Big Pharma

John 10:10 (“the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy”, but Jesus came to give us life abundantly) makes that quite clear. Sometimes when a thief comes, he/she initially does good before embarking on mischief and mayhem, a stellar reason to be on our toes, use discernment, and have situational awareness.

 

The world of pharmaceuticals is no different. While there will always be a time and a place for certain medications, when misused or over-trusted, there can be some mischief and mayhem that results. Roughly 100% of us ( ) have a digestive issue at some point in our lives, and about 20% of adults in the USA will end up with one of the most common “modern-day” digestive complaints: reflux (aka GERD). Did you raise an eyebrow over my referencing that as a modern-day problem? GERD hasn’t always been a “1 in 5” people common complaint. When this sort of digestive disorder happened historically, different cultures worldwide would address the need for support with plant-based support.

 

Culturally today, we want an “easy button”, and pharmaceuticals definitely can do that, but that “easy button” almost always comes with a price you may not immediately recognize you are paying. I often talk about how reflux medications rob the body of virtually all nutrients, melatonin, and glutathione over time. Imagine how losing those things slowly will impact the body. When we lose things slowly, we often don’t even recognize what is being stolen or that theft is happening. Dementia is like that too. It happens so slowly that often it’s not recognized for decades, and once it is recognized, it’s too late to reverse the course.

Proton pump inhibitors/PPIs (ex: Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Prevacid ) have been an “easy button” pharma fix for decades.

 

Unfortunately, this particular “easy button” is so easy that the short-term use frequently becomes a years-long use pharma fix, and that will always come with a price. Several years ago the FDA required a black box warning (one of the strongest pharma warnings issued by drug manufacturers) to be included on these drugs. That black box warning indicates that this class of drugs should not be used for more than 8 weeks at a time. One of the lesser-known effects of long-term PPI use is a tremendous increased risk for dementia ( a 44% increase!)…. this isn’t part of the black box warning… it’s just a little-known potential side effect. ( https://jamanetwork.com/…/jamaneuro…/fullarticle/2487379 )

 

As we age, we gain wisdom through our life experiences, and we are to use that wisdom to train up, educate, and protect others who are younger and less experienced in life than we are. I can think of no greater weapon of the enemy than to steal the jewels of experience within our brains meant to be shared for good.

The good news is that we can learn from our ancestors and their plants using ways to support digestion, instead of first leaning into trusting a potential thief. Thank goodness Young Living has harnessed that goodness for us! Let me know if you’d like a little help on how to best support your digestion without risking dementia in the future!

xoxo~ liz