A time ago, we looked at the group of opioid medications and how they softly destroy tens of thousands of lives annually. Dressed in white armour, or the white robes of the righteous, opioids come to us like wolves in sheeps’ clothing.
Today, we look at another pharmaceutical category of “friendly assassins”. This category is much bigger in number of chemical substances, brands and market size than opioids can ever hope to achieve.
We’re talking steroids here.
If opioids are wolves in sheeps’ clothing, then steroids are polar bears in sheeps’ clothing. Steroids are everywhere in modern medicine. Nowadays, you rarely emerge from a doctor’s visit without a prescription for some or other steroid in your pocket.
From asthma inhalers to arthritis injections, doctors prescribe these powerful drugs for a wide range of conditions. But are they really as safe as they seem?
Steroids – also known as corticosteroids – mainly work by reducing inflammation and suppressing the immune system. In an emergency, they can be lifesaving.
But what happens when these drugs are used for prolonged periods? And what should be regarded as “prolonged”?
It turns out that “prolonged” is as short as a month. The effects are accumulative, however. The longer you take corticosteroids, the worse for your health.
Steroids come in many forms – oral tablets, injections, creams, nasal sprays, and even eye drops. They are commonly used to treat conditions such as asthma, arthritis, eczema and inflammatory bowel disease, among others. In small doses and for short periods, steroids can bring relief.
However, many patients soon find themselves dependent on these medications. Stop them and you are faced by a backlash more severe than the original condition. Keep on using them and your health spirals downward ever faster. It’s a devil’s bargain.
Here’s what you need to know about how steroids work and the dangers that come with prolonged use…
Steroids are synthetic versions of hormones produced naturally by your adrenal glands. They act by helping reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system’s response to injury or infection. Remember that cortisol, the body’s version, is a stress hormone. It is only useful while running from a sabre-toothed tiger (or reasonable facsimile thereof) and shortly afterwards (as you wash your bearskin undies). It is not supposed to be cruising through your body at top gear all the time.
Their remarkable short-term benefits makes them a favourite prescription in almost every case imaginable. Quick results = Happy patients.
The rebound comes much later.
You do not simply mess with the immune system and expect no payback. Our best attempts at modifying the immune response are like a stock broker trying to fix his car’s engine, or a mechanic trying to trade stocks. Both the car and the stock market will crash.
And so does your immune system – and the side effects don’t stop there.
Some of the more common side effects include an increased risk of:
– infections,
– weight gain,
– osteoporosis,
– high blood pressure,
– blood clots,
– infertility,
– diabetes and
– mood swings.
Don’t think that taking a low dose will spare you from the side effects. At a lower dose, the side effects take longer to stack up, but the full orb or side effects is still being unleashed, even at low doses. Many patients think that a mere skin cream containing steroids won’t harm them. They are mistaken. A slow poison is still a poison.
If you’re currently taking steroids, don’t panic – but don’t ignore the risks, either. Steroids are not the only option.
If you’ve been on steroids for an extended period, ask your doctor about tapering off your dose. NEVER stop steroids suddenly – doing so can cause withdrawal symptoms and a vicious immune backlash. Work with your doctor to find other treatment options, such as lifestyle changes or supplements.
What supplements?
When coming off steroids, the following may be of benefit:
– Vitamin D3
– Sutherlandia / Cancer bush
– Alpha-lipoic Acid (ALA)
Vitamin D3 does what the steroids were supposed to do in the first place, without any of the side effects.
Sutherlandia boosts adrenal functioning.
ALA helps the adrenal glands to repair themselves faster.
All round, Vitamin D3 is the ultimate steroid.
Yes, chemically speaking, it is a steroid, but it has none of the side effects of steroids. You could call it “God’s steroid”. Not only does it reduce inflammation, it also reduces the risk of:
– infections,
– weight gain,
– osteoporosis,
– high blood pressure,
– blood clots,
– infertility,
– diabetes and
– mood swings.
It also happens to reduce the risk of cancer more than any other nutrient known to science.
Many doctors are afraid to prescribe “high dose” Vitamin D out of fear it might have toxic side effects.
It’s A Numbers Game
Since Vitamin D potency is expressed in International Units (IU) instead of milligrams, it can be difficult to compare apples to apples.
1 mg Vitamin D = 40,000 IU of Vitamin D
Now, 40,000 sounds a lot more impressive than 1 mg. Your kind doctor will have no problem prescribing 5 mg of a steroid daily or more than once daily. On the other hand, prescribing 1 mg of Vitamin D will sound like a toxic dose.
In 2015, the respectable Mayo Clinic published a paper entitled: “Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought: A Historical and an Up-to-Date Perspective” (Link).
They came to the following startling conclusion:
“The evidence is clear that vitamin D toxicity is one of the rarest medical conditions and is typically due to intentional or inadvertent intake of extremely high doses of vitamin D (usually in the range of >50,000-100,000 IU/d for months to years).”
In other words, stop being afraid of Big Bad Vitamin D. He’s just a lamb in wolve’s clothing.
If you are not yet using or Mega D3 product, ask yourself WHY?
– WHY do I not want to spend R1.00 a day to lower my risk for cancer?
– WHY do I not want to spend R1.00 a day to lower my risk for dementia?
– WHY do I not want to spend R1.00 a day to lower my risk of osteoporosis?
– WHY do I not want to spend R1.00 a day to have stronger muscles?
– WHY do I not want to spend R1.00 a day to live a longer, healthier life?
To your (glowing) health!
The Team at Integrow Health
Take Me To Mega D3!
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