by Dalia Taher

Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are basic necessities for lasting good health. Both require a serious personal commitment. Unfortunately, with today’s high stress and polluted environment, many of us do get sick.
Millions of prescriptions are written every day, ranging from your typical antibiotic to anti-cancer medications. People trust their doctors and therefore dutifully fill their prescriptions. We trust the medical system and expect that the medication will make us better and not worse.
There is a lot of documented information out there on how medications work, the side effects, interactions, contraindications etc. What has received little research up until now is the way a lot of medications can alter the body’s ability to digest, absorb, make, transport, metabolize or eliminate nutrients. Depleting the body of vital nutrients causes medical complications. Very often, a patient is then prescribed an additional medication to counteract the new set of symptoms.
Considering that the general North American diet lacks the minimum serving requirements of fruits and vegetables, it is even more important that we supply our vitamins and minerals from some good source supplements.
To put the importance of vitamins and minerals in perspective, think about the construction of a new building. Carbohydrate, protein, fat and water are comparable to the building materials. Vitamins and minerals are comparable to the architect, contractors and construction workers. Without vitamins and minerals, our bodies cannot synthesize new cells, build new tissue or produce energy.
There are approximately 1,000 commonly prescribed drugs and many over-the-counter medications that deplete one or more nutrients in the body. Commonly prescribed drugs that deplete nutrients include oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement therapy, anticonvulsants, anti-diabetics, anti-hypertensives, anti-inflammatories, anti-ulcer medications, cholesterol lowering drugs, anti-depressants, sedatives and antibiotics. Antacids and laxatives also remove essential nutrients. The problem of nutrient depletion affects the health of millions.
So, what do drugs deplete? Cholesterol lowering drugs, especially lovastatin, simvastatin and atorvastatin interfere with the body’s synthesis of a critical coenzyme called CoQ10 which is essential for the heart’s health. Older people in good health already have difficulty making CoQ10 so there is a real danger when this population is prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs. While their cholesterol count may be going down, their heart’s ability to function is seriously compromised.
Folic acid is a nutrient that is often depleted by drugs. It can be depleted by some 30 different types of drugs from aspirin and magnesium-containing antacids to stronger medications such as anticonvulsants, cardiovascular drugs, certain antibiotics, NSAIDS and oral contraceptives. Folic acid is already the most deficient vitamin for many of us. A lack of this vitamin can lead to birth defects, fatigue and elevated levels of homocysteine levels, a serious risk factor for heart disease.
Magnesium deficiency can be the result of using oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement therapy and corticosteroids. Deficiency of this mineral can exacerbate osteoporosis, cognitive function and can trigger heart attacks, hypertension
and strokes.
Another very important mineral depleted by prescription drugs is zinc which can be depleted by corticosteroids, oral contraceptives, oral estrogen, ACE inhibitors, diuretics and many others. Zinc deficiency affects the activity of almost all enzymes in the body, as well as the synthesis of various hormones and insulin receptors. Typical symptoms of deficiency include a weakened immune system, poor skin, hair and nails, anemia and even joint pain.
The likelihood of developing health problems is compounded when a person takes more than one drug which depletes the same nutrient. We have only been able to discuss the loss of a few nutrients from medications. To ensure you are not becoming nutrient deficient from your medications, you need to educate yourself about what you are taking and how it may affect the vital nutrients that are necessary for the proper functioning of our bodies. Seek information from knowledgeable professionals that specialize in medications and nutrition.

Dalia Taher, BSc Pharm, is a certified herbalist. info@finlandiapharmacy.com.