Are We All Patients Now?

Welcome to spring and a new season of pharmaceutical ads. I'm relieved by the temporary replacement of ads for weirdly named drugs we're instructed to "Ask your doctor if (blank) is right for you" by ads for allergy products. At least I know what Clarinex is for.

There is a stream of new drugs being introduced, that we apparently need to maintain our something or other. The drug industry may be cashing in on a certain generation's desire to stay forever young. Nothing wrong with giving the customer what she wants, is there? If this situation existed in a nation with good health care for all, maybe it wouldn't be a problem. Maybe a plethora of drugs for life enhancement rather than treatment of diseases would be fine.

Another concern is the trend in medicine to recommend "preventative" drugs to huge numbers of people who have no disease symptoms, based on a single blood test. Recently the Pfizer pharmaceutical company received great news. It's Lipitor appeared more effective than the competing Prevachol in reducing arterial blockage. Buried deep in the report was the odd result that Lipitor outperformed Prevachol even in the Prevachol users who achieved the same low LDL ("bad") cholesterol level as the Lipitor users. That could be explained by the fact that Lipitor has anti-inflammatory activity and the other drug does not. Maybe the results were due to reduction of inflammation, not cholesterol.

The lead researcher on the study eagerly announced that 11,000,000 more Americans should be on this drug. Another doctor announced that only 8 million of the 36 million who "should" take these drugs have a prescription. How on earth can a physician prescribe medication for 11-28 million people? There are even rumblings of a "cocktail" of so-called preventative drugs that "should" be prescribed to everyone over a certain age in the near future. These are drugs with potentially lethal side effects! They also have never been proved to reduce the risk of heart attack (they say so on the ads), though that's why most people think they take them.

And that's just for one health concern, heart disease, the causes of which are still under investigation. Can society afford to put millions of symptom free people on expensive drugs that can threaten health but are not proven to prevent illness? This was not what the natural food pioneers meant by "preventative medicine." They were referring to a lifestyle that maximizes health and minimizes risks, reserving medications and surgeries for the sick, not putting everyone on drugs!

As for heart disease, salmon and other oily fish are anti-inflammatory foods and taste delicious.* A brisk 30-40 minute daily walk reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease. Walnuts and other nuts reduce the risk of heart disease. So does a diet rich in whole grains,** beans, fruits and vegetables. Natural fats should take the place of hydrogenated fats. Meat, eggs and dairy foods are best when they come from grass-fed animals. It's critically important to floss and brush your teeth daily and to get regular preventative dental cleanings. Gum disease is a major risk factor for heart and lung disorders.

I'm reluctant to concede that the entire population consists of patients and the nation is one big medical facility! Let's figure out how to live healthy lives to reduce our own risks and the nation's medical bill, so people who really need it can get the care they deserve.

*Vegetarians can take an algae derived EPA/DHA supplement for the same benefit.

**If whole grains are a new idea, start by aiming for 50% of your daily intake. Look for 100% whole wheat bread, 50-100% whole grain pasta, brown rice and non-instant oatmeal.