“Food is thy medicine”…. but can medicine be thy food?
Well yes it can. There are certain hidden ingredients labeled “inactive” in several over-the-counter and prescription based drugs that could be harming you and your family. The fact that they are called “inactive” is a detraction from what they really are…anything you put in your body is active and here’s the information you need to know.
Let me start by telling you a personal story…
A few years ago I had a crazy metallic taste develop in my mouth that I just couldn’t get rid of. It goes without saying, it was annoying and very alarming to be tasting metal in my mouth on a constant basis. As a result, I went to my acupuncturist and my regular doctor looking for answers. They had me eliminate fish from my diet (because of possible mercury poisoning), had my blood checked, and they did everything possible to find out what the heck was happening. No one could figure it out even after all the tests came back.
There was only one pharmaceutical drug I was taking at the time – a little blue birth control pill. To my surprise, my pharmacist made the decision to give me the generic version instead of the brand version that month. Of course my acupuncturist and doctor both asked me if I had been taking any new drugs/vitamins, etc – and my answer was no – but little did I realize at the time I was taking something totally different. Generic versions of pills can contain all sorts of additives, artificial colors and ingredients that make them chemically different from the brand version. It is a routine practice for drug companies to vary the exact combination of “inactive” ingredients to avoid patent infringement on brand name drugs and to make their appearance more appealing and last longer on the shelf .
Shortly, after I switched back to my brand version of birth control pills, the metallic taste in my mouth magically disappeared. (FYI – 2 years ago, I decided to stop taking birth control pills because I did not like what I uncovered about them and regret taking them at all, but that’s a topic for another time).
Finally figuring out that the generic version of the drug was quite different than the original was ground breaking to my understanding what “inactive” ingredients can do to you.
And that’s why I decided to look into the most popular household cold and flu medicines out there and investigate the actual ingredients in them.
Cold medicines like NYQUIL, Robitussin, Alka Seltzer and Triaminic have been around for decades and you, as well as your grandparents have probably used them. I still remember the taste of original orange flavored Triaminic – as my parents gave it to me every time I had a cold.
The main problem with many of these drugs is that back in the day the FDA did not perform rigorous testing on them. Instead they were only required to give them a stamp of GRAS or “Generally Regarded As Safe” and many of the “inactive” ingredients were not sufficiently tested. Although new drugs are tested more thoroughly now, drugs like “pseudoephedrine” were often grandfathered in.
Are these medicines really healing us or just putting a bandaid on symptoms that have no effect on us actually getting better?
According to Dr. Bruce Barrett, a leading cold researcher at the University of Wisconsin, cough and cold drugs have an effectiveness rate of only 20% of reducing symptoms and virtually zero effectiveness in actually removing the bacteria or virus out from your system.
Dr. Michael Carome, Deputy Director of the advocacy group Public Citizen, agrees. He states that these drugs have more debilitating side effects than benefit. For example, decongestants can work in reverse and cause rebound stuffiness and cardiac arrhythmia; cough syrups make you drowsy, fever reducers like acetaminophen can wreak havoc on your liver, while others can irritate your gastrointestinal system.
So why do so many people still take these over-the-counter drugs?
A study published in 2010 by Harvard Medical School found that placebo pills are just as effective as taking drugs when it comes to non-life-threatening chronic conditions. Which basically means our belief that something is working is sometimes all we need! The placebo effect has been documented over centuries and several natural medicine doctors believe our thoughts can be powerful healers.
Additionally, when drug manufacturers create marketing campaigns depicting quick recovery from illness after consuming their products of families going from in-the-bed sick back to school and/or work in commercials and advertisements – our brains get hooked to the message and we believe these drugs are actually working, when all they are doing is producing side effects we could definitely live without as well as all exposing us to potentially toxic and unhealthy inactive ingredients.
Most of the over-the-counter medicines you find at drug stores have several inactive ingredients that could be harming you with substances you didn’t even know you were consuming.
GMO’s
The doctors that belong to the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called on “All physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.”
If you are trying to remove GMOs from your diet – you’ve got to make sure to look in your medicine cabinet too. All of these over-the-counter cold and flu remedies here listed have potential ingredients that contain GMOs. Many of the ingredients are hidden sources of GMOs. (See a full list of GMO ingredients here)
For example, notice the partially hydrogenated cottonseed & soy oil a.k.a. transfat in Zicam, high fructose corn syrup in NYQUIL and Robitussin, and soy lecithin in Halls cough drops.
