"Medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can affect how the body uses nutrients."1 Stop and think about this statement by Janice Hermann, PhD, from Oklahoma State University. How many patients who present to your clinic are currently consuming either prescription or OTC medications? Statistically, nearly 50 percent of Americans are currently taking prescription medications2 – that's one out of every two patients who walks into your office.
For some of us, this does not necessarily affect our day-to-day patient care. But for those of us who feel that our patients should leave our office with a bottle of magnesium, fish oil or any other nutritional supplement, knowing this information becomes vital. Many of us need to do a better job understanding that drug-nutrient interactions do actually exist and can be detrimental to us and our patients if not appropriately considered.
As we continue our educational series on the importance of understanding drug-nutrient interactions, let's look at the medication lisinopril [brand names: Prinivil, Zestril]. According to Forbes.com, lisinopril, an ACE-inhibitor prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, was the third most prescribed medication in 2010, prescribed over 81 million times.3 So, being that half of our patients are walking into our clinics on medication, the likelihood of them being on this particular medication is high.
Potential Supplement Interactions With Lisinopril
Here are a few of the more common positive and negative drug-nutrient interactions involving lisinopril:
Negative
Positive
The findings above are not inclusive of the potential drug-nutrient interactions involving lisinopril; they are just a sample of the information that has been researched. It is important for doctors of chiropractic to analyze all of the medications and nutritional supplements their patients are taking to assess the possible beneficial and negative interactions. It is perhaps equally important to document these results in a manner that exhibits due diligence on the part of the observing DC from a medical-legal standpoint. By understanding this research and applying your nutritional knowledge in practice, you will likely also see an increase in patient confidence in you and the care you provide.
References
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
