Going Green With Meds

In a recent study, it was noted that almost 50% of American's took at least one prescription drug in the past month. While the reason that these medications are prescribed vary, they have all impacted the quality of our lives. For decades, researchers and scientists have studied diseases and found new and innovative ways to treat them. Today we are living longer and healthier lives because of medications.

Consider vaccinations. In the United States, infants and children are typically vaccinated against a wide range of illnesses. Everything from Polio to Whopping Cough is included in a vaccination protocol. The result has been healthier children and the near annihilation of several diseases that were at one time fatal to many children. The vaccination program relies on a series of drugs to help protect children from many diseases and illnesses and has had a huge impact on the quality of our lives.

Other areas of medicine have been improved as well. Maintenance drugs is one such area. Diseases like diabetes, epilepsy, high blood pressure and high cholesterol have long plagued humanity. These diseases, which may not be fatal in and of themselves, meant patients were forced to suffer through life, attempting to deal with symptoms that may be painful, dangerous or aggravating. Maintenance medication corrects this symptomology and helps create a better quality life for patients who suffer from some of these disorders.

While researchers continue to develop new ways to treat diseases, they are also looking to our future. Instead of creating drugs that can potentially harm our environment, they are also creating medications that safe for not only humanity but the entire planet. Today, there are several prescriptions available as an alternative to mainstream medications. These are entirely effective, just like their traditional counterparts, but are much less likely to impact our environment.

In some cases these 'green' drugs are naturally benign, in others; researchers have sought new and innovative ways to make them safe for the environment. Current research in this area looks to the future and is focusing on creating medication that is only 'active' while inside the human body or that reacts to the light found in water plants. In either of these exciting new ways, the possibility of environmental impact is lessened.

As a patient, ask your doctor if there is a green alternative to the medication you are being prescribed. You may be surprised just how 'green' you can be just by taken your morning pills.

For more related information see: Medicamentos