How Conventional Medicine Almost Killed My Father

How Conventional Medicine Almost Killed Mylife-threatening bleeding in his thigh. Even though
Fatherhe was on Coumadin, the doctors could not
This is the most emotional piece I have everexplain the bleeding because his INR (measure of
written on any subject. I have suffered greatblood thinning) was only 1.7.
anguish that my own immediate family has nowHis blood was not especially thin. Lexapro stuck in
fallen to Big Pharma. You see, my elderly andmy gut like a fishbone stuck in your throat.
failing father recently slipped into a most unusualTogether, my sister and I looked at the first page
global encephalopathic disorder.of the official Lexapro website ( It sternly warns
He lost all responsiveness for three weeks, andof hyponatremia (low blood sodium). It especially
could not swallow. After the three weeks, whenwarns of bleeding complications, particularly in
awake, he couldn’t recognize my mother, histhose on anticoagulant drugs.
beloved wife of 62 years. And he was virtuallyThe website says very plainly: “Lexapro (and
unable to move his extremities. His sodium hadsimilar drugs) are known to increase the risk of
dropped to a dangerous 128 (hyponatremia).bleeding events. Concomitant use of warfarin
That’s a level that can cause dangerous fluid(coumadin), aspirin and other anticoagulants may
shifts and brain edema, especially in the elderly.add to the risk. Patients should be cautioned about
The reason this happened will shock you. First athese risks. (Lexapro and similar drugs) have been
little background. Last year, my father startedassociated with clinically significant hyponatremia.
taking the “blood thinner” Coumadin —Elderly patients … seem to be at greater
against my wishes. His doctors pressured him intorisk.” After seeing the evidence, my sister
taking the drug, even though I had on occasionsaid, “Robert, you were right about the
spoken with his doctors about alternatives.Lexapro. It destroyed what was left of him.”
I also told them that neither I nor my colleaguesThe drugs turned this once functional human
had ever seen a clot, nor bleeding in hundreds ofspecimen into a physical jellyfish. And they
patients using these alternatives. Not only weredidn’t have to do it! In this case, the doctors
they not interested, two doctors fired my dad ascould have given CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids,
their patient for even suggesting an alternative toacetyl l-carnitine, and alpha lipoic acid.
Coumadin.Today, there are over 20 clinical trials that
They wouldn’t see him anymore. My dadsuggest St. John’s wort works better than a
eventually gave in. But the doctors weren’tplacebo and is as effective as antidepressants for
happy with just one drug. They also treated himmild to moderate depression. And with fewer side
with the “blood-thinner” Plavix, eveneffects.
though I had repeatedly suggested alternatives.In fact, some studies report that placebo itself is
Plavix, like aspirin, wipes out your platelets’as effective as these modern serotonin-based
ability to coagulate.petrochemicals. So why did they give my dad a
Coumadin thins out blood-clotting proteins.dangerous drug? The answer to that goes to the
Together, he had a double whammy. That wouldheart and soul of the evil in American medicine.
have been bad enough. But then one of hisAs you can see clearly from my dad’s case,
doctors gave him another drug. This one has awe have a totally corrupt system.
toxic profile that’s greatly worsened by eachNutritional alternatives to a dangerous chemical
of the blood thinners. The drug was theantidepressant were nonexistent as far as the
antidepressant drug Lexapro.hospital and board-certified internist knew. Since
My father’s doctor prescribed the drug whilethey are not FDA approved, both would be
he was in a rehab center. He had complained ofterrified to venture out of the chemical paradigm.
low energy and depression. So his internistAnd, they might stand in violation of hospital and
prescribed the Lexapro without telling Dad thegovernment regulations. Whatever their motive,
potential ramifications of the drug.one of the doctors gave a dangerous drug to a
And they didn’t tell my mom anything. Wefeeble elderly man.
found out that he was getting the drug, thanks toAs a result, he developed the exact complications
a slip from one his physicians. I had traveledso warned on the drug’s official site. A
across country to see my dad and heard thelayman of average common sense would have
doctor’s slip.said, “Heck, is there another way to do this
If I hadn’t been there, my mom probablythat is less dangerous?”
would have missed it. My physician sister, whoBut hospital regulations, Medicare, insurance,
was at his bedside as well, didn’t hear the slip.medical dogma, medical societies and associations,
When I told her, we both wanted to comethe FDA, and other draconian agencies together
unglued. But somehow we managed to stay calm.have brought us to this awful scenario.
I haven’t practiced chemical medicine forI maintain the ultimate source is the evil
years because I know the damage they cause.pervasiveness of Big Pharma. It has created and
And the damage caused by mind-altering drugs issupported a government-protected monopoly to
especially devastating on the elderly. Use of suchthe detriment of all of society. Our legislators take
drugs before trying safe alternatives should be amillions in political contributions from this, the most
crime. This drug, along with the other two, almostgenerous of the lobbying industries. We are
killed my father.farmed for profit. Ref: J Affect Disord, 2008 May
While I was there he spontaneously developed14, Expert Opin Investig Drugs, 2008; 17(6).