Beyond “Side Effects”: Why I Lean Toward Mind-Body Healing Over Synthetic Drugs

By Joseph Giove, Clinical Hypnotist

Disclaimer: The reflections in this article are based on my professional experience as a clinical hypnotist. This is not medical advice. Please consult a licensed medical professional for any questions about your health or medications.

Why I’ve Spent a Lifetime Avoiding Synthetics

I’ve always leaned toward natural approaches in what I put into my body. Herbs, nutrition, meditation, hypnosis, lifestyle — these have been my trusted allies. That doesn’t mean I reject medicine altogether. I acknowledge and deeply respect the role of pharmacology. Antibiotics save lives. Pain medications make surgeries possible. Emergency drugs stabilize crises.

But in my decades of working with clients — whether for depression, anxiety, insomnia, or substance abuse — I’ve noticed a recurring theme: synthetic drugs rarely bring balance. More often, they bring a trade-off. Relief in one area, but discomfort in another. What we’ve been conditioned to call “side effects.”

Beyond “Side Effects”: Why I Lean Toward Mind-Body Healing Over Synthetic Drugs

There Are No “Side Effects” — Only Effects

Pharmaceutical language is powerful. By calling them “side effects,” companies suggest they’re incidental, minor, almost ignorable. But in truth, every effect a drug has is a direct consequence of its chemistry.

An antidepressant may lift mood by shifting serotonin levels — but that same shift also disrupts sleep, libido, digestion, or energy. These aren’t “sides.” They’re part of the same coin. In my view, it’s more honest to call them unintended effects.

Why Synthetic Drugs Often Cause More Unintended Effects

So why do so many pharmaceutical drugs come with long lists of warnings?

- Targeting one pathway in a web of systems. Most drugs are engineered to push on a single receptor or enzyme — strongly. But in biology, nothing works in isolation. Nudge serotonin, and you also impact dopamine, cortisol, melatonin.

- Potency over balance. Drugs are often designed to be powerful, fast, and measurable. That’s great for clinical trials, but rough on whole-body harmony.

- Novel molecules. Many synthetics are structures the human body never evolved with. Our livers, brains, and immune systems may respond in unpredictable ways.

Contrast this with natural adaptogens — herbs like Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, or Ginseng. These don’t slam one pathway. They nudge several, gently. They co-evolved with us, so our bodies recognize and integrate them more smoothly.

The Profit Motive Behind Pharma

Let’s be honest: Big Pharma is not primarily in the business of creating optimal health. It’s in the business of creating profitable products.

That doesn’t make pharmacology evil. It makes it commercial. But this commercial incentive means:

- Drugs are often designed for chronic use, not one-time healing.

- Success is measured by managing symptoms, not resolving root causes.

- Research focuses on what can be patented and sold, not what grows in your backyard.

It’s why you’ll see endless new antidepressants, but little funding for studying natural mind-body interventions like hypnosis, breathwork, or meditation.

Where Pharmacology Truly Shines

I want to be fair here. Medicine has given humanity extraordinary tools:

- Antibiotics save millions of lives every year.

- Pain relievers and anesthesia make surgery and recovery possible.

- Emergency drugs for heart attacks, strokes, or seizures are irreplaceable.

These are incredible achievements. I would never deny their importance.

But what about chronic depression, ongoing anxiety, long-term insomnia, or substance abuse recovery? This is where drugs often fall short — where the unintended effects sometimes outweigh the benefits.

Mind-Body Medicine: An Alternative and Complement

As a clinical hypnotist, I work with people struggling with exactly those conditions — depression, anxiety, substance abuse, insomnia, and chronic stress. They often come to me after years of medications, frustrated that the “solution” brought new problems.

Mind-body approaches don’t suppress symptoms — they transform the relationship between mind and body:

- Hypnosis for depression and anxiety helps people reframe inner dialogue, cultivate calm, and build resilience.

- Hypnosis for insomnia works by teaching the nervous system how to downshift naturally into rest, without forcing it.

- Substance abuse recovery support through hypnosis helps people align subconscious beliefs and habits with their conscious goals.

- Holistic stress management gives clients tools they can use for a lifetime, not just while a prescription is active.

These methods don’t create “side effects.” They create side benefits — improved confidence, better sleep, greater emotional balance.

A Middle Path: Respecting Both Worlds

I don’t argue for abandoning pharmacology. For many, it’s life-saving and essential. But I do argue for balance.

If synthetic drugs are like fire extinguishers — powerful, necessary in emergencies — then natural and mind-body approaches are like daily fire prevention. You can’t live with a fire extinguisher in your hand. But you can build a lifestyle that minimizes sparks.

Rethinking Health Beyond the Prescription Pad

The body has remarkable self-healing intelligence. When supported with the right conditions — rest, nutrition, mindfulness, emotional processing, hypnosis, natural remedies — it often doesn’t need heavy-handed interventions.

Pharmacology should remain a tool in our kit. But not the only tool. And not the first one we reach for.

Final Thoughts

Synthetic drugs will always have their place. But they are not the whole story of healing.

In my practice, I invite clients to explore alternatives to medication for depression, anxiety, insomnia, and substance abuse — approaches that strengthen the mind-body connection, rather than fragment it.

We don’t need to demonize pharmacology to recognize its limits. And we don’t need to reject science to embrace natural healing. The future, I believe, is integrative — where medicine and mind-body wisdom work together, guided not by profit, but by what truly restores health and wholeness.

Again, none of this is medical advice. Always consult your medical professional before changing or discontinuing any medication.

Joseph R. Giove Clinical Hypnotist

Joseph R. Giove is a clinical hypnotist, certified by the American Counsel of Hypnotist Examiners in 1990, and a biomedical engineer. He has inspired thousands of people to thrive... to live fuller, healthier and happier lives.