If your doctor detects anemia, she may offer iron supplementation yet still not identify your medication as the source of the problem. A lot of drugs also interfere with nutrient absorption or with their metabolism, storage, transport, or use by cells. Medications that interfere with calcium absorption, for instance, can lead to osteoporosis. Research findings in the Health Sciences Institute's Members Alert in September 1999 demonstrate that medicating a single problem can lead to a series of additional problems caused by the nutrient-depleting effects of the previous medication. This, in turn, can lead to more prescriptions, which create additional nutrient deficiencies, and so on.
Antibiotics are a good example because they deplete helpful bacteria.
When women taking antibiotics consequently develop an overgrowth of Candida, including vaginal yeast infections, doctors prescribe more medications to combat the yeast. This cycle can lead to immune system disturbance if overused. When the heart has to work harder to adapt to plaque-narrowed arteries, blood pressure rises. Medications that lower blood pressure cause escalating problems of their own. Some, such as Apresoline, reduce the levels of coenzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant that is essential for cellular energy and repairing free-radical damage to the heart muscle.