Aspirin / Ibuprofen

Aspirin and ibuprofen are painkillers that provide temporary relief for minor problems. If you take painkillers on a regular basis for headaches and aches and pains, it is important to remember that they are not getting at the primary cause for the pain, and are just masking the symptoms. For instance, if you take pain killers regularly for headaches, would it not be more effective to find out the cause of the headaches rather than relying on a band aid to cover up the symptoms?  

Unfortunately the use of aspirin or ibuprofen use does not come without potential side effects: stomach irritation, stomach bleeding, and ulcers, and increased intestinal hyper-permeability that can lead to allergies. These drugs also have effects outside of the role in relieving pain. Aspirin will knock out the clotting ability of your platelets, and will depress your body temperature thus preventing the body from mounting a fever if needed to deal with infections. Additionally all drugs are essentially toxins to the body, and need to be detoxified and eliminated by the liver and kidneys, causing increased stress on these already overworked organs. 

In many cases increasing the levels of essential fatty acids in the diet can go a long way in helping with pain and inflammation, the reasons why many people resort to pain killers such as aspirin or ibuprofen in the first place. 

Many times identifying key imbalances in the body can make a huge difference in the amount of painkillers you may need for your condition.

Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

Beta Blockers

Beta-blockers are drug for high blood pressure that blocks the boding of a substance called epinephrine to a particular cellular receptor known as a beta-receptor. The effect is to reduce the heart rate and decrease the ford of contraction in the heart. Some common beta-blockers include Secretal, Tenormin, Lopressor, Levatol, and Inderal. Beta blockers are also used to treat angina, and certain arrhythmias in the heart. In these cases beta blockers are not only ineffective but may actually contribute the condition they are trying to prevent.

The common side effects of beta blockers include:

• Cold hands and feet
• Impaired mental function
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Lethargy
• Reduce libido and impotence

Beta blockers reduce the amount of blood being pumped by the heart, which reduces the amount of blood and oxygen to the extremities, hence cold hands and feet and impotence. Beta blockers will also increase cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels.

It is important to remember that drugs are toxins to the body, and put extra stress on the liver and kidneys, the two organs that get rid of the drugs from the body. 

DO NOT STOP TAKING THIS DRUG SUDDENLY, as this may cause sever withdrawal symptoms including headaches, increased heart rate, and dramatic increased in blood pressure. Always tale to you prescribing physician before stopping your beta blocker or any other drugs.

High blood pressure is a condition that responds well to diet, lifestyle, and supplemental treatment.

Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

Heart Medications

Heart medication falls into a number of different categories: blood pressure control,  arrhythmia control and anti-anxiety medication to name but a few. The heart is a system that responds well to diet, lifestyle, and nutrition. Many times the heart is just a mirror for deeper problems within the body. Changing the diet, reducing the amount of processed and refined foods and excercising can make a profound difference.

Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

Recreational Drugs

Recreational drugs have significant health risks attached to their use. They place considerately strain on the body from the adrenal glands that are too often over stimulated by recreational drugs, to the liver and kidneys which have to detoxify and eliminate the drug from the body. If the drug use is combined with smoking, alcohol and or a poor diet, you are placing your body at more risk fro developing serious problems later on. Some drugs act as immune suppressants, leaving the body wide open for opportunistic infections. The overall impact on the body is a profound alteration in the internal environment or terrain. Increased exposure to free radical, pH changes and a systemic loss of minerals and vitamins provide even more stress on the body.

If you are using recreational drugs please talk to your physician about ways to improve the diet, and begin a nutritional supplement program that will lessen the impact of recreational drugs on the body.


Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

48. Thyroid Medication

Thyroid medication is designed to replace or augment the amount of thyroid hormone your body is producing. It is usually prescribed after a physician discovers from a blood test that your body is not production enough hormone on its own. The thyroid gland is a small organ located at the base of the neck, It produces thyroid hormone, which acts as a sort of accelerator to your body's metabolism. Without adequate thyroid hormone, the metabolism slows down; you feel tired, have slower reflexes and feel cold. Thyroid hormone is designed to ameliorate the imbalance.

There maybe underlying nutritional deficiencies that make it more difficult for the body to produce enough of its own thyroid hormone, or a situation in which the cells of the body become more resistant to thyroid hormone. In each of these cases a thorough nutritional evaluation of the thyroid and other organ systems will allow this to be correct, so that yo may be able to discontinue or at least reduce your current dose.

Please talk to your physician about ways to treat the thyroid naturally.



Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

35. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a strong chemical treatment for many forms of cancer, It puts an enormous burden and stress on your body, in addition to the stress your body is already under dealing with cancer. it is therefore very important to maintain good dietary and lifestyle habits whilst undergoing chemotherapy.

One of the common side effects of most chemotherapy drugs is nutritional deficiency especially the vitamin folic acid, which is an essential nutrient for cell repair and immune function. It is important to discuss your increase nutritional need with your physician, who can help put you on a nutritional program that will provide your body with good quality and highly absorbable nutrients.

As with all drugs, chemotherapy is a toxin to the body. It puts additional demands on the liver and kidneys, which have to detoxify and eliminate the drugs from the body. It is important to avoid the many things that can increase the burden on these overworked organs: sugar and refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, smoking, chemical additive and processed foods.



Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing

43. High Blood Pressure Medications

High blood pressure is a condition that responds well to diet, lifestyle, and nutrition. The mainstream approach is to treat hypertension with beta-blockers, diuretic, calcium channel blockers, etc. This may be helpful in acute cases or situations when the blood pressure is very high. for most people a natural approach can reduce their dependence on such medication, which is not without significant side effects.



Many times the heart is just a mirror for deeper problems with the body. Changing the diet, reducing the amount of processed and refined foods and exercising can make a profound difference.

Please talk to your physician about ways to start working on the foundational issues that affect your body, and ways to treat blood pressure naturally.



Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing