Rest: A Key Ingredient for Good Health

Prolonged medication and its Side effect

Prolonged medication over a period of time can adversely affect health in a number of ways. It can be responsible for the excretion of certain essential nutrients, interfere with nutrient absorption, and even decrease the body’s ability to convert nutrients into a usable form.

These effects are more pronounced in people who take a certain medication over a long period of time.

Different ways of how medicines affect the nutrients in the body –

Excessive use of diuretics i.e water pills is a cause of electrolyte imbalance in the body.

People who consume diuretics regularly should make it a point to have more tomatoes and oranges along with their juices, prunes, raisins, bananas, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.

Oral contraceptive pills and its side effect

Having oral contraceptive pills for a prolonged period sometimes does lead to a deficiency of vitamin C and folic acid in the system.

Natural vitamin C sources:

Guavas, oranges, lemon, grapefruits, tomatoes, strawberries, cabbage, and green peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C.

Gout – Side effects of gout medication

There are quite a few drugs that are used to treat gout. Intake of these drugs over a period of time leads to Vitamin B12 deficiency as these medicines interfere with the absorption of this vitamin in the body.

High Blood Pressure Medication Side Effects

Medicines are taken to treat hypertension, restrict the absorption of vitamin B6 in the body. Consumption of foods like fish, whole-grain bread, bananas, potatoes, etc should be encouraged for obvious reasons.

Antacids Medication Side Effects

Antacids should not be taken as a matter of routine as they lead to a deficiency of Vitamin D. Intake of antacids causes osteomalacia, i.e softening of bones, especially in women.

Not made for each other Milk, calcium, and antacids 

The calcium in milk and milk products like yogurt and cheese interfere in the absorption of certain antibiotics. These should not be consumed at the same time so as to ensure that the full dosage of the drug is available for adequate treatment of infection.

It is further brought out that milk, calcium, and antacids should not be taken together. We should wait for at least two hours before taking these iron supplements. Instead, vitamin C rich foods should be taken along with iron to facilitate absorption of this mineral.

Chemotherapy side effects

Drugs used in chemotherapy significantly induces loss of appetite. The taste sensations get altered and thus, the food should include more flavorings and seasonings like mint, coriander, turmeric, etc which are a rich source of antioxidants.

Certain anti-inflammatory drugs, apart from distorting taste sensations, are also known to cause heartburn, stomach irritation, indigestion, ulcers, etc which further leads to poor gut. Probiotics are always recommended as a part of the diet in such cases.

Remember that vitamin K rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, coffee, beef, liver, green tea should be strictly avoided while on warfarin drug. These foods have the ability to antagonize the anticoagulant effect of this drug