There have been no long term human studies on GMOs and preliminary studies on animals show horrific consequences.
- A study showed GMOs caused toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals.
- Another study revealed that female rats fed GMO soy for 15 months showed significant health issues in their uterus and reproductive cycle, compared to rats fed organic soy or those raised without soy.
- A 2009 French Study concluded that Glyphosate (used on GMO soy) can kill the cells in the outer layer of the human placenta, the organ that connects the mother to her fetus, providing nutrients and oxygen and emptying waste products.
- A Russian study conducted on hamsters that were fed GMO soy diets for two years over three generations found that by the third generation, most of the hamsters lost the ability to have babies, showed slower growth, and suffered a higher mortality rate.
Chemical Preservatives
Sodium Benzoate and/or Benzoic Acid are cautionary preservatives found in cough syrups like Robitussin. The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children. Also, when sodium benzoate combines with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), it can form benzene, carcinogen that damages DNA in cells and accelerates aging.
Dimethylpolysiloxane is an anti-foaming agent and type of silicone used in caulks and sealants and as a filler for breast implants. It’s commonly used in fried fast food items – even McDonald’s new Fish McNuggets have this ingredient added to it. It’s also the key ingredient in silly putty. This agent might not kill you – but do we really need to be consuming a chemical cocktail of synthetic ingredients when we are sick or at all?
Artificial Sugars
Saccarin (a.k.a Sweet n’ Low), Aspartame, Sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda), Acesulfame Potassium, etc. are all chemically derived sugars with absolutely no nutritional value at all and can be dangerous.
Saccarin which is found in Robitussin and NYQUIL is one to avoid at ALL costs. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has reported the studies showing saccharin causes cancer in the urinary bladder, lungs, ovaries, uterus, and other organs in animals and also increases the potency of other cancer-causing chemicals.
Over 10,000 complaints have been filed with the FDA on Aspartame since 1980 and has actually never been proven to be safe before it was approved for use in our food supply. It has been linked to diabetes, auto-immune disorders, depression (which can cause you to eat more – once again), birth defects, and several forms of cancer.
CSPI also states Acesulfame-K or Acesulfame Potassium is anything but safe. Two rat studies suggest that the additive might cause cancer, but these studies were never addressed by the FDA before they approved the substance to also be used by in 1970. In addition, it is mentioned that large doses of acetoacetamide (a breakdown product of this sugar) have been shown to affect the thyroid in rats, rabbits, and dogs. This toxic sugar substitute can be found in Alka Seltzer, Triaminic and NYQUIL.
Artificial Colors
Can they really call artificial dye “inactive” when it has been proven to cause hyperactivity in children? All of these drugs – NYQUIL, Mucinex, Robitussin, Halls, Alka Seltzer, Triaminic, and Zicam have artifical colors. These artificial colors are made in a lab with same chemicals used in petroleum production and are considered known carcinogens by many consumer watch agencies. How is taking petroleum which is used in gasoline going to help your immune system long term? Why are these substances even in medicines to begin with? Aren’t medicines suppose to heal you?
So What Do You Do The Next Time You Get A Cold/Allergies/Flu?
There are a LOT of natural remedies out there that work…. so I want to share the top 5 that have worked for me. Please note these remedies are just on top of my regular habits of exercise, taking probiotics, eating a plant-based diet and drinking warm water with lemon and cayenne first thing every morning that all improve my immune system and help me ward off colds as much as possible.
- Use A Neti Pot – neti pot is a ceramic pot that looks like a cross between a small teapot and Aladdin’s magic lamp and used to irrigate the nasal cavities and has been used for centuries! Almost immediately at the sign of a cold, I grab my netty pot, filtered water (very important that it is filtered), some salt and a little bit of baking soda and go straight into my bathroom to clean out my nasal passages. This practice usually reduces the amount of time I have a cold or immediately stops it from becoming full blown. Also, I love using it in allergy season or when I’ve been around allergens in an old house with mold or around animals I am allergic to.
- Avoid Sugar Like the Plague – Sugar absolutely wreaks havoc on the body when you aren’t sick, but when you are sick and you eat sugar – you are multiplying the harmful effects further weakening the immune system and creating even more inflammation in your body. Sugar is one the key ingredients that bacteria and viruses feed off in your body, that’s why if you get a cold it’s important to stay away from candy, cakes, ice-cream, all those types of items that are extraordinary high in sugar if you want to get better fast.
