Iatrogenic Disease: The silent killer

Iatrogenic disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States, only surpassed by heart disease and cancer. Iatrogenic diseases are the result of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures undertaken by a patient; in other words, they are doctor-caused illnesses. In 2015, about 250,000 people died per year due to poorly prescribed medication and medical errors. By comparison, the Poison Control Centers of the United States reported that vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fats, herbal remedies and homeopathic has no reports of deaths or even poisoning. Because of the amount of drugs prescribed to a single patient to treat a single or several conditions, adverse drug reactions are likely to occur and cause pathologies independent of the conditions for which the treatments were meant for. Diagnostic and invasive procedures, like drugs and surgery, as well as hospitalization, and even the treating doctors themselves can bring about iatrogenic disorders. Adverse drug reactions are defined by the World Health Organization as any reaction of a drug that is harmful and potentially unintended, which occurs in prescribed doses normally used for prevention, diagnosis, and the treatment of disease. Generally, the more drugs a patient is prescribed, the more likely they are to contract an iatrogenic disorder.

One of the most common and dangerous iatrogenic threats is the possibility of anaphylaxis, which is a very serious and life-threatening allergic reaction. Penicillin, some antibiotics, human insulin and several types of vaccines, are the most common agents that cause anaphylaxis. Drug-induced liver injuries are potential complications of nearly every medication because the liver metabolizes all drugs that go into the human body. The kidney is the organ that is in charge of removing excessive and unnecessary materials from the body, and therefore is also affected by most drugs. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a life-threatening reaction neuroleptic and antipsychotic medication, is one of the serious iatrogenic complications. Symptoms include rigidity, hyperthermia, catatonia, and easily altered blood pressure. Antihistamines, amphetamines and most narcotics can cause psychiatric symptoms, like drowsiness, delirium, hallucinations, depression, mania and paranoia. Other treatments like radiotherapy, estrogens, anabolic steroids and even oral contraceptives can lead to malignant diseases like leukemia, breast and liver cancer.

Acquiring infections in hospitals is very common, urinary tract infections and respiratory infections are the most regular to behold. The chances of undergoing infections associated with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and with antibiotic resistant bacterial flora are high. The harm that a doctor can inflict includes, but is not limited to the imprudent use of medicine or a medical procedure. Doctors should be aware of the properties of the drugs prescribed and their potential dangers. Ignorance of the possibility of a reaction is evidence of negligence, and it’s more common than the public would like to believe. Patients should be warned of the likely side effects different treatments can induce.

Vaccines are amongst the most common drugs that lead to iatrogenic diseases. In mild cases, vaccines cause a local reaction to the inoculated section and fever. Parents are usually ill-advised to administer acetaminophen or ibuprofen to children after vaccination to prevent the fever and discomfort. Fevers are the most common and even expected reactions to vaccinations. In other more serious cases, vaccines can cause a soft tissue infection called suppurative lymphadenitis, which affects muscles, ligaments, nerves, fibrous tissue and blood vessels. Other severe reactions include encephalopathy, hypersensitive reactions, toxic shock syndrome and abscess.

The problem is that for-profit corporate entities influence the promotion of all types of medications, including vaccines. This means that for-profit companies control every type of treatment in modern Western medicine. There is evidence that negligence in laboratories and the economic interests of these pharmaceutical companies interfere with people’s health, the treatments they receive and the medicines they are prescribed. These special interests make iatrogenic diseases unavoidable in traditional medicine.

Regarding vaccines, the sector of the population most affected by monetary interests are children, who are the most commonly vaccinated people. Children are physically, neurologically, and immunologically immature; this can allow harsh brain damage and other complications that manifest in any number of chronic iatrogenic vaccine-induced disorders of which pharmaceutical companies neglect to inform the public of. Toxic vaccine ingredients can cause chemical and inflammatory trauma to the brain that resembles cerebral contusions, which is why many cases of vaccine injuries can be mistaken for “shaken baby syndrome”.

Medical fraud that causes death

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee are composed largely of academic physicians that usually have a conflict of interest. The members of committees are usually academics, and tend to be highly respected figures within the medical community. Their recommendations dictate the mainstream and even required standards of health for the rest of the population.

In 1986, Ronald Reagan signed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, a law which prevents the parents of vaccine-injured children to sue the responsible vaccine corporations and vaccine promoters. This protection from liability has allowed pharmaceutical companies to continue producing all types of medicines, not just vaccines, with very flexible standards. Furthermore, this law acknowledges that federally licensed and recommended vaccines mandated by states for children to attend school can and do cause injury and death.

Nowadays, pharmaceutical companies do not usually fund or conduct their own researches. Most of the foundational research on the development of new drugs is done with public dollars through universities and academic settings. These corporations rely on publicly-funded research, then turn around and make a hugely significant profit off the findings. Essentially, the public, through tax money, is acting as an early investor in the production of new drugs that are then privatized by multi-billion dollar companies and receive no return on their investment. Not only does the public then have little to no access to the medicines they are investing in, but when they do get access they are submitted to the dangers of iatrogenic diseases and potential financially devastating outcomes due to the incredibly inflated medicine and treatment prices. It is commonly said that getting sick is for the rich, and these pharmaceutical companies are currently ensuring this statement remains true.

Iatrogenic diseases represent a great threat to people’s health all around the world. New medications are constantly being released to the market, and the misguided usage of painkillers, antibiotics, steroids, vaccines, and other unnecessary surgical or therapeutic procedures remains the norm. It’s important to be reminded that many of these drugs actually cause harmful side effects more often than medical institutions and their representatives would like to admit. Furthermore, the fact is that most of the adverse drug reactions tend to be unrecorded.

Holistic medicine can solve this health crisis effectively, which is why each day there are more and more people who search these alternative methods. A clinical research was done on 1100 cases between 2003 and 2014. Iatrogenic diseases were present in several forms. Including cutaneous manifestations, gastrointestinal diseases, renal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and depression. The patients that received the traditional medicine therapies for their diverse conditions suffered serious side effects, although most of the treatments did successfully treat the symptoms experienced. Individual cases were evaluated based on relevant past, family and clinical history; as well as clinical examinations that included, MRI scans, CAT scans, ultrasounds, radiologies, pathological and endoscopic investigation. In most cases, in order to heal the ailment, a form of iatrogenic condition was developed. Then, the patients were submitted to a series of holistic and homeopathic treatments. The type of treatment depended on the condition and health of each patient. The results were revealing, approximately 90% of the patients showed a level of improvement from a form of homeopathic therapy, and 10% abandoned treatment early on due to delayed response. These and other clinical practices and researches have indicated that iatrogenic disease can be treated with holistic form of therapies if when there is commitment from both the practitioner and the patient.

Homeopathic and holistic medicine is not magic, and will not result in immediate effects. These methods require commitment, discipline and a true soul and mind revolution to achieve healing. One of the best ways to avoid iatrogenic disease is by prevention. Nutrition is the key element for preventive medicine in general. A healthy, well fed and naturally protected body is more likely to not only fight infections when they reach the body, but less likely to need serious medical intervention in the first place. At Holistic Sanctuary, the idea that a well nourished, healthy body is the key to a whole body, soul and spirit interconnection is primal. Organic, plant based diets are provided for all treatments, which is an essential aspect of the complete and effective healing process. Food can be a truly source of healing and health maintainer when allowed.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066256/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4923397/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1589967/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/iatrogenesis