There’s no drug that doesn’t harm us and vaccine that didn’t killed somebody. That’s the way the drugs function.
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They effect on each of us differently causing unwilling consequences or just doing nothing. Lots of differences in reactions to drugs can be explained by genetic variations among patients that reflect on how each of us absorb particular drug. For example, codeine (belongs in a group of drugs called narcotic pain medicines) is inefficient in people who don’t have enzyme needed to activate that drug.
How fast our metabolism disintegrates a drug is determined by our genes. Some patients disintegrate drug very fast and some very slowly. If the patient disintegrates drug too slowly, the drug will accumulate in the body and patient will probably get too much dose of drug although he got “a normal doseâ€. If the patient disintegrates drug too fast, it is a big possibility that the dose will be insufficient.
Pharmacogenetics is the only part of a medicine that could solve that kind of problems, or to be precise, it will solve those problems for a few decades. Today it is partly in use in psychiatry, and for treating cancers, heart and blood vessels. This part of medicine use genetics for defining a real dose of drug for each patient individually.
While we are waiting for pharmacogenetics to enter our lives, there are a huge chance that for every condition you can imagine you will find some drug that offers a solution for it. Even bigger chances are that the particular drug you buy will come with a whole palette of side effects, from diarrhea to death. Bigger problem is that those drugs don’t heal illnesses but only cover the symptoms.
Public generally thinks that drugs seen on commercials are safe, for if they are not it would never be in pharmacy. Pharmaceutical industry is a business as any other except that is a multi billion dollars business. Study “Death by Modern Medicine†states that in clinical researches financed by pharmaceutical companies tested drugs have 90 percent chances to be verified as efficient, while drugs not financed by pharmaceutical companies have 50 percent chance to see the market. Because of too many drugs on the market, their unwilling reactions in patients are very often. It doesn’t help if patients act as doctor and prescribe themselves some magical drug they see on a television.
We already told you a story about codeine. People also like to buy Ginkgo drugs to improve their memory, to treat multiple sclerosis and even sexual dysfunctions. Ginkgo is not so harmless plant. It can increase bleeding risk, cause headache, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, dizziness or allergic skin reactions.
Tell your doctor which medicine you take and would some herbal suplement you wish to buy help you. Also ask for vitamines or food. For example, people who takes drugs for high blood pressure and coronary heart disease it is recomended to avoid to eat grepefruit and grepefruit juice.
That’s why think twice before you buy some miracle drug without consulting your doctor. ■