- Juice with Ginger and Garlic – If you can stand it, add garlic and ginger root to your green juice. They both have amazing anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can get you better in no time! I haven’t had a cold last more than 2 days as a result of drinking green juice like this on a regular basis, especially when I have symptoms of a cold.
- Stay Hydrated – I avoid caffeine and drink an extraordinary amount of water based substances like hot soups, hot teas and just plain water. I don’t recommend gatorade – but these alternatives instead. Also – if you have kids, try this homemade version of Pedialyte – you don’t want to go anywhere near that branded hoax of a product either.
- Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs – When I get sick I rarely go to a conventional medical doctor now – I almost always first see my Acupuncturist. A treatment is sometimes all I need to help move a virus or bacteria infection out of my system. Also – I take combination of medicinal Chinese herbs as soon as I get a sign of a cold (usually the first sign for me is a scratchy throat) and/or to lessen the severity or duration of colds. One time when I had a crazy astronomical fever, I was able to reduce it just by taking these herbs. (Please note – I am not a doctor or Chinese medicine practitioner please do not use this information as medical advice for you personally.)
My goal in sharing this information with you is not to scare you into believing this stuff will kill you (although, it likely will slowly over time), but to inspire you to look at all the chemicals that being pushed at us by the pharmaceutical and food industries. We don’t need to consume these chemicals – our bodies were not made to consume them and we certaintly don’t need them to “feel better.”
If you think this post could benefit someone in your life – please share it – you could be a life saver.
Wishing You The Best Health Always,
Food Babe
Thanks or the article! Interesting stuff here…. would love to hear what you say about birth control! I’ve wanted to go off of it for a while, just can’t talk myself out of the convenience : )
I agree, what did you find on BC??
Yes I would love more info on birth control!
I was going to ask the same thing! I was advised to try Lady Comp – any thoughts?
Yes, I’d like to perhaps read an article on what you found regarding birth control. I recently stopped after 10 years on it. I was concerned about the long term effects on my liver. However, I didn’t do any research, I simply based my decision on what I know about the liver (and the idea that I would rather use birth control that didn’t require me to ingest chemicals that confuse my body). I would love to read what you’ve discovered.
I want to hear about BC too!
I’m going thru the same dilemma. I’ve been reading books on FAM but am not sure going that route is going to work for me right now. On the flip side I do know the chemicals in BC are not working for me. Would love to hear your take on it all.
I had the same question, I hope you’ll share your experience with us as none of the alternatives seem promising.
ladies! look up The Billings Method for a natural birth control. About 5 months ago I was feeling the same frustration about wanting to quit my birth control pills. I discovered the billings method and connected with a certified counselor that helps guide you through how it works. Its been the most self empowering thing! Basically you track you fertility daily by being able to tell where you are on your cycle through ways Im not going to share here…but a women’s body is naturally meant to track their own fertile and infertile days. Completely toxic free 🙂 I hope this helps. I know how frustrating it is to be on the toxic bc pills and just waned to share my success coming off of them.
Sorry FoodBabe for changing topics 🙂
Yes, please write this article! I’m seriously contemplating quitting BC and switching to a copper IUD (non-hormonal) but am anxious about making the leap. Would love to know what you’ve found.
@ Kit. I switched to the copper IUD about 4 years ago. Be sure to start taking a zinc supplement if you do this to keep the copper properly balanced in your body. I also experienced a lot of bleeding when I made the switch. I read a lot of reviews saying it was because of the IUD, but I really think it was my body adjusting from synthetic hormones to none. Just be prepared for this and you’ll get through it.
Interesting that you mentioned sugar when sick. When hubby is sick he CRAVES sugar and carbs. I try to steer him to just eat what he normally eats but he “swears” the food doesn’t “work”…haha…I am off to tell him I was right! 😉
It’s always fun to tell someone you were right 🙂 Enjoy!
Please do a post on birth control! I’m thinking of stopping but I’d really like to hear your thoughts!
I went off birth control pills about 14 months ago, after being on them for years. Since then I was told my hormones are out of balance and I now have a fibroid. After doing some research and going to a Nautropath, I discovered it could have been from the pill, as well as all the other things I took from getting yeast infections caused by the pill. I got rid of those by taking Dr. Mercola’s probiotics, and now I am on a path to get my hormones, liver and fibroid under control. Would love to hear what you say about the Pill and all the terrible things it does to our bodies. Love your blog – I read daily!!!
