A medicine cabinet is one hallmark of a living space. Whether it is in your bathroom, pantry, kitchen, under the sink, or on your nightstand, it is the trusted space you dive into when you don't quite feel like yourself. In the typical American household, you may find prescription medicine here, a thermometer, Advil or another generic NSAID, Tums, or eye drops, but the holistic medicine cabinet looks much different. This editorial will briefly describe some staples of a holistic medicine cabinet and why they are trusty, while also acknowledging drawbacks of the conventional medicine cabinet.
The Foundations
Everything our body comes into contact with-- Be it on the skin, in the air, or something which we ingest-- Impacts our body. Toxins and not so beneficial constituents of skin creams, hair products, polluted air, dyes, food coloring, pesticides, and chemicals in supplements or food can severely impact our health. Usually, the implications of toxins are not felt immediately, but longterm exposure can result in issues like cancer, inflammatory diseases, thyroid issues, dementia, and more. The holistic medicine cabinet prioritizes straightforward, clean ingredients, as well as products that support the body in the same ways conventional medicine cabinet items do, but with less drawbacks.
For starters, address your labels. A clean label contains recognizable ingredients that are not red flags to health. There are many websites that will review an ingredient list for you and rate which ingredients are friends or foes. In many countries outside of the United States, harmful ingredients, chemicals, and food colorings are banned from consumer goods, but unfortunately in the United States, it is left up to the consumer to decipher between the good and the bad. Here is a cool website that will help you understand the risks of some ingredients within consumer goods.
Foundational Products in a Holistic Medicine Cabinet
Below is a non-extensive list of basic holistic medicine cabinet products, as well as the conventional products they can be used in place of.
• Activated charcoal tablets (Tums, antacids, Pepto-bismol, and other products used for diarrhea, upset stomach, abdominal pains, indigestion)
• Oil of oregano (Tums, antacids, Pepto-bismol, and other products used for upset stomach, abdominal pain, IBS-type symptoms, and immune support)
• Digestive enzymes and/or bitters (Tums, antacids, Pepto-bismol, Alka-selzter tablets, and other products used for indigestion, GERD, heartburn)
• Vitamin C (Emergen-C, Airborne, and other products containing Vitamin C marketed for the immune system)
• Curcumin capsules (Advil, NSAIDs, and other products used as pain relievers and inflammation reducers)
Why This, Not That?
The holistic product options can support the body in the same ways as conventional medicine cabinet items do, without some of the serious health side effects. Here, we will explore the basics as to why you may want to choose this not that, aka holistic medicine cabinet items vs conventinal.
• Activated charcoal supports the body's digestive process by binding to toxins in the gastrointestinal tract and eliminating them from the body through defectation. Activated charcoal can support removal of poisons from the body, toxins like alcohol, and inflammatory gram-negative baterias that, when out of balance, can wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal tract (think food poisoning). In contrast, a conventional product like Pepto-bismol contains food dyes that have been shown to be carcinogenic, contains ingredients like magnesium aluminum silicate (aka aluminum, a heavy metal) that has been linked to neurotoxicity and Alzheimer's disease, salicylic acid and sodium salicylate which can be damaging to the stomach lining, and benzoic acid which is a pre-cursor carcinogen.
• Oil of oregano is made by extracting the active constituents of oregano, which notably isolates carvacrol and thymol. Carvacrol and thymol are oils found in various herbs; Together they contain antimicrobial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties. Thanks to the properties of these oils, they can support the eradication of unwanted bacteria in the GI tract, support the relief of abdominal pain and discomforts, and support the immune system. It is important to note in large and prolonged doses of oil of oregano, nausea, upset stomach, and diarrhea can occur. In contrast, compare the effects of oil of oregano to Pepto-bismol (as described in the point above), which is commonly taken for gastrointestinal disturbances in conventional POV.
• Digestive enzymes and digestive bitters support the digestive process through two different but similar mechanisms. Digestive enzymes are taken at the start of a meal and are also naturally produced by the body. They breakdown fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in food, which is a crucial precursor to ensuring your body is absorbing nutrients from food eaten. Digestive enzymes may be insufficient depending on a variety of conditions. Digestive bitters are taken right before a meal, and help stimulate saliva and stomach acid, which is a critical part of the initial stags of digestion. Bitters may be in a tincture form of various herbs, may be a vinegar, or even a bitter food eaten prior to the rest of the meal. Now, you may be thinking, "doesn't too much stomach acid cause heartburn and GERD?," and the answer is no. Which is also why taking antacids like Tums to support these concerns can be counterproductive.
Antacids like Tums work by raising the alkalinity of stomach acid, which nutreulizes it. We absolutely need sufficient stomach acid to digest our food, and conditions related to insufficient stomach acid include stomach ulcers, H. pylori, indigestion and other gastrointestinal issues. Antacids may indeed provide immediate relief, but can cause longterm issues with digestion and they do not actually address the root-cause of conditions like GERD or heartburn.
• Vitamin C is likely the most recognizable product here, and it certainly deserves a spot in your medicine cabinet (or refrigerator if you buy my favorite version of it). Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, the body's stress response relies on it heavily, it helps synthesize collagen within the body, amongst many other major activities. Vitamin C supports the body's immune system through its free-radical scavenging. Products in the conventional world that contain vitamin C and are targeted towards immune support include Emergen-C and Airborne. These conventional products could be worse, but they do contain added artificial sweeteners, flavors, and preservatives which can cause harm to health longterm. A best-bet Vitamin C product is one that contains a single ingredient, straightforward vitamin C (usually ascorbic acid, citric acid, or a whole-food item that is rich in vitamin C, like acerola cherries.)
• Curcumin is a bioactive constituent found in turmeric, and it is a potent anti-inflammatory compound. Curcumin behaves similarly to NSAIDs like Advil, but comes without the harmful short and longterm side effects. Curcumin may cause mild gastrointestinal disturbances with longterm excessive use, whereas NSAIDs can cause liver damage, kidney damage, gastrointestinal irritation, and cardiovascular risks with both short and longterm use. This is because NSAIDs inhibit a special anti-inflammatory pathway in the body while they also target the neighboring inflammatory pathway. The anti-inflammatory pathway NSAIDs inhibit is what helps our body heal after inflammation clears up the source of the problem. By blocking the anti-inflammatory pathway in our body, NSAIDs reduce many different protective systems in the body (from the gastrointestinal tract to the kidneys, and then some.) Curcumin offers a broad spectrum of anti-inflammatory activity, protects our anti-inflammatory pathway while targeting inflammation, just remember to consume it with some black pepper (or search for a capsule that also contains black pepper.)
If you are looking to make some swaps in your medicine cabinet, you can purchase these items from my dispensary, linked here.
It is important to keep in mind that over-reliance on both conventional and holistic medicine cabinet products can indicate an imbalance in the body that is simply being masked by these products. If this is the case for you, I highly recommend working with a holistic nutrition practitioner— like myself— to understand the root-cause of what may be imbalanced in your body. Supporting imbalance from a root-cause approach can help eliminate a need for over reliance on these products and can significantly support your quality of life by supporting your health. If you are experiencing gastrointestinal disturbances, pain disturbances anywhere in the body, or have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal conditions and would like support in navigating what you are experiencing, please reach out to me here.
The information provided in this editorial should not be substituted for medical counsel by a doctor or physician and is not intended to diagnose, cure, or treat.
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