Iatrogeny ? But what is this learned word again? Iatrogeny, this very common and yet little known phenomenon can put the life of any person in danger. In order to understand what we are talking about, here is a perfect definition of iatrogenesis: "Iatrogenesis is all the harmful consequences on the individual or collective state of health of any act or measure practiced or prescribed by an authorized health professional and which aims to preserve, improve or restore health. "

We are of course talking about the side effects of medications.

In France, drug-related iatrogeny is responsible for 130,000 hospitalizations per year and, as many studies unfortunately prove, a percentage of people come out of surgery suffering from an infection that they would have caught in the hospital environment. Some may even die from it.

The first step should be established by the health care practitioner at the time of diagnosis and medical examination. Indeed, the very frequent quick appointments are not sufficient to determine the patient's condition. It is imperative that they ask the consultant about their nutritional status, but they should also assess renal, cardiac and respiratory function. Even the psychological state should be analyzed before any prescription.

The people most affected are very often the elderly who accumulate drug cocktails as the days go by and very often find themselves with a chemical bomb in their mouth, affecting the renal sphere little by little.

Note that all drugs have undesirable health effects. Some are allergenic while others are more sympathomimetic for example. The list is more or less long, but what is important is the effect that the drug will have on the sufferer who wishes to be cured and who risks ending up sicker than before.

What can you do to protect yourself from adverse drug reactions?

To limit the risks of side effects, there are a few tips to know

• Make sure your doctor has made a proper diagnosis and has taken all your measurements, including blood pressure.
• Avoid taking several medications at the same time. If you have a specific protocol, then be sure to follow both the dosages and the times of intake.

The drug cocktail to avoid

Also, do not play the chemist's apprentice by mixing allopathic medication with natural remedies. Indeed, although herbal remedies are very effective and much less dangerous, the interactions between the two can be catastrophic if you don't take advice from a qualified therapist. The examples are really numerous and can sometimes frighten, here is a non exhaustive list:

• Avoid taking turmeric - curcuma longa taken simultaneously with anticoagulants - whose treatment must be stopped 2 weeks before surgery or childbirth because it then becomes a blood thinner.
• Avoid taking lemon balm - melissa officinalis - with hypothyroid treatment as it can block thyroid activity. Same risk with black radish.
• Avoid a treatment with dandelion - taraxacum officinalis - mainly during a liver/kidney drainage if you are already taking diuretics. The effect of the cocktail may increase the reaction and the danger will be to lose too much mineral salts.
• Avoid taking Valerian - valeriana officinalis - so effective in case of smoking cessation if you take anxiolytics or hypnotics because the effect will be tenfold and dangerous.
• Avoid taking gingko - gingko biloba - because taken in conjunction with antidepressants, it can increase the sedative effect of the latter. This effect can have rather serious consequences on the health of the patient.

The case of St. John's wort could also be debated. Indeed, this natural remedy against depression - so effective - must however be taken with great care. Indeed, it disturbs the blood pressure if it is taken with MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) antidepressants. In addition, it also counteracts the effect of oral contraceptives and women are not always informed of this effect. Finally, it will be advised to avoid sun exposure while taking this natural treatment.

Let's go further, did you know that some foods can disrupt a treatment in progress. Indeed, let's take the example of grapefruit juice, which should be taken within 2 hours after taking a medication. It has been shown to inhibit the therapeutic effect.

Your health and your body are not playgrounds. That is why, without going overboard, you should be very careful with the medications you take.