Best Natural Alternatives for Common Prescription Drugs

The Dr. Josh Axe Show

Dr. Josh Axe

Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Christianity

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if your fatigue, anxiety, or brain fog isn’t from your condition—but from the meds you’re taking? In this episode, Dr. Josh Axe uncovers how common medications can deplete key nutrients, trigger side effects, and keep you from true healing. Learn what’s really going on—and the natural alternatives that work. The top nutrient-depleting drugs and what they do to your body. Symptoms that are actually caused by medications (not your illness). Natural options for pain, anxiety, reflux, high cholesterol, and more. How to heal by getting to the root cause—not masking it. Want more of The Dr. Josh Axe Show? Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Follow Dr. Josh Axe Instagram Twitter Facebook TikTok Website ------ Submit your questions via voice memo to be featured on the show → speakpipe.com/drjoshaxe ------ Links: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8579431/ https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db470.pdf https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/americans-take-prescriptions-a-large-portion-of-their-lives https://ssri.psu.edu/news/americans-will-spend-half-their-lives-taking-prescription-drugs-study-finds https://pharmacy.msu.edu/resources/nutrient-depletion-is-an-often-overlooked-side-effect-of-some-medications https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr213.pdf https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4573453/ https://news.gallup.com/poll/654425/americans-say-overweight-slim-down.aspx https://gi.org/topics/irritable-bowel-syndrome/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6007725/ https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation https://www.jwatch.org/na55225/2022/08/16/antidepressants-work-only-small-subset-patients https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31475623/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26424423/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26424423/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30564123/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4757677/ https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/ask-the-doctors-not-much-scientific-evidence-to-support-use-of-coq10-for-pain https://www.europeanreview.org/article/4579 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031395509000807?via%3Dihub https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5126440/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557385/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36464072/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8395812/ https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.20.25322455v1.full https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2787541 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430882/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35685421/ https://www.nhs.uk/contraception/methods-of-contraception/natural-family-planning/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0049017208001339?via%3Dihub https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/nutrition/anti-inflammatory/turmeric-wont-help-arthritis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547742/ ------ Ads: Get your free wealth protection guide from Preserve Gold. Visit www.preservegold.com/axe or text AXE to 50505 to claim your free guide, and you could receive up to $15,000 in free gold or silver with a qualified purchase or account rollover. Don’t wait – claim your special offers today! Upgrade your Summer with Cozy Earth. Go to cozyearth.com and use code AXE for 40% off best-selling temperature-regulating sheets, apparel, and more. Sleep Cooler, Lounge Lighter, Stay Cozy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Did you know that nearly 70% of Americans are on at least one prescription drug and more than half take two or more?
0:08.0	What if I told you though every single drug has a side effect, even if it's not listed on the bottle?
0:13.0	Did you know that every medication, everything from a baby aspirin to a thyroid medication,
0:18.0	deplete your body of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
0:22.2	And today I'll be exposing how these common medications deplete your body and what you can
0:27.5	do instead.
0:28.5	I'll be going through how to use this, not that.
0:31.3	So if you're wondering, what would I take instead of a thyroid medication or instead of a
0:34.2	statin drug or instead of an antibiotic, I'll go through the alternative
0:37.6	natural food, herb, and nutrient to help your body using food as medicine.
0:44.5	Welcome to the Dr. Joshak Show.
1:11.9	Thank you. So the vast majority of Americans, nearly two-thirds, take at least one prescription drug, and about 25% take two or more drugs right now.
1:14.1	And you might already know this, but this is mind blowing. If you are 60 years or older, almost 90% of people are taking a prescription drug.
1:21.8	Most men are on prescription drugs by the age of 40 and most women by the age of 15 such as birth control drugs for acne
1:31.2	ADHD could also be even antidepressants we're seeing especially young girls get on drugs earlier and
1:37.4	earlier and by 2026 spending on prescription drugs is expected to reach 875 billion. We spend way, way more on drugs and
1:49.0	medications in this country than anywhere else in the world. Yet, when you compare us to the other,
1:54.9	the 11 largest nations, we rank dead last in overall quality of life and health. And when you compare us to the top 42
2:02.4	industrialized nations, we rank around 39 or 40. So we spend the most on drugs and medications.
2:09.6	Yes, we have, yet we have way worse health. You know, here's what a lot of people don't realize.
2:15.2	Medications block nutrient absorption in the gut and flush
2:19.8	out more nutrients and increase nutrient demand. Every cell needs a daily bath of vitamins and
	...

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