An article in the New York Times today (2.15.13) reported, “Traces of a common psychiatric medication that winds up in rivers and streams may affect fish behavior and feeding patterns.” The Swedish researchers exposed perch to different concentrations of an anti-anxiety medication—Oxazepam. Oxazepam is a benzodiazepine drug similar to the U.S. drug Xanax.
The scientists found that fish exposed to low-dose Oxazepam became less social, more active, and ate faster. In humans, benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety. They can cause the same adverse effects seen in the fish—social withdrawal, paradoxical excitement, and an increased appetite.
In the Swedish study, researchers found wild perch in the Fyris River near the city of Uppsala had high concentrations of Oxazepam in their muscle tissue.
Other researchers have found pharmaceuticals near waste water treatment centers in the water ways and in fish. Studies have reported that Prozac and Zoloft–two antidepressants–have been found in fish. Furthermore, commonly prescribed synthetic hormones have also been found in aquatic environments.
These studies should not surprise anyone. Doctors prescribe too many pharmaceutical medications. Patients take too many of these drugs. I should know. I was trained to prescribe the most common prescription medications. However, I woke up when I realized that the mechanism of action of nearly all prescription drugs is harmful to the body. Most drugs work by blocking important receptors or poisoning enzymes in the body. You cannot make a cogent biochemical argument that it is wise to block and poison things in the body. Over the long-term, most prescription drugs are bound to have serious adverse effects and they do.
Having said that, keep in mind there is a time and a place for anti-anxiety medications as well as other drug therapies. However, most times they should not be the first and only therapy prescribed by a doctor. It is important for you, the patient, to assume responsibility for your health care decisions. Remember, you are in charge of whether or not you take the drug prescribed for you. In my experience, the patients who get the best results are the ones who do their own research and are knowledgeable about the therapies they are using.
Let’s go back to the fish. Fish do not need anti-anxiety medication—at least I don’t think they do. And, patients do not need to take so many drugs. A better approach is to search for an underlying cause of an illness and use natural treatments and therapies which support the body’s biochemistry. This biochemical support is what leads to health and helps the body overcome illness. This is the holistic approach to diagnosing and treating illness. I can assure you, there is literally nothing that conventional medicine has to offer a patient on how to optimize their health. Again, I should know–I was taught nothing about health in my medical training.
What can you do? If you are prescribed a drug it is best to educate yourself about the drug before you ingest it. With the internet, it is not hard to do. If the drug does not treat the underlying cause of the illness, then search for what does treat it. If the drug does not optimize your biochemistry and help promote your optimal health, then search for what does. If your health care practitioner is not explaining how he/she is trying to help you achieve your optimal health, then find one who does.
More information on drug therapies can be found in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do. In this book, I also discuss natural alternatives to drug therapies.
For more information about this book, click here:http://112.196.20.91/drbrownstein/Drugs-that-Don-t-Work-Natural-Therapies-That-Do-p/naturalt.htm
Thank you for your reply Dr. Brownstein, you’ve just given me the needed inspiration to forge on. In light of your blog, the trout in the rivers where I’m from might well suffer from depression because their caught and released several times per day. It would be better if we could dose them with a bit of St. John’s Wort, a touch of iodine and perhaps some good old cognitive behavior therapy. “You should go easier on yourself for getting hooked Mr. Trout, we’re all gullible and vulnerable sometimes.” Once again, thank you for your encouragement, and thank you mostly for your many contributions to medicine that inspire your fans.
I am currently an undergrad nursing student and I wrestle with the paradox of allopathic medicine on a daily basis. It has it’s place in emergency medicine, but as the blog says, it has nothing to offer patients in terms of optimizing their health. In your estimation, is it worthwhile for me to pursue a graduate degree/nurse practitioner when I harbor such values?
Dear Gabe,
Of course it is worthwhile to pursue your degree. You can use your knowledge to decide if a particular therapy is appropriate or not. Furthermore, there is a lot conventional medicine does offer that is beneficial. I may harp on the conventional ideas that I disagree with–and there are a lot–but conventional medicine has made some great strides over the years. Your values will only enhance your degree. I have medical students come through my office and some lean holistically and many do not. I try to impress on the conventionally-oriented students that there are other ideas out there. I tell them to scientifically think about these other approaches instead of flatly rejecting them. You could do the same. Finally, keep in mind, it is an honor to care for patients whether you use holistic or conventinal approaches.