The Reflexive Path to Pharmaceutical Drugs

In a previous post I talked about my annual checkup results. I had fasted for 40 hours prior to the checkup to see what it would do to my numbers.

As the scientists I follow predicted (along with my business’ health coach), my cholesterol numbers looked much worse as my body was heavily into fat burning mode.

I told the doctor during my checkup that I had been fasting for 40 hours. I didn’t try to hide it.

Recently I received this note from the doctor’s website based on the lab results:

“Lipid panel is elevated. Healthy food choices such as a Mediterranean diet and exercise will help lower these numbers.  Diet rich in fruits vegetables, whole grains including nuts and seeds which are good source of healthy fatty acids is an option. You may need to look at starting a lipid lowering medication if you can't get these numbers down by lifestyle and diet. Please make an appointment to discuss starting a cholesterol medication.”

I was impressed that the doctor’s notes mentioned some form of diet and lifestyle changes prior to putting me on statins to lower my cholesterol numbers. I would agree that eating more vegetables, fruits and whole grains will lower my numbers. When I was eating a primarily vegetarian diet, my cholesterol numbers dropped like a rock.

Of course exercise will probably help as well.

There are some troubling aspects of this analysis as well.

Doctors these days are very busy. They often have to see many, many patients each day to make a decent living. Especially if they are Medicare and Medicaid (Government subsidized) patients.

They can’t spend a lot of time on each patient. Their schedule encourages them to accept mainstream viewpoints because they don’t have time to dive deeper.

Like nutrition. Nutrition is very complex. And you would think extremely important for your health. It takes time to understand.

Doctors don’t have that time. It starts in medical school. They receive only minimal instruction on nutrition.

Pharmaceutical drugs take much less time. Feeling some pain? Take a pill? Lab results bad? Take a pill.

Simple. Takes no time. And of course very profitable. Especially if the pill doesn’t fix the condition. It ‘manages’ the condition.

That’s why the note from my doctor says, “You may need to look at starting a lipid lowering medication if you can't get these numbers down by lifestyle and diet. Please make an appointment to discuss starting a cholesterol medication.”

It doesn’t say come into the doctor office to discuss diet. Or to look into things like how long I fasted that might influence the numbers. That takes too long.

Come into the office to get some pills.

The whole testing panel that insurance covers is designed to put you on these drugs as well. More and more people are exposing the corrupt history of linking cholesterol to heart disease. Yet doctors, like so many other people, become stuck in their ways.

My doctor is a good guy. I really like talking to him about health. The conversations are short, however. He needs to go on to the next patient. That’s why it’s so important for you to take the time to take care of your own health. After all, you only have to take care of one patient.