That’s scary!! I am in my mid 20’s and had a transvaginal ultrasound recently and was told I had no eggs on one side and little to none on the other! I am wondering if it is bc of the 10 yrs I have been on BC! I have looked for research, but to me it’s not conclusive, RCTs, so I am not convinced…
If you’re up for telling it, I would really love to hear the story of why you chose to stop taking birth control pills and why you regret it.
I myself have a long story to go along with this choice that I have made for myself, and I’m interested to hear yours (And what, if anything, you have done to replace the pill.)
I’m curious, what else could be done in place of birth control? I have to be on some sort of contraceptive since my hubby and I are not ready for children yet. Great post, but want to know your thoughts on this, please!
what do you use instead of bc pills?
We use Similasan Kids cold and mucus relief (for the adults too!). It’s homeopathic and works amazing to knock out colds at the first sign of sniffles. We used to use Boiron’s Cold Calm but this has worked much better for us.
Please share your story about BC. I wouldn’t take it for years and until this last year I started taking them because my hormones were out of control and I was having intense pains. I have been on them for just under a year now and I am older and still want to have children. I really do have a fear of continuing BC.
Great information here. Your website is one of my favorites. 🙂
I take probiotics and stay hydrated , but if I feel something coming on I take oil of oregano right away. I was lucky to find a pediatrician who encourages natural remedys first. When my daughter developed warts on the sides of her feet he told us to put banana peels on them wrap with tape and leave overnight. They were gone in a week no painful burning or freezing. Wondering what you think of Umcka? He recommended this and my older daughter was over a bad cold in 4 days. A lot of over the counter meds for kids are lode with HFCS.
Also try buttercup (when in season). My daughter had warts on her fingers almost on the nail bed and we rubbed buttercup on them (basically crush the flower up and rub crushed flower all over finger). We didn’t wash her hands for a couple hours and did this a couple times and the warts went away on their own within a couple of weeks. Very non-tramatic for a young child.
Thanks !
I would love to hear your comments on birth control. I don’t take a generic brand and refuse to but have been contemplating getting off of it. For basically probably the same reasons you did. Post something soon!!! 🙂
As a volunteer, I was helping a lady with her medications. She was taking a brand name medication for 8 years for schizophrenia. The generic version was introduced publicly and her doctor immediately put her on it. After 2 months on the generic, she had a mental block which required hospitalization. It was as though she had stopped her medication completely
I contacted the pharmaceutical company who made the generic and they basically stated that the generic version of a medication does not have the same ingredients as the brand name version.
I reported this to their lab department as well as the FDA but never heard by from either.
She has been back on the brand name expensive version and has been normal ever since
Beware of certain generic versions. They don’t work.
Thank you so much for posting this. I commented to the pharmacist (further down the thread) that I’ve actually heard a lot of stories of psychiatric drugs having very different and sometimes scary side effects when people switch from brand to generic. More research really needs to be done on the fillers (I don’t see why everything that goes into the damn pills isn’t thoroughly researched…what makes something an “active ingredient”? It’s what you are using to treat the specific symptom,but everything you put in your body does something right? So short-sighted…)
Add me to the list of people who’d like to hear what you have to say about birth control pills. More than just as a contraceptive, I use them to control debilitating cramps and irregular periods. I’ve tried going off them for 6-8 months at a time (a few times), thinking “this’ll be the time when I’m regular”… but I’ve never been regular and because I sometimes pass out due to cramps, all the doctors I’ve seen have strongly recommended I stay on the pill.
However, if there are other side effects I don’t know about, I’d love to hear them and what method you chose (if any) to replace them.
Thanks!
Fantastic post and research! Obviously you need to do a BC post soon from all the comments:) I am actually getting my IUD out next week most likely for the exact reasons that you went off BC. I have gone off all traditional meds in the past year, and my medicine cabinet looks quite different as well. I think the best thing that you (and 100 days of real food) have taught me is to look at the labels on everything. Even if I don’t know all the ingredients, I’m starting to recognize and become knowledgeable on many.
Hmm, I just had my IUD replaced and have had one for nearly 12 years now. I’d be curious why you felt you needed to remove yours and what harm it may have been causing…
As far as I understand, mine is without hormones, which is why I selected this particular one.
I also have a non-hormonal IUD and I love it! Of course, many doctors will only give you one if you have had kids or are in your thirties, but I hear that is starting to change. I have had no complications and am going on 10 years of having one with plans to replace soon. Most of my girlfriends have also gone this route…just make sure it is non-hormonal!
