By Michael Biamonte

They have lived through more changes in the world than any other generation in its history. They’ve been the go-getters, the inventors. When problems have arisen, they’ve rolled up their sleeves and fixed them. Yet when it comes to their health, it seems as though they’ve ceded control to follow their medical doctor’s recommendations, instead of researching their options or taking care of themselves, as they always have in every other area.

At the Biamonte Center, we’ve had many elderly patients tell us that they love their doctor—or even that their doctor saved their life. But we’ve seen even more patients whose care has simply been managed with one prescription drug after the other, while their quality of life slowly but surely fades away.

In 2003, Gary Null, Ph.D., et al, wrote “Death by Medicine,” citing statistics from government health agencies and peer-reviewed medical journals to assert that the American medical system “frequently does more harm than good” and “is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States.” They cited high rates of in-hospital adverse reactions to prescribed medicine, unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics, unnecessary hospitalizations, and unnecessary medical and surgical procedures. The annual rate of iatrogenic deaths—those caused by medical intervention—was 783,936, surpassing the 2001 annual death rate from heart disease (699,697) and cancer (553,251).

These numbers are even higher today. 

The problem of overmedication is exacerbated by the fact that our nutritional requirements change as we get older. Because we stop producing as much stomach acid, we don’t digest our food or absorb vitamins and minerals as well. As a result, we develop chronic health conditions for which we are prescribed medications that make the underlying issues worse.

There is a better way to approach wellness as we age—and it doesn’t require stopping treatment with an MD or specialist. With a good nutritional plan and a doctor who looks to the whole person, it’s possible to reverse most chronic conditions and restore a degree of strength, energy and youthfulness. 

At the Biamonte Center, we also have BioCybernetics software that was invented for NASA to identify nutritional deficiencies and determine how to prioritize them for treatment.

Michael Biamonte, CCN, is founder of the Biamonte Center for Clinical Nutrition, located at 2185 34th Ave., Suite 14D, Astoria, NY. To schedule an initial consultation, including an individualized nutritional plan, visit Health-Truth.com or NewYorkCityCandidaDoctor.com.