Staying off the drugs (prescribed ones, that is) (supplement, state, milk)

[Bette]

I'm the type of person who hates to be dependent on anything and I've never taken much in the ways of drugs (not those other kind, either, LOL) or even vitamins.

I don't want to some day know I could have prevented taking such drugs because of something I did (diet, not enough exercise, etc).

If you could go back 10 years, is there a medication you know take that you think could have been prevented? I am trying to lose weight (very slowly - 1/2 to 1 pound a week) and I'm trying to improve my diet. It's very hard b/c I love the wrong foods.

I also need to exercise more. I'm looking for - if I knew it was going to be this way, 10 years ago I would have ______________ (fill in the blank).

Now, if vitamins are really good, let me know that also (I'm not good with all this).

[wit-nit]

Vitamins make up for shortages in your system that are missing from a balanced diet. If you don't like or want to take vitamins a 16oz beer daily will substitute for them.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by Bette

I'm the type of person who hates to be dependent on anything and I've never taken much in the ways of drugs (not those other kind, either, LOL) or even vitamins.

I don't want to some day know I could have prevented taking such drugs because of something I did (diet, not enough exercise, etc).

If you could go back 10 years, is there a medication you know take that you think could have been prevented? I am trying to lose weight (very slowly - 1/2 to 1 pound a week) and I'm trying to improve my diet. It's very hard b/c I love the wrong foods.

I also need to exercise more. I'm looking for - if I knew it was going to be this way, 10 years ago I would have ______________ (fill in the blank).

Now, if vitamins are really good, let me know that also (I'm not good with all this).

I just simply refuse to take any drugs to "prevent" some problem I don't have now. For instance, I won't take the Statin's my Dr prescribed for my nearly high cholesterol. If it's not a problem, it doesn't need a pill.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by stillkit

I just simply refuse to take any drugs to "prevent" some problem I don't have now. For instance, I won't take the Statin's my Dr prescribed for my nearly high cholesterol. If it's not a problem, it doesn't need a pill.

Sounds like all you are doing is redefining what a "problem" is.

You know more than your doctor (and 1000s of other doctors) know?

[PKSeeks]

I stopped taking my statin once because I had lost my extra 30 lbs and thought I didn't need them anymore. My doctor asked me why I stopped and I told him...he told me that my weight had nothing to do with it - that my high cholesterol was heriditary. I had no idea.

[Bette]

Are you taking medications now for something that you feel could have been prevented?

(Concerned about cost down the road and trying to prepare).

Example: My sister's husband has Parkinsons - stage 4 or 5 now. She now is learning a whole new way of eating; maybe if she had done this 5 years ago, he wouldn't be where he is today.

I am the world's worst eater so I'm trying to correct some of my bad habits but it's so hard....

[recycled]

I am age "late 50s" and don't use any prescription meds. I am 6'1" - 186 lb, and ride a bicycle nearly every day and walk a lot, so I get lots of cardio activity. I eat mostly fresh fruits and veggies, fish, chicken, beans, brown rice, whole grains, steel cut oats and drink mostly plain water. No juices, milk, coffee, tea, booze. No canned food, no frozen foods in a box, minimal amounts of "snack foods". I don't feel like I am on a diet because I eat plenty of food, it's just that I try to avoid calories that don't have some nutritional value. What works for me might not work for someone else.

I don't take many extra "supplements" because I try to get most vitamins naturally from food. I take a Vitamin D pill daily, and I also take a magnesium pill because it is good for the heart. Most multi-vitamin pills are difficult for the body to absorb and don't do that much good if a person is eating a healthy balanced diet.

The key to prevent problems in the future is to be in tune with your present state. Know your blood pressure, cholestrol and blood glucose numbers and how they compare to what is considered normal. If some of the numbers are not normal, don't panic.

I have to keep a close eye on my blood pressure. Some foods or beverages can send my blood pressure way above the "normal" range (which is around 120/80). If I went to lunch and ordered a big plate of Penne al Pomodoro (pasta) and then went to the cardio doc for a blood pressure check, he would want to put me on BP meds right away. This actually happened to me 5 years ago, which is why I bought a BP monitoring machine for home and have learned how to keep the BP under control as much as possible without meds.

[Heidi60]

My understanding is that extra belly fat pushes against the liver which then makes more cholesterol, but I am no doctor. Research it for yourself at a reliable site - not one selling snake oil.

Anyway, I also refuse to take cholesterol meds as I can't function when I take them and I have tried several variations. Doctors are trained to be pill pushers for the pharma companies so I always question them about what and why are they giving me any drugs. We use Milk Thistle, Vitamin D with calcium and a good multi-vitamin.

Best wishes to your sister and her husband. If the meds don't work, sugery might a consideration but she should check with her doctor for sure...

[PKSeeks]

Well, if we are discussing eating - I would advise everyone to do a google search on "alkaline vs acidic" foods. Eating a balance of about 80% alkaline/20% acidic is the goal. The statement I heard that changed my eating habits was...diseases cannot exist in an alkaline environment. Extremely important.

[Bette]

Thanks! Good info on which vitamins - that helps!