Mine isn’t the copper IUD, it’s the Merena IUD which does have hormones. I can’t speak for the copper one because I haven’t researched it at all. I haven’t had any horror stories that some have, but my main issue with birth control that contains hormones is what we are doing to our bodies long term without really realizing. I was on BC most of my adult life, and never really thought much about it because I’ve never had bad side effects. Now that I’m becoming more educated on what I put in an on my body, I feel very differently about these things and wish I had realized much earlier in life that a quick fix doesn’t really mean much. Honestly, I have had a great experience with Mirena except for an ovarian cyst burst about a year after having it put in. I haven’t had a real period in years, but I don’t think that is a positive thing now. I do have two good friends who have both gotten their IUDs out in the past year and had to have their gal bladders removed afterwards. My decision about removing it was more about getting any foreign, unnatural substances out of my body including medications an hormones. I’m very interested to hear further research on BC. We have all been guinea pigs for all sorts of birth control in the past decade which I’m sure we will only begin to see the results of in our lifetime.
What about things like Motrin or Aleve? I’m sure they have GMO stuff in them, but what do you do when you really need some pain relief?
If I am experiencing pain, after acupuncture, I like to take turmeric extract first – if that doesn’t work – I’ll try white willow bark (the natural (no additive) version of aspirin…. and then I’ll go with an ibuprofen that doesn’t use additives or dyes.
If it is muscle related – I usually always go to heat/cold therapy first too. Good Luck!
Thank you! Gonna use this info to restock the medicine cabinet 🙂
I use Goody’s back and body powder, which is a powder of aspirin, tylenol, and an inactive ingredient of lactose. Their headache powders have caffeine, aspirin, and lactose.
Thanks, Nikki. Off to look up if lactose is an okay ingredient before adding it to the shopping list 🙂
I also wonder if ibuprofen, etc. in Europe has these additives since they are a bit more strict when it comes to GMOs?
I know that many ingredients are added so that the shelf life is longer, or so that it’s palatable. If Americans (and companies producing medication) would accept a shorter shelf life, there might be a shift in ingredients, but until it gets proven that it needs to happen, I dont know that it will :/
Good idea to look up the lactose- I am allergic to corn and about 30 other foods, and Goody’s is the only pain reliever I have on hand that isnt herbal. I don’t take it very often, but I feel better taking that than one with dyes and shellac!
Let us know what you find on the lactose 🙂
Wow! Great post as usual! Love your new header on the blog!
I have one son that has had a febrile seizure, so whenever his temperature goes up I have to give him Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen to keep the fever down so that there isn’t a possibility of him having another seizure. I recently had to go get some children’s medicine and all of the inactive ingredients were horrible and I couldn’t believe that they would be in medicine that is *supposed* to make someone better. I really felt stuck because I didn’t want him to have another seizure, but the ingredients were horrible. I did up giving him the medicine, but I would love to know if there is a natural fever reducer for kids that is guaranteed to work.
Great information here, thank you!!!! I’d love to see a post about bcp’s as well. Thank you!
I started birth control a few months before me and my hubby got married but then shortly after our wedding, I started researching the one I was taking. The info I found about the damage and harm it could do completely freaked me out…I stopped taking it that day and never looked back! Get on Google and start researching the brand you are taking!
I did the same thing… was on a hormonal contraceptive about 6 months total. Was fine for about two months after getting off of it… and then I basically quit having cycles. I would go 3 months or longer between periods. I did some research and apparently I’m not the only one who has had this happen. Now I want to have kids, and it is proving to be difficult. (I sooo regret it!) It is INFURIATING, needless to say, that birth control pills are advertised as being “safe” and I’m sick of doctors pushing it. I wrote the FDA… not like they’re going to do anything about it, but I don’t know what else to do and I can’t sit here and do nothing.
For those of you ladies looking for an alternative method, I recommend the book “Take Charge of Your Fertility.” (Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Fertility-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060881909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361932180&sr=8-1&keywords=take+charge+of+your+fertility) At the very least, it teaches you about how your body works. There is a lot of money to be made by keeping people ignorant.
Kathryn, I am SO sorry that happened to you. 🙁 It is so frustrating!! It absolutely blows my mind that doctors, dentists, FDA, etc will tell you something is “safe” to take/eat and people mindlessly believe them without doing any research. It’s sad that we’re supposed to be able to trust them and we can’t! I agree it’s all about money. So disgusting. I’ll definitely be praying for you and your situation!
Oh and yes I’ve heard that book is a good one!
Thank you, Sarah! I appreciate your prayers. 🙂
Really love this post and couldn’t agree more. Please share more in detail about birth control! I have had crazy side effects from it and would love to know your stance and what you recommend for natural alternative to the common ones.
