Off Balance, the American Way of Health Review

I had the chance to review a book called Off Balance The American Way of Health By: Dr. Leyla Ali, PharmD. It's a Pharmacist's perspective on why drugs don't work. This book is a $19.95 value.

You may be wondering, why would a mom of two healthy boys want to read this book? 

Answer: I've been taking drugs off and on for my allergies my whole life. This is the first year that I tried to stay off them as much as possible. I practically feel the same as when I was on them. There were times where I needed that steroid boost of the nasal spray because I simply lost my voice, and couldn't breathe through my nose. I hate resorting to the meds. Yes they helped me to breathe better, but I also can't feel the inside of my nose, and I loose my sense of smell when I take them.

My Dad had a lot of trouble with the heart medicines he was on. He has had surgery, and now takes plant extracts to help with his allergies.

My husband took a light dose of anxiety pills when the boys were babies. He didn't notice it, but I noticed that he lost all interest in doing most anything at first. The doctor changed his dose, and he was better. He gained weight. Later on when he went to wean off the meds. he had to wean ever so slowly. Weaning off anxiety pills can make someone have suicidal thoughts, and/or give them panic attacks.

I'm not saying all medicines are bad. It's just that so many of them have side effects that are far worse than the original symptoms.

Drugs can be a good thing. Both of my kids got really sick as babies. Without antibiotics, they may not be here with us today. Thankfully they had a doctor that told me to give them probiotics. Many doctors don't tell you this, but antibiotics kill off your bodies bacteria. Killing off the infection(s) is good, but it kills off the good bacteria to. I just think many drugs are often over used.

At one point in time, we focused on changing our habits to have a healthier life. Now it seems that many of us go strait to drugs to solve our problems. 

This is a healthy life cycle:

This chart is in Off Balance The American Way of Health - I just retyped it.

Life changed in the 80s and 90s. Now society thinks less about empowering their mind, and health.  They think more about money, law, insurance, pharmaceutical companies, and politics.

If the Federal Drug Administration has approved a drug, and there are smiling people in the commercials, than the drug must be good right? This is not always right.

Many of the drugs we take today:

• Create long-term customers;
• Provide patients with temporary comfort; and
• Specifically, NOT treat the underlying cause. 

As a fellow American, I used to think of holistic as crazy. Now I've changed my thinking. Holistic practices have been around longer than many commercial drugs we have today.

Holistic medicine...

Treats the whole person, including integration, balance, and harmony of the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of the individual. They treat the cause. Focuses on what's right with you.

American standard medicine...

Treats physical and mental problems if they are disruptive to someone's life. They treat the symptoms. Focuses on what's wrong with you.

There are many other forms of healthcare that exist, that we just don't hear about in our country. I've listed some, not all that the book covers:

• Acupuncture- Oriental healing technique. It involves piercing pressure points to relieve pain.

• Aromatherapy- Therapeutic oils for stress reduction.

• Ayurveda- Combination of herbs, puratives and oils.

• Chinese Medicine- The Chinese philosophy is more elaborate than Western Medicine. They see the body, the world, and the universe as one.

• Color Therapy- It's more physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental. 

• Flower Essences- Treats anxiety, anger, depression, fear, hopelessness, grief, and abandonment.

A good doctor will try and figure out if you have a bacterial infection, or a viral infection. This will determine if you really do need antibiotics, or not.

Cleansing and Detoxing 

We have toxins that build up in our bodies. It's interesting that we detox our pets, but not ourselves. Why is this needed now, when it wasn't needed before? Because we don't always grow our own. There are pesticides, and antibiotics in our food. So much is prepackaged. We wash our hands, but we don't wash our tummies.

If a doctor is not open to the idea of holistic medicine, you have to weight out if they are a fit for you. Holistic medicine has been practiced longer than the Western medicines that we know of today. 

The key to this book is to have a patient feel better in the long run; not in the short run. Don't just mask your day to day problems. Find the source, and deal with it.

It lets you in on natural things that you can do to help with weight loss, and emotional issues. Yoga, meditation, eating pure and organic foods, and routine exercise helps with a lot of things.

Disclaimer:

"The contents of the book are not intended to constitute professional advice. The contents are not offered to diagnose, prescribe, prevent, treat, mitigate, or cure any medical condition or disease."

"Do not discontinue prescription medication without the approval of your medical doctor."  - Off Balance The American Way of Health

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.