I’ve always been curious why many diseases (symptoms) are caused by vitamin or mineral deficiency, yet many (almost all) doctors never address the issue of nutritional deficiency before dispensing prescription drugs. Maybe I’ve never been around the doctors or the people who have been treated for nutritional deficiency before defining their specific malady.
It is well know that a vitamin B-12 deficiency mimics Alzheimer’s disease. Many doctors will order vitamin B-12 shots to see if the symptoms disappear. This partially addresses the problem. But, there are many other nutritional deficiencies that go undetected daily.
I am not a doctor and don’t dispense medical information. I provide education and awareness so that people can ask appropriate questions to their physicians when the occasion arises. My wife and I recently had our annual physicals. My wife’s thyroid was borderline. Her ‘trend’ from previous years was not addressed – was if moving quickly out of bounds, or has it been the same for the last so many years? Our doctor suggested that she begin to consider a synthetic thyroid prescription.
I asked about iodine levels – why couldn’t she increase her daily levels of iodine and see if her borderline readings improved. He relented and said she could increase her iodine supplementation. He didn’t recommend any daily minimum levels though. Had I not asked about it, my wife might have become the user of a prescription medicine that might not be needed.
I believe there are too many prescription medicines being used by people who have nutritional deficiencies. Their symptoms might go away by addressing their dietary choices. Why is such a hard thing to consider for doctors. Even worse, why is is such a hard thing to consider for all of us. We choose our foods, yet we don’t pay attention to what is really required each day to maximize health.