HEARThrive - Module 7 - Evaluate Your Medications and Drugs

Name: HEARThrive - Module 7 - Evaluate Your Medications and Drugs
Rating: 4.3 (5 reviews)

Explore How to Reduce or Eliminate Your Prescriptions

Created byMalcolm & Myron Achtman

Last updated 11/2025

English

What you'll learn

Do a personal inventory of all the medications and prescription drugs you are taking to establish a baseline of where you are right now.
Understand why you are taking each medication and why your doctor has prescribed them.
Learn why you may want to eliminate some of your medications and how to have a confident conversation with your doctor about doing this.
Learn to be more aware of the possible side effects of your medications and whether they might be making you feel unwell or less than optimal health wise.

Course content

7 sections • 35 lectures • 1h 14m total length

Medical Disclaimer0:29
A brief note to say that you should not consider HEARThrive to be medical advice and that you should consult with your doctor or other medical professional regarding your health issues and concerns.
Special Message0:54
This module is not yet completed but there is plenty here to get you started regarding the pros and cons of taking medications and drugs.
Course Overview For New Students2:50
The HEARThrive program consists of 12 modules (i.e. 12 courses). Each module is divided into 10 sections, which are like the chapters of a book. It's probably best to go through the modules in order, from 1 to 12, but you don't have to. If you wish, select a topic that interests you the most and sign up for that course. The sooner you begin learning, the greater chance you will have of improving your health.
Welcome to Module 70:43
A brief welcome to this module and a reminder to check out “HEARThrive - Revamp and Relaunch Your Health,” a classic way to discover much of what this program has to offer you, including the link to two additional hours of free HEARThrive content on Udemy.

Think About Your Prescriptions0:28
A little nudge to get you to challenge yourself about the need to take medications.
Do Prescription Drugs Really Help?0:51
Did you know that even pharmaceutical companies admit their drugs don't necessarily do anything?
Here's an Opinion from a Cardiologist0:35
After working 50 years in the medical field Dr. Dwight Lundell makes a shocking overall assessment about drugs.
Dr. Joseph Pizzorno Says...0:21
Taking drugs might help reduce your symptoms but maybe we should first be thinking about why we're sick.
Here's a Medical Secret for You0:14
How much will your medications help you? Perhaps not much.
Medications Can Kill You0:51
Dr. Andrew Weil cautions us that even so-called properly prescribed medications kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Drug Interactions - Beware0:23
If you're among many people that take multiple medications, you better believe that no one can predict how they will interact with each other.
Prescription Overkill Problem0:45
Maybe those prescriptions you are taking will result in a negative net benefit.
Do Big Food and Big Pharma Aim to Keep You Sick?1:32
What do you think would happen to "Big Food" and "Big Pharma" if we all took it upon ourselves to improve our health?
Ask Your Doctor0:25
A quirky look at questioning the possible side effects of a medication.
Caution - Bought and Paid For0:32
Even the "higher ups" are questioning the ethics of the pharmaceutical companies.
Drug Precaution - Ha Ha!0:15
A comedian makes a humorous drug-warning statement.
Health is a Skill, Not a Pill0:15
A simple thought worth pondering.
Wise Words from Hippocrates0:23
Diet versus medicine - Here's what Hippocrates said.
Top 10 Medications???0:54
Even the most highly regarded medications may not help as many people as you would think.
Healing Twice Not Once0:17
William Osler's posture on healing after taking medications.

Beliefs are Like Snowflakes0:18
The snowflake analogy suggests that we can start with the same substance and end up with an infinite number of variations.
Controversy is Welcome0:28
The more you say, the more you open yourself up to controversy and criticism. And that's totally okay.
No One Knows Anything For Sure About Aspirin5:46
It's amazing how controversial the topic of taking Aspirin can be. Opinions differ considerably.
Example of a Possibly Useless Drug
I came across this newspaper article in 2004 describing a drug similar to what my father was taking at the time. It seems the drug has no merit, based on the article. Check it out.

