A Return to Healing

A few years ago, at the conclusion of an office visit with Dr. Saputo, he mentioned that he was writing a book about health care reform. At that time, I was making a 45-minute drive to see Dr. Saputo because I couldn't get the medical help that I needed closer to home.

Dr. Saputo embodies the ideal medical practitioner of the 21st century. He uses cutting-edge laboratory tests to diagnose illness. He combines conventional medicine with adjunct alternative or integrative therapies. He goes to the source of many illnesses by looking at the patient's digestive system. Conventional doctors rarely consider nutrition and digestion to be a part of good health.

Dr. Saputo makes himself accessible to his patients. He prefers that they call him "Len." He encourages patients to email him with questions--between office visits--and he responds right away, as long as the question requires a straightforward answer.

I read extensively about medical issues. I typically arm myself with a list of concerns to show my doctors. My aim to be a part of my own care puts off some doctors. Dr. Saputo welcomes questions, and he takes them seriously. He is open-minded enough to consider my thoughts. Yet, he is a strong sounding board who doesn't let me hijack my treatment with my own fears or misinformation.

This review is not of Dr. Len Saputo's medical practice, but of his book: A Return to Healing: Radical Health Care Reform and the Future of Medicine. When he mentioned he was writing this book on medical reform, I thought to myself, Good luck with that. Only an optimistic, energetic person would tackle this subject. When he said that his goal was to provide a solution to the medical care crisis, I asked what his bottom line solution would ultimately be. He said something like, "People must take it upon themselves to demand change."

Your Drug May Be Your Problem

It seems like everybody’s taking Prozac, Zoloft or some other antidepressant. Well, maybe not. But we all know somebody who is. At least one of the Columbine shooters was on antidepressants (Eric Harris was on Luvox). These drugs may help some people but they make other people crazy. Taking a mind altering drug is like playing Russian Roulette.* Here's an article that lists the many killings done by individuals on antidepressants.

Drugs and Mass Shootings

You may assume that these killers all had serious problems before they took these drugs. But all too often a patient who is given a drug to cope with mild depression has a bad reaction to the drug. This reaction may occur over time in a patient that is not monitored adequately by a doctor. And no one recognizes the problem until it's too late.

Drugs to alter our moods are common today. The drug companies are making a bundle of money while we are their guinea pigs. Many consumers have a naive sense of security, believing that we’re protected by the FDA. I urge anyone who takes a mood altering drug, or loves someone who takes a mood altering drug, to read Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How And Why To Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications by Peter Breggin, M.D. and David Cohen, Ph.D.

How does anyone know how drugs affect the brain? The idea that Prozac corrects a chemical imbalance is purely a guess. However, it is a proven fact that Prozac causes a disruption of the normal firing of brain cells. No one who knows the research can dispute this. Drugs like Prozac, Ritalin, or Xanax destroy the brain’s capacity to function properly on its own.

How long does this disruption last? No one has the answer to this question because there is no long-term research done. All research to approve a drug is conducted over short time periods.

Your Drug May Be Your Problem describes adverse effects of various psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants, stimulants, benzodiazepines (tranquilizers), mood stabilizers, neuroleptics, and others. If you are taking a mood altering medication, please read about the side effects of your particular drug. Often the patient believes (or is led to believe) that their “chemical balance” has gotten worse, when it is the drug that is causing the problem.

Aren’t we protected by the FDA? The FDA relies on data that the drug companies have assembled, organized, pruned and interpreted. Using only this data, the FDA makes its risk/benefit analysis. The FDA almost always ends up making compromises in order to accommodate industry. This process is called negotiating with the drug companies. It is kept entirely secret from doctors and consumers alike. The risk/benefit ratios are never determined by the patient.

Here is Peter Breggin, discussing antidepressants on The O'Reilly Factor:

Peter Breggin on You Tube

Breggin and Cohen have written a solution-oriented book. They describe some of the side effects of withdrawing from these drugs. They suggest guidelines to help therapists offer patients a more balanced view of using drugs, and, finally, they give sound psychological principles to help patients learn to feel better so that a drug may be used as a last resort.

*Sorry if this is P.I. The phrase illustrates a point.