Integrating Food and Medications as a Way of Life

The subject of medication adherence has been discussed for quite some years, but the research in this area is still emerging. Only recently has the focus shifted from studying adherence of single-condition patients taking one or more medications to that of patients taking multiple medications for coexisting conditions. Improving adherence in the latter group is much more complicated and less well understood.¹ Limited research exists examining the issue of medication adherence for these patients, yet one thing we do know is that as the number of medications increases, adherence to medication regimens decreases.^1,2

From a patient perspective, having multiple medications and coexisting conditions makes life more complicated. Recently, I was a guest speaker at a cardiac support group for women. My topic was “Key Things Every Woman Should Know About Nutrition.” The support group members ranged in age from 35 to 80 years, but their questions were all very similar. One question that …