MP,
You bring up a point that many people overlook and that is the side effects of taking medicine.

Everything you take, especially artificial medicines have a side effect. Some minor and some not so much.

There is a reason they print those "possible" side effects in lettering you need a magnifying class to read and most people don't bother too.

  Often the "cure" has worse long-term effects than the initial problem.

  One of the great things about GOOGLE is you can by-pass the doctors who may or may not be driven by what's best for you and get info about ANYTHING on-line.

I've been lucky and with some effort on my part, I don't take ANY prescription medicine and have zero physical/joint ailments.

Most people I know are not so lucky. I have friends and family that are on the prescription medicine/surgery lotto wheel and it seems like they get one problem medicated/surgery and another one pops up to take its place.

I advise everyone before they start a prescription drug ( long term especially or have elective surgery) to GOOGLE the NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS and long-term outcomes compared to NOT taking prescription meds/surgery compared to alternative ones.

Often, more than people know the difference is very small. If you factor in the quality of life, sometimes depending on the individual it's not worth it.

Not knocking prescription medicine/surgery, just saying KNOW the NEGATIVE side of them so you can ask your Doctor the RIGHT questions before you start down that road.