Many people need to understand the long term effects of medications. Medications, over-the- counter (OTC) or prescribed, can ravage your internal organs and eventually cause them to give out, especially your liver, which detoxifies these medications.

Organ failure is the real reason that most people die today. Diabetes, heart attacks, cancer are all organ failure diseases. There is a good chance that pharmaceutical use over the years has contributed to your organs becoming clogged, turning hard and slowing you down. 

So give your organs a break and get off all medications as soon as possible by eating a good, clean,  organic diet, drink good water, exercise and get plenty of rest. 

Not only will medications cause you to end up on other medications, but they will cause pain in your organs.  The goal is to reverse any damage that these  pharmaceuticals have caused before it's too late. 

When one organ fails, they all fail because your organs work as a team.  In many communities,

especially in African American communities, they do not donate organs, so it's extremely important to hang onto the organs that you already have.

Antibiotic overuse has become a pandemic problem. They are used in animal feed to make animals (especially chickens, turkeys, pigs, etc.) grow more quickly, in cows to make them produce more milk, and they are handed out like candy by many doctors to people with almost any ailment.

Even antidepressants are handed out to people suffering from just about any type of ailment. 

OB/GYN doctors are handing out antidepressants to women who have postpartum depression or the "baby blues" like candy. 

Postpartum depression is an illness, like diabetes or heart disease. But no one should ever be given "mind-altering" medications like antidepressants, unless they are monitored by the mental health community (psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health therapists, etc.).

The goal is to slowly take yourself off all medications. Chances are your UNHEALTHY eating habits probably contributed to the reasons you were taking the pharmaceuticals in the first place.  The pharmaceuticals simply acted as a "band-aid," which covered up the real reason you had the problem so get to the root of the issue, which again is probably your diet. 

The key to staying healthy and avoiding trips to emergency rooms (ER) is to have a primary physician and go in for regular office visits and checkups. However, if you have an urgent problem, don't skip the emergency room.

Hospitals are often willing to make a payment plan and may even write off some of your bill. But the patient has to take the first step.  When the emergency is over, contacting the billing department as soon as possible will give you the best chance to reduce your costs. Once it gets turned over to a collection agency, the chances for charity basically go away.

Negotiating with the hospital is exactly what the insurance companies do. Insurers (a person who sells insurance) may pay only $3,000 for a procedure that a hospital will routinely bill an uninsured individual $9,000. Patients should ask that they be given the same rate as insurers.

The billing department will tell you initially that you have to pay the full amount. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Keep notes of these conversations. Be polite and persistent!

Find a High-Tech Hospital

Many hospitals are using a 19th century tool, a pen, in the 21st century. Bar coding has reduced error rates to "0 percent" so it's important to select a hospital that is high tech for you and your family members.

Many mistakes occur at hospitals all the time. One of the main reasons for mistakes in hospitals is nurses who are working 24-hour shifts.  Other mistakes that occur include:

To avoid errors in hospitals:

To keep down catching germs in hospitals:

Make sure you have a "hospital advocate" who should be a family member or friend who can keep up with the checklist, all your medications, and talk to the doctors. 

If a family member will be in the hospital for a while, this advocate should make a list of family members, friends or think about hiring healthcare aids and workers to sit with them in the daytime and at night, especially if the patients are elderly.

Many elderly people need people to sit with them during the day and at night. They can get out of bed and slip and fall. Most people, especially the elderly, who break their hips, die within 2 years due to a sedentary lifestyle. The hospital also might have a list of healthcare aids and workers, so ask for it.

The goal is to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Many people catch staph and other infections as long as they remain in hospitals. 

People who stay there with them also get infections from hospitals so the goal is to recuperate at home in a clean and sterile environment.

• Ask your doctor's office about a payment plan
• Ask for generic drugs
• Ask for samples from doctors
• Know your rights
• Appeal any claims
• Commit to your recovery by empowering yourself through holistic and natural healing