Yes, some people need some medications. I'm not going to slam the entire pharmaceutical industry. There are good drugs that help people overcome or live with disease. The problem is that drug therapy has become the first line of attack that physicians use against a disease. But in many cases, it is just not the right approach. There are several reasons why drugs are over-used.



Drugs are easy

First, doctors are overworked. They don't really have enough time to fully explore the REASONS for your ailments so that they can get to the cause. Instead, it is much easier just to treat the symptoms. Sure, they'll advise you to exercise and eat better, which is great advice. But it's much easier to write a prescription and send you on your way than it is to work out a lifestyle plan with you. Yet, in many cases, lifestyle changes can be the real cure.

Second, many people visiting the doctors expect drugs and ask for them. How many TV commercials do you see that tell you to "Ask your doctor if . . . is right for you"? Those commercials work. We see them and identify with the pain that the actors are going through. We think we have some condition that needs this advertised drug. Unfortunately, parents taking their kids to the doctor for some ailment are the worst offenders. We demand antibiotics like they are water, which is another huge problem that I will save for a future article.

Third, doctors aren't trained in lifestyle approaches to treatment. They are trained to diagnose and prescribe. In fact, only about 6% of doctors graduating from medical school have any formal training in nutrition. Furthermore, once they're out of medical school a large portion of their ?education' comes from pharmaceutical reps visiting their office.

We need a prevention-minded system Now, most MDs are good people and are doing the best they can. The problem is not with the doctor. The problem is with the system and with the factors that I described. Over-scheduled physicians with over-demanding patients and a lack of lifestyle training in medical school.

Add to this recent reports from misguided academic scientists that are touting the use of prescription drugs for ?preventative' use. Recently a group of scientists working on Alzheimer's disease talked about developing a drug that everyone could take to prevent getting the disease. Another group has conducted studies to evaluate the benefit of healthy people taking cholesterol-reducing drugs (statins) in order to prevent the chance of getting heart disease.

Wooooaaaaa! Advising healthy people that they should take prescription drugs in order to reduce the risk of developing a disease must have some kind of ethical problem. It might be OK if the drugs were completely harmless, but every drug has some kind of side effect. Despite our high-tech approaches and egocentricities, we're just not that smart when it comes to drug design.

In any drug therapy there is always a risk-benefit relationship. There is always some kind of side effect. If your risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from a disease is greater than the risk of taking the drug then take it. But please let's not get to the point where we are promoting prescription drug use for people that don't need it ? or are we already there?

You always have a choice in life. Exercise your right to ask questions, especially when it comes to your health.

Copyright (c) 2007 The Brain Code LLC