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Here is The Way Up again with an apology for the formatting of the previous
newsletter . The copy & paste definitely didn't keep its form. Medicine
more than computers is my forte. So please delete the first, if you haven't
already & let's try again at least to make it legible-& probably shorter.
MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS ?
If you develop symptoms for which a cause cannot be found & you are taking
prescription or over-the-counter drugs, consider the medication as a possible
culprit. Unfortunately, asking your Dr if the medicine is causing the symptoms
is usually not enough! The Dr will likely say "no" without carefully looking
at the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference). You will be well-advised to look
up the drug yourself & fortunately can do so online by going to the General
Medicine links at https://www.thewayup.com.
Or you can purchase your own PDR from Amazon.com
After 31 years of medical practice I'm still surprised to hear that
Drs have told patients a certain symptom is not caused by their medication-when
it is clearly listed in the PDR & when stopping the medicine clears the
symptom. Also people have the idea that if they've been taking their
medicine for a long time & are only now developing problems, it couldn't
possibly be the cause. NOT SO. In fact the longer you have taken the drug
the more likely an insidious reaction can develop.
I write about this today because of seeing three such incidences in
the past month. All occurred in women over 70 years old. This highlights
the greater chance for medication problems in older individuals who may
have decreased liver function.
Barbara developed sudden severe pain in her groin while taking a walk.
The Dr said it was tendinitis. The pain persisted & spread. She was very
stiff with difficulty turning her head, raising her arms & walking. She
saw multiple Drs & had many blood tests & x-rays. The only abnormal test
was one indicating general inflammation in her body.
We sat down & closely reviewed what she was taking. Musculoskeletal
pain was listed as a side effect of a heart medicine she was given 10 months
before, for unclear reasons. There didn't seem to be a legitimate reason
for her to remain on the medicine so I told her to stop. She did. She
called me the next morning already improved, also saying she had slept better
than she had in months. We found the medication also had the side effect
of insomnia.
She later spoke to her cardiologist who agreed she should stay off
the drug. She has continued to gradually improve as the inflammation subsides.
Jessica developed atrial fibrillation which is a heart irregularity.
Neither heart medicines nor shocking the heart could correct the rhythm.
We did our sleuthing. It turned out she had been taking 2-3 Excedrin
with caffeine every morning for 35 years & it finally caught up with her.
I asked her to stop the Excedrin. She did and ten days later her heart returned
to a normal rhythm. Caffeine can overstimulate an excitable heart.
Annie read a popular book about the treatment of arthritis with low
dose antibiotics. This was useful in those with postive blood tests for
an organism called mycoplasma. We tested her blood & it was postive. She
started the lowest dose to be taken only 3 days weekly (a conservative sounding
program). After 5-6 doses she thought her arthritis was better. I
saw her for an appointment for general malaise, & muscle tested her for
the antibiotic (more about muscle testing in later newsletters). She tested
badly so I asked her to stop the antibiotic. She didn't want to because
she thought it was helping her. She took another pill the following day
& by the next morning was acutely ill, bedridden, feeling like "my head
is going to explode" & with a fever of 102. This looked like what is called
drug fever to me. She got the message. A few days later it cleared & she's
now well. Be sure to approach your symptoms as a detective would. Pay
attention to your body's messages & clues & you will enjoy better health.
WHAT TO DO FOR A COLD ?
1-THINK DIFFERENTLY. We say "I'm catching a cold" like we've gone
fishing or something. Instead think & say I"m fighting a cold". Our immune
systems immediately respond to our thoughts & state of mind.
2-If you get adequate sleep, are not extraordinarily stressed & you
take enough basic nutrient supplements you should almost never catch a cold.
You may rarely but successfully have to fight one off, once every many years.
3-If you feel a cold knocking at your door & want to fight it off,
there are many natural ways to do so.
Please let me know what you want to hear about in the future by clicking
our feedback bar. I hope you didn't waste time with the first unformatted
mess! and that this comes through better. Please forward to anyone for
whom you feel this would be useful.
Until next time, be happy & healthy
Priscilla Slagle M.D.
"Do not hold your mind in tight conceptual patterns, but relax and open
it as a rose opens her blossoms" The Starseed Transmissions
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