Drugs, Supplements, and Food.
Dr. Amy Sapola became a pharmacist so that she could get people off medications. She is now a pharmacist, with training in integrative medicine and functional medicine. During our interview, we discussed drugs, supplements, and foods.
The field of deprescribing is an emerging field. There are new protocols for helping people come off medications. We first discussed how many people are in upwards of 30 and 40 medications and they come into the hospital with a bag of pills that is likely hurting them more than what is helping them. She then talked about when one of the anti-acid medications, Zantac which was recalled by the FDA for cancer concerns was taken off the market. Dr. Sapola states that this was good in some ways because people without this medication had to figure out different ways of coping with the symptoms or to change their eating habits so that they would not have gastroesophageal reflux. The Global Market of PPI drugs like Zantac is approximately 3.24 billion USD. and although they have their place they are excessively prescribed causing people to have side effects and many drug-to-drug interactions such as micronutrient deficiencies, increased risk of cancer, and increase risk of fractures.
The second main point we discussed was pharmacogenomics; pharmacogenomics is the emerging field of using one's own genetic information to guide pharmaceutical treatment. This I suspect will be a major key factor in the way that we treat many illnesses in the future. Dr. Sapola described how she is using pharmacogenomics in the hospital, and that she started a program to start using it in patients. Pharmacogenomics, in theory, will allow a patient to test how his/her genes respond specifically to a specific medication. And based on that information the doctors could determine which medication would be a better fit, and which medication would likely have unwanted side effects. Dr Sapola described that in the field of psychotropic medications this is going to play a major role. Patients will be genetically tested to see which medications will help them the best. This will avoid unnecessary side effects and adverse effects. This is a great example of how this approach can help doctors improve how quickly and effective treatments are. From my own experience as a doctor, this would be a great tool to have as many times we start these medications because there are no other alternatives to help the patients not hurt themselves or others, and having this information will guide more effective treatment.
We also talked about the energetics of food which in other words is the environment that food originates from. To explain this concept imagine how you would feel if you go to a restaurant and everybody in that restaurant is having an argument, if the owner of the restaurant doesn't care about what products he/she buys to make the food, he/she doesn't care whether you get sick from it or whether you end up in the hospital from it. This is the field of the energetics of food that means that people's intentions can have a major impact on the foods that we eat. This is because their intentions will determine how the food is prepared and what ingredients are used. Many companies now are very familiar with this as various food companies now have a mission of improving the food supply as a result of the founder having an illness. We also talked about the proven benefits of eating meals together with friends and family. I can speak from my own personal opinion of how eating regular meals at the table can be so beneficial for the family. Recent studies also show that this is beneficial for teenagers and it can improve their grades, their wellbeing, and their behavior. Studies have shown that eating together can also improve our level of happiness. The guilt related to food is another aspect of the energetics of food. If we are feeling bad about something that we are eating, studies show that this can impact our health in a negative way. Dr. Sapola discussed how for her is so important to feel good about eating something even if it is sweet as long as this has been made with a lot of Health intention for the person who is going to eat it. She reports that non-judging and accepting was a mantra that helped her overcome her eating disorder.
We also touched upon the differences in the strictness that some people have regarding food. Some people believe that vegetarianism is the way to go and others believe that a full meat diet is a way to go. We discussed how Gladiators had mainly high-quality vegetable diets and how this was useful for them. However, Eskimos or people Local to northern cold hemispheric areas used meat as the only source of survival. This flexibility was what kept the human race alive. Dr. Sapola shares with us her journey during gestational diabetes and how eating meat was the only thing that stabilized her blood sugars. Now, this makes sense because there is a lot of data on how a ketogenic diet can help people reverse type 2 diabetes. One of the things that she discussed was the importance of looking for high-quality meat. And I think this is a very important concept. The concept of improving the quality of whatever food or diet that you eat can have a large impact on health. Studies show that just by improving the quality of your food you can have a major impact on your health.
Finally, we discussed chronic pain and the opioid epidemic. Did you know that an estimated 69,029 People died of a drug overdose In one year and seven out of those deaths were due to opioids? Dr. Sapola described how patients come to her and they want to get off opioids but they can't. She really believes that some of these patients truly want to get off of these medications but these medications are highly addictive making it very difficult to end the addiction. We also discussed an integrative approach to pain management using tools such as virtual reality, acupuncture, movement, mind-body techniques, and bodywork can be very effective.
Talking to Dr. Sapola, has a refreshing perspective, as a pharmacist whose whole purpose is to get people off medications as much as possible. It is great to remember that not only are there drugs but also supplements and food. Sometimes one can be better than the others to treat different diseases.
As Hippocrates said around 460 BC, let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Drugs are not always the best answer, nor are supplements. and sometimes food is the answer and the medicine. and finally, it's noteworthy to mention that just by doing these two things you can radically transform your relationship with food, supplements, and drugs and thus improve your life and health. Don't worry or have guilt about the food that you eat, and improve the quality of your food.
To watch the full interview.