I am currently taking the Nuva ring, but take it mostly because of intense cramping pains. Why should I stop taking bcontrol?
@Andrea Lorentz – I was on the NuvaRing (read about my experience in the comments above). I don’t say this to scare you– you might have a very different experience than me, and I hope you do! NuvaRing, like all other hormonal contraceptives, contains synthetic hormones that mask your body’s natural hormones. They don’t “fix” anything… they just mask them. You aren’t truly healing anything– which is why if you were to go off of your synthetic hormones, you’d probably go back to having intense cramps. In the meantime, the synthetic hormones may actually deplete your body’s store of natural hormones. (Which was my situation, and why I suspect I quit cycling after I went off the NuvaRing.) I would try to get to the root of your cramping problem, and fix that. It will take a lot of research on your part– getting to know yourself and trial and error probably! For me, going on a gluten-free diet and cutting out dairy and refined sugar has helped immensely. For you, it might be something different. Good luck!
Love the new design! It’s a perfect fit for the knowledge you are spreading!! I attended a class last fall on the use of herbs for medicinal purposes and loved the tea we made. A few months after, I started to get the nasty cold that everyone else in my office had and the tea worked wonders. The tea is brewed from a mixture of dried echinacea, red clover, rose hips, calendula, spearmint & ginger. If you like, add a little raw honey for an extra boost. I was feeling better within a day and didn’t feel the need to reach for the over the counter meds! The neti pot is also our best friend…don’t know what we would do without it.
I used to take ibuprofen for cramps, but I kept needing to take more and it took longer and longer to work. I started eating more healthfully and decided to just not take anything. Eventually the cramps went away anyway. One time they were bad so I tried the ibuprofen again and I felt so funny. There was something my body didn’t like that I never noticed when I wasn’t treating my body as well.
Great post, Vani! This is why I always use homeopathic medicine, especially since I have children. As far as BC, after 10 years of taking pills and then having 2 kids, I decided to go off, because of the amount of side effects they can cause. Even though for those 10 years on the pills I was fine, (except some nausea or low sex drive), I don’t trust something what doesn’t come out of Nature. And pills do not. It’s artificial, it’s chemical, it’s fake. Did you notice, by the way, that FDA approves of some drug and later on you see advertisements on TV to sue companies because of the side effects those drugs cause? Same with BC, NuvaRing or Mirena are not safe anymore, so how come they approved them in the first place??? All they care about is profit, not your health! Don’t let the FDA brainwash your mind and destroy your health!
Interesting comments…. I was on BC nearly 20 years ago for a short time. Tried several different pills, but always experienced unrelenting nausea, leg cramps, and other symptoms. When I discontinued after a year or so, I noticed that my sex drive was much lower, and it never has fully recovered. I know this is off-topic, but would appreciate any suggestions to improve this area from any readers here.
Thanks for this story, Food Babe! I want to know what you found about birth control too – please share!
Love this! My husband is a chiropractor and he teaches this all day long to his patients.
PS. Oil of oregano is a great natural remedy too. 🙂
Fabulous post! I’ve noticed the toxic ingredients in these medicines at the family I work for house. It sad that these products are directly marked at making you not sick, when only it causes more havoc. Found it interesting when you mentioned the placebo effect on medicines. Thanks for writing this article!
Wondering what your thoughts on benadryl are. We give it to btoh of our boys regularly. They’ve both been allergy tested and “arent allergic to anything” per the dr but they both have seasonal cough runny nose and my younger one gets itchy watery eyes too! If thats not allergies I don’t know what is! But for my older one (this will sound weird) Benadryl makes him pay attention better. He has Down syndrome and msot liekly some significant attention issues. But when he’s on benadryl he’s much more attentive. he follows directions better listens better even talks more. It’s like it turns on a part of his brain thats usually off. We found this out on accident when he got bitten by tons of fireants and we used the benadryl to stop his reactions and the itching so they didn’t get infected. We discussed it with our pediatrician who I love and I was curious as to why benadryl has this side effect on him but of course she cant tell me. I was hoping for a natural/herbal alternative that would do the same thing. But she couldnt give me one. She said “just give him the bendryl it’s safe” which i know she truly believes but I have my doubts. So i guess my question is hwo bad in benadryl? and any guesses on an alternative?