Me and My Twin6:59
After Malcolm's twin brother had bypass surgery in 2008 he was told by his physicians to take 3 medications - a statin, a beta blocker, and daily aspirin. As the years went on, several doctors encouraged Malcolm to take these drugs proactively even though he wasn't experiencing symptoms at the time. He takes a cautious approach to using medications. And besides, there could be side effects.

My Nephew's Close Call5:04
My nephew had a gastrointestinal bleed, a heart attack at age 41, and a brush with death a few months later - all likely precipitated from taking daily baby aspirin and antidepressant medications.
What If It's a Heart Attack?7:43
What would you do if you thought you were having a heart attack? In this story, Malcolm explains his experience. Fortunately, the problem turned out to be something else, for which his doctor prescribed a mega-dose of Advil. But that's a problem too, since drugs like Advil can increase the risk of a future heart attack.

Get Inspired by Looking at YouTube4:15
Look at YouTube comments for inspiration and motivation to make healthy changes when you read the testimonials of others.
What's In My Medicine Chest?1:53
Malcolm demonstrates what is in his medicine chest at home and encourages you to assess your own medications to determine which ones you really need.
Evaluate Your Prescriptions15:09
Malcolm explains how he helped reduce or eliminate the prescriptions his father was taking (for many years) from about 10 different medications to just 4. This was done carefully in consultation with his father's doctors. The result? Malcolm's father reduced some of his problematic drug-related symptoms and went on to live to age 96, feeling better than he would have had he remained on all those drugs.
Managing Your Confrontational Doctor9:18
Confrontation may include being ignored at first, then ridiculed, then fighting over an issue. But in the end, you win. That's Gandhi's philosophy and you may be able to learn from it
What is Epocrates?0:53
Epocrates is a helpful online "app" that allows you to discover which medications might interact with each other.

Requirements

There are no prerequisites for this course but it could be helpful if you have watched HEARThrive Module 3 on Cholesterol and Statins.

Description

Your goal with HEARThrive is to reduce or eliminate the need to take any prescription drugs (with consultation with your doctor, of course). Drugs are designed to reduce symptoms of disease. They do not get to the root of the problem of why you are not feeling well. In fact, they often create a new subset of symptoms that make you feel worse. You may be told to take additional drugs to minimize those new symptoms. It becomes a vicious cycle. Often, people with heart disease take aspirin to thin the blood, beta blockers to slow down the heart rate, blood pressure drugs to combat hypertension, and statins to reduce cholesterol. We already covered statins in Module 3 of HEARThrive. Go ahead and check out that module if you are concerned about taking a cholesterol lowering statin drug. Aspirin seems like something safe but it is a drug and carries a risk of bleeding that in rare cases can be life-threatening. You'll hear about my nephew's story where he almost died from taking aspirin. Relaxing your heart with a beta blocker sounds sensible, but it might make you feel lazy and less inclined to exercise. That's counter-productive. If you have high blood pressure, taking a medication could help lower it, but do you really need to take that drug for the rest of your life? Maybe not, especially if you adopt the many strategies in HEARThrive that can help you lower your blood pressure naturally. In Module 7 of HEARThrive you will learn think critically about the drugs you are taking and whether they are truly necessary.

Who this course is for:

Some people go to their doctor and ask if he can give them some drug to help with their health problem. They want a quick fix and believe there is a pill for every ill. This course is not for them. Instead, Module 7 is geared toward people who understand that medications are not the answer. Sure, they may provide some relief of symptoms, but they don't get to the root of health problems. The intended learner for this course is one who wants to discover the real reason they are unwell and address the root cause of the problem head on.

HEARThrive - Module 7 - Evaluate Your Medications and Drugs

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction4 lectures • 5min

Humor or Thought16 lectures • 9min

NOKAFS (No One Knows Anything For Sure)4 lectures • 7min

Me and My Twin1 lecture • 7min

Stories From the Heart2 lectures • 13min

Step-By-Step What To Do5 lectures • 31min

Transcendence - Yes You Can Do It!3 lectures • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: