by David Mc

Created on: August 21, 2008

Man is a omnivorous creature. He has developed through evolution of his species to our modern homo sapien character. His body develops along similar lines with other mammals, but his intellect is his emerging, survival of the fittest, feature. His blood retains levels of food and nutrients needed to sustain his cell structure, through the consumption of foodstuffs. Historically, his choice of nutrition was locally based and fluctuated with environmental supply. His local environment did not become a steady source until the development of agriculture and tools. Today, we eat based on standards defined to be most advantageous by the Food and Drug administration of the government or local culture. Tradition and developed taste has engendered our taste buds to form desire for what we crave. Drugs were taken as a means to expediently direct the body's development by changing the direction of the body systems directors employed by the body. Its' nerves, released hormones from glands and cells and organs, and its channeled remembered responses to stimuli of memory. The bodies normal reaction to the food provided can be changed by a food-drug interaction. A food-drug interaction can occur when the food you eat affects the ingredients in a medication you are taking, preventing the medicine from working the way it should.

Food-drug interactions can happen with both prescription and over-the-counter medications, including antacids, vitamins, and iron pills. Some nutrients can affect the way you metabolize certain drugs by binding with drug ingredients, thus reducing their absorption or speeding their elimination. For example, the acidity of fruit juice may decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics such as penicillin. Dairy products may blunt the infection-fighting effects of tetracycline. Antidepressants (called MAO inhibitors) are dangerous when mixed with foods or drinks that contain tyramine (i.e., beer, red wine, and some cheeses). This from research at the University of Alabama. All in all, the modern man, is still shaping who he is, how well he feels and how strong he can become by the foods and drugs ingested by his system, though he has a well established genetic direction. He must beware of the combination of food and drugs to avoid food-drug interactions of the negative type. Drugs were developed from the initial foods to enhance the normal consumption. This started by tribal shammen, sages and witch-doctors who were the precursors to the apothecary, today's pharmacist, preserving dried herbs and seeds, then blending them into potages and tintures of tea. Just like the doctor receives a history he should also start receiving a patients diet before he introduces a drug.

Learn more about this author, David Mc.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.