I also would love to hear about possible alternatives for BC that truly do work. I have been on it for years to control my extraordinarily heavy flow and extremely painful cramps that would normally last for about 2 weeks. It’s been wonderful to be able to actually function during my period after years of missing work/school because I was in too much pain to even get out of bed. It’s also nice to go out and not have to worry where a bathroom might be since I would have to change my “feminine product” about once or twice an hour.
I did try a natural remedy a couple years ago. It did absolutely nothing and I took the pill after only a few days of suffering. Warm baths and heating pads helped a little but did nothing when I needed to get up and head to work or run errands.
I also would be interested in an alternative that had a high efficacy rate of preventing pregnancy. The reality is many people like being able to control when they begin having kids and how many to have. If there was a healthier alternative, I’m sure people would be interested. As someone who doesn’t want kids, this is important to me.
I’m sorry that you have such severe periods. Hopefully, you can find a natural solution. As far as high efficacy pregnancy prevention, it sounds like, especially since you don’t plan on having kids, that you might be a good candidate for a non-hormonal IUD. I love mine…have had it almost ten years and plan on getting it replaced. Good luck!
Thanks! I unfortunately did not have a positive experience with the IUD (I really was hoping for it though!!). I grew cysts on my ovaries which made me be in constant pain and ended up having to have it surgically removed after it became embedded in my uterus and threatened to perforate into my abdomen (thankfully this didn’t happen and I was ok). My experience with BC has been positive though. So thankful that we have have these different choices. Everyone’s body is different. I have friends who love the IUD. I was disapointed that it did not work out so well for me though.
Thanks so much for the post, Food Babe! At the risk of sounding nosy (I don’t want you to have to divulge info on your private life) I’d love to hear what you found out about birth control. I’ve contemplated going off of it for a while and definitely think a certain brand I took years ago led to depression and other awful side effects. I always enjoy your posts and most importantly I ALWAYS learn something. If you could shed some light on the birth control discussion I would greatly appreciate it!
Hi Food babe! Thanks for the article, once again great information! I was wondering if you could share with me the acupuncturist you see?
I actually found myself looking at the inactive ingredients a couple days ago thinking to myself, “I wonder what they put in this if they put other crap in traditional foods?” Thanks so much for this post! 🙂
Thanks for this article, it’s a good one. I also like your blog’s new UI- looks great! I’m curious to hear more about your experience with birth control though. I still take the pill and I’ve found it shortens my period, lightens it, and does away with cramps- all good things for me. What birth control practices are you using now? Thank you!
Thanks for the new info.
I thought Zicam was a healthy alternative to cold medicine but never considered all the inactive ingredients.
We will stick to the vitamin itself instead!
Food Babe, great article! I would really love more on birth control. I am getting married in June and I have never taken the pill. I am going to the gyno next week and I have spent a lot of time debating what birth control method to use. I have a friend who took the pill for six months and had some terrible symptoms. She is now using the chart method and I am also highly considering this option.
Please help me! I really do not want to get pregnant, but I also do not want to be duped!!
I honestly think taking OTC birth control (something I’d been doing for the past 1.5 years) probably goes a loooooooooong way towards nullifying so many other marvelous nutritional & behavioral things you do on a daily basis. The fillers & hormones wreak havoc (weight gain was mine). There has to be a better way. I don’t even want to know in the future what the legacy is of this crap in the body. I had a severe sudden issue & the pills cleared it up- but I just didn’t feel right on them. Look forward to reading about more doable alternatives in the comments. Also just again passing your personal power over to some giant shady pharmaceutical company that is then filtered through various administrative levels- insurance, pharmacies- And the fact that the lowest common denominator ($$$) rules. Medicines just flip from brand name to generic without notice? Fillers don’t have to be listed? Why would a filler be anything but inert? (It’s a real question, I hope there is a scientifically-valid & not just economic reason). Frightening.
I would love more info on why you stopped taking birth control. I’ve been considering stopping for a while because I’m concerned about the dangers. I would love to hear what you have found out about it in a future post!
Thanky you for sharing this information. As several others have also commented, I would love to hear what you have to say about BC.
Thanks for the great article. My only comment is that, where you list the GMO study results on animals, there’s no mention of the more recent Seralini study that revealed massive tumors in rats fed a GMO diet. This is such a dramatic study that it would be good to list it as well. If you need a reference:
Seralini, et al. 2012. Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal.
This is a great post! I’ve been off BC for 2 years after deciding if I didn’t want to eat extra hormones… why was I taking them for my period. I recently started doing the protocol @ floliving.com that helps to balance your hormones, treat PCOS, fibroids, ect. through your diet. I highly recommend it for understanding how your hormones are affected by your diet! It’s def and investment, but well worth it.
