Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Hi Terry. “I just had a physical with my physician and he prescribed two medications, one for high blood pressure and one for high cholesterol. He advised me to discontinue any vitamin supplements I was taking as he said they were dangerous and all I was doing was “peeing them out.” I didn’t know how to answer the doctor, but I really hate to give up my supplements. I think they’ve been helping me but I’m concerned with his negative advice.” — Jennifer T, Rochester, MN

A. Dear Jennifer: I’m glad you didn’t ask me my opinion of the prescription drugs. I have a real difficult time understanding the need to prescribe medications for high cholesterol because no one has any confirmed, controlled studies that has determined exactly what is high cholesterol. Not to belabor this answer, I will leave the cholesterol question for another time. I will, however, address your doctor’s negative advice concerning taking supplements. Your doctor should also have told you to give up eating if you’re going to give up your supplements, since supplements are just highly concentrated therapeutic food supplements. In fact, the FDA has classified them as dietary food supplements. If you can eat food, you can take most supplements. Also, please keep in mind that by taking medications, you may well increase the need for certain nutrients, particularly vitamin C, B complex, potassium, etc. It is now well known that oral contraceptives increase the need for the B complex group of vitamins. Drugs like sulfasalazine used to treat colitis, depletes folic acid. Just plain old aspirin depletes nutrients like vitamin C and folic acid. Diuretics commonly deplete the body of many minerals, especially potassium. These drug-nutrient depletions are well know and described in both medical and pharmaceutical literature. A good resource is by a well-known pharmacist and is called the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook (Lexi-Comp, 1999) by Ross Pelton, Ph.D., C.N.; James B. LaValle, N.D., C.N., D.H.M.; Ernest B. Hawkins; and Daniel L. Krinsky. There are several online information sources that contain this information as well. In fact, there are several studies that have shown that certain vitamins and minerals have a supportive and enhancing effect on prescription drugs. Vitamin C, for example, has been found to enhance the benefits of many drugs, including those used in chemotherapy. Niacin and vitamin B3 enhance the benefits of cholesterol-lowering medications. There is a tremendous amount of positive research surrounding the use of supplements. After 40 years in the health food business, I’ve witnessed more healing from natural supplements than I could ever record. Regarding the “peeing out any supplements,” I would say to that comment, “Great!” When you eliminate by urination (“pee out”) an excessive amount of supplements, that is a positive sign that your body is saturated with the nutrients it needs. If you did not “pee” any supplements out, more than likely your body would be short of the supplements you need! Putting in less is not going to accomplish the mission of good health. You can put the best gas in your car, but if you only put in one gallon, you will not travel very far. You need to put in an excess of gas to make sure you arrive at your destination. So, don’t worry what you “pee out,” be happy with what you retain. If you are unsatisfied with your doctor’s lack of support regarding natural interventions, you may think about looking for a physician who is open minded to the use of dietary supplements. They often call these “Integrative Medical Practices” because they integrate the best of both worlds, and they are one of the fastest-growing areas of medicine. Natural medicines and supplements will do no harm but plenty of good, and they are far from dangerous. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are the cause of 16,500 deaths annually in the US, and may be responsible for up to 100,000 hospitalizations annually for stomach and intestinal bleeding. And according to A1 Drug Facts and Statistics, aspirin use and heroin use kill about the same number of people each year. And the annual numbers of people who die in hospitals from the negative effects of drugs (and this comes from the Journal of the American Medical Association) are over 106,000. Deaths from herbs and vitamins? Zero annually!

Healthy regards!

Terry . . . Naturally