Take Charge of Your Health

When I began following the last election after decades of not watching TV, I was horrified by the commercials. It seemed to me there must be an epidemic of digestive problems, chronic headaches and erectile dysfuntions. What