Great post! I was shocked a few years back when I was having severe “allergy attacks” and was told to take over the counter allergy meds like benadryl. I went through almost every brand trying to find one that worked for me, but all they did was make me feel worse. I was also prescribed a puffer. Neither was working for my symptoms (that is a whole other story entirely) and I was wondering why they were making me feel worse. I have a lactose and milk protein intolerance and I found out that lactose is an additive in almost every medication and there was milk proteins in my puffer! The pharmacist tried to tell me it was in such a small dose that it would not affect me, but I stopped taking them and felt better! I was shocked that they could add things like that to medication when so many people have dairy allergies!
I am allergic to many antibiotics. I am also allergic to cow’s milk. I read the book Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life by Sandra Beasley and learned that many of the medicines contained lactose. Those the doctors swear that the amount is so little that I should not have an reaction. I am not so sure that I agree with them .
Lifting the veil a little more! Thank for this great post, and your new site design looks awesome! I don’t normally like to take anything, but when I feel sick to my stomach, chamomile is the way to go. I’m also curious about BC pills… I took them for years, then had a tough time getting and staying pregnant. I always wondered if it had something to do with those pills.
thanks again! 🙂
Too many doctors are prescribing and too many women are blindly taking birth control pills. They are being given to younger and younger teens–even if not sexually active–in the name of “regulating periods” (when proper nutrition would do that). What will be the health effects of taking BCPs for decades? People need to wake up.
http://www.ccli.org/
FB – Great article. It’s eye opening and really highlights the importance of consciously reading labels. It does seem really crazy that all these ingredients need to be put in these products. Especially when they are “inactive”. It makes me more conscious about what I’m putting in my body and what affect that might have. My devils advocate side wants to know this too however. A common holistic approach to avoid synthetic drugs (and their side effects) and use herbal “natural” remedies instead. As you mentioned, one argument against synthetic drugs is that the FDA did not perform rigorous testing on the synthetic drugs. The FDA also does not do any rigorous testing (or any testing at all) on herbal remedies. Many herbal remedies also have side effects some of which can be very dangerous. Isn’t that a concern too?
I am so interested in hearing about why you chose to stop using birth-control. That has always been my big question. I am looking forward to your future post on the topic of brith-control pills.
Thank you always for the useful information 🙂
OMG – I had no idea! I decided to check the medicine I take everyday fo bladder issues associated with my MS. The paperwork that came from the pharmacy didn’t have the ingredients listed so I turned to the Internet. Look what I found. How many of the inactive ingredients are harmful?!? I’ve been taking these for 4 years…..will stop today and try to find a natural alternative. Thank you so much Food Babe for information drug companies don’t want us to know!
Tamsulosin HYDROCHLORIDE (Tamsulosin) Tamsulosin HYDROCHLORIDE 0.4 mg
Inactive Ingredients
Ingredient Name Strength
CALCIUM STEARATE
D&C RED NO. 28
FD&C BLUE NO. 1
GELATIN
CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE
POLYSORBATE 80
SODIUM HYDROXIDE
SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE
TALC
TITANIUM DIOXIDE
TRIETHYL CITRATE
FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE
D&C YELLOW NO. 10
FD&C BLUE NO. 2
FD&C RED NO. 40
PROPYLENE GLYCOL
SHELLAC
METHACRYLIC ACID – ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER (1:1) TYPE A
That is horrible, Debbie! The best thing you can do for your health is to stop taking prescription pills! There are alternatives how to treat any kind of disease naturally. Most of the time you just need to make adjustments in your diet and eliminate stress from your life. Look for homeopathic medicine (that’s the only one I use if I have to, it has NO side effects and comes from nature), herbs, go to naturopathic or acupuncturist, there is a solution out there without having to be a slave of pharmaceutical industry.
I’m curious about your opinion regarding supplements, such as zinc, which I have read can help reduce the length of a cold. I’m sure there are supplements out there that have all of the icky additives, but are there some that don’t add those things, and if there are, what’s your opinion?
The information you post is so helpful! I agree with the other people who have posted also – please write something on the birth control subject!
I understand the aversion to OTCs, but what about prescription medicines? For example, if you are prescribed antibiotics for a bacterial infection. How do you KNOW when you need them? Do you risk jeopardizing the normal flora that you have been working towards re-establishing (i.e. probiotics and diet)?
I know you can’t answer that specifically, but what do you do in a situation like that? Thank you!!