The Three Words – “Just In Case”

Go to a medical doctor for a concern over your health, and you’ll likely hear these three words, “Just in case”.  I don’t have a problem with these words.  Not really, but I do have a problem if you act on them often, which should quickly bring up the question of how often is often?

Once a year.  If you act on “Just in Case” once per year, with a 5 day Z-Pack, then in 34 years you will have taken the amount necessary according to the JAMA article from 2004 that will double your risk of breast cancer.  Now, I am not saying that you should never take an antibiotic, but perhaps you should consider that Just In Case isn’t a good reason.  Or better yet, what makes you think that exposing yourself to a medical opinion is a good idea when your symptoms are simply that of a cold?

Bronchial infections, sinus infections, and most every other infection that is in the head and chest is viral.  And you should at least give yourself a a few days to watch what happens.  The body is a machine capable of killing all bacteria and viruses.  Its ability is superior to that of a drug when it is working.  MRSA infections that do not respond to medication, can be killed by your own immune system.  You just need to at a bare minimum, take steps to improve your immune system.

Bringing me back to the JAMA article referenced above.  This article makes it VERY clear, that taking an antibiotic is easily correlated with weakening of the immune system.  Read below:

The hypothesis that some classes of antibiotics may increase risk of breast cancer is plausible; antibiotics have effects on intestinal microflora and on immune and inflammatory responses.2 For example, antibiotic use may increase risk of breast cancer by decreasing phytochemical metabolism by intestinal microflora.4,16 Phytochemicals are hypothesized to play an inhibitory role at several points in the carcinogenesis pathway by modulating enzymes involved in carcinogen and steroid hormone metabolism.16– 19 Also, use of tetracycline may be associated with increased production of prostaglandin E2, a hallmark of the inflammatory response, catalyzed by cyclooxygenase 1 and 2.20 Overexpression of cyclooxygenase 2 is associated with mammary carcinogenesis, while inhibition of prostaglandins and other inflammatory responses by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is associated with a 20% to 40% decreased risk of breast cancer.21– 24

I know that it is easy to take me less serious than I think you should.  Why?  Because I sing the same song, and you are out there in the real world.  Come on Eric, cant you see what we are up against!?!?  Of course I can, I live there too.  I have kids, I have a wife, and we have health concerns.  But I stand absolutely rock solid firm in the faith that this body was made leaps and bounds better than what the average MD thinks.  That my hands could never add glory to the body, it is already there, but that if only I could help it get back to its best health expression.. aaaahhhh, now we are singing.

What about the drug Zelnorm?  The FDA pulled it in 2007 because of increased risk of heart disease.  Funny, it is one of the most common increased risks of any drug, so you wonder how bad it has to be to pull it.  Some reports suggested that the FDA found that there was a 7 times increased rate of heart attack in all aged women taking zelnorm.  So what was the drug used for?  IBS.  So I can hear the conversations:

“Well, I think your IBS is something that needs to be kept under control, as it is a social nuisance, and we cannot find the real cause, so we are just going to treat the symptoms… oh no, there are no serious side effects of this medication, and I think we need to be considerate, IBS can become very chronic if left untreated, so lets treat just in case.”

A month later – “people are dying on this medication, we need to stop”.

So what about the month?  Any lasting effects of the drug?  According to the antibiotic study, when there were large duration gaps between antibiotic usage, it had no impact.  No less percentage of cancer because of gaps.  Meaning… still awful.

It is so easy to say, “just this once”.  But it is also easy for the once, to be all that it takes.  My two girls love dolphins, they love nature.  They haven’t been medicated because I understand when just in case is  a waste, and when enough is enough.  Period.

Be Well and Be Blessed!  – Dr. E