Teleosis Institute Urges to Consider Environmental Consequence of Medical Treatments

April 23, 2008 - PRLog -- BERKELEY, CA, Medical professionals and patients must understand that the choices they make for treating illness have lasting consequences for our environment and take responsibility, according to Dr. Joel Kreisberg, DC, MA, founder and executive director of the Teleosis Institute, Berkeley, Ca., a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable medicine and a healthy environment.
Kreisberg made the statement Tuesday in announcing the results of the Teleosis Institute’s Green Pharmacy program for 2007.  The program diverted some 690 pounds of pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs with a retail value of nearly $400,000 from San Francisco waterways between June 1 and December 31, 2007.  Data on returned medicines was recorded at 12 “take-back” sites, which operate in partnership between Teleosis Institute and area pharmacies, health care offices, public and private associations and local communities.  To date, Teleosis has diverted over 1000 pounds of unused medicines from waterways.

Data is sent to the Unused & Expired Medicine Registry, a program of the Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety (CMFPS) in Bellaire, Texas.  CMFPS is compiling national statistics on the most common medicines returned and the most common reason for disposal. Once a statistically significant sample is collected, the data will be presented to pharmaceutical researchers and manufacturers, as well as governmental agencies.

“The purpose of collecting data on unused medicine is to identify which pharmaceuticals are most often over-prescribed,” said Kreisberg.  "By understanding the quantities, costs and environmental impact of over-prescribed and discarded medications, we can better assess the effectiveness of our current pharmacological approaches to illness and compare that to more sustainable treatments and practices."

Data from the Green Pharmacy program shows that, on average, 40-50% of a prescription go unused.  Based on this finding, Kreisberg believes physicians should consider prescribing smaller volumes initially to see if a medication is tolerated and successful before prescribing larger volumes for long-term use.

More sustainable medical practices include placing a greater emphasis on stress reduction, wellness and disease prevention, and using alternative medicines and methods where practical or in combination with conventional treatments.  

“Because nearly 25% of preventable illnesses are environmentally related, as estimated by the World Health Organization, improving the environment is one of the most important sustainable medicine practices we can advocate,” Kreisberg said.  “We cannot afford to wait until we see devastating consequence to human health before we act. If we’re going to create a sustainable culture, we’ll need the medical industry to join the general “greening” of our world.”

Teleosis’ Green Pharmacy Preliminary Data Report comes at a time when national attention is focused on the safety of drinking water in the U.S.  In March the Associated Press published an exposé documenting that traces of pharmaceuticals were found in the drinking water of 24 metropolitan cities, affecting 41 million Americans.

Drugs targeting the central nervous system, called CNS agents, topped the list of medications returned by patients in the Bay Area.  CNS agents includes amphetamines, anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory and anti-seizure medications, as well as acetaminophen and ibuprophen.  

Historically, patients have been advised to flush medications down toilets or wash down sink to prevent accidental poisonings or overdoses.  These disposal methods result in millions of pounds of drugs being emptied, full strength, into the water supply each year.  Trash disposal also represents a threat, since drugs end up in landfills and eventually leech into the ground water.  Water treatment plants do not remove drug residue.

Drugs that are ingested pose less of a threat to the environment than those dumped into water systems because a portion of the medication is absorbed by the body.  James P. Shine, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health and a source cited by the Associated Press, said the amount of absorption varies by type of drug.  

According to Shine, more than 80 percent of the pain reliever acetaminophen and the antidepressant fluoxetine (e.g., Prozac®) are absorbed, and at least 50% of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (e.g., Cipro®) and of digoxin (e.g., digitalis) for heart problems are used.  Other drugs, such as metformin for diabetes and atenolol for high blood pressure, are not metabolized as well and at least 80 percent is eliminated from the body.

Green Pharmacy was developed as a replicable model for managing consumer pharmaceutical wastes, which other organizations and agencies may want to follow.  In addition to the drug take-back component, the program includes tactics for convening and involving all stakeholders within the medical and pharmaceutical industries in addressing issues, from development to disposal.  Contact Evin Guy, program manager, at evin@teleosis.org for information.

Teleosis is actively seeking sponsors to expand the Green Pharmacy Program.  Current corporate sponsors include Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, Inc, Kaiser Permanente and Integrated Waste Control, Inc.  To sponsor a Green Pharmacy Take-Back site or to become a self-sponsored Green Pharmacy Take-Back pharmacy, visit the Teleosis website or contact Evin Guy at evin@teleosis.org.

Green Pharmacy is an integral part of the Teleosis’ larger Green Health Care model—a  vision of medicine that provides leadership in environmental and sustainable healthcare by developing and advocating innovative approaches to reducing the environmental impact of medicine.  An online course, Leadership in Green Healthcare, for physicians and other medical professionals and a quarterly journal, Symbiosis: The Journal of Ecologically Sustainable Medicine, support this effort.  More information is available at www.greenhealthcare.org.

About The Teleosis Institute
The Teleosis Institute is an educational non-profit organization devoted to reducing the environmental impact of health care.  The Institute promotes sustainable medical practices and works in partnership with the health care community to build a movement for positive social and environmental change.  Programs and educational materials include: The Green Health Care Program, The Green Pharmacy Program, Symbiosis: The Journal of Ecologically Sustainable Medicine, and Environmental Health Brochures.  Visit http://www.teleosis.org for more information.

Prozac® is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company.
Cipro® is a registered trademark of Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
Green Health Care® is a registered trademark of the Teleosis Institute.

Website: www.teleosis.org