, cataracts and even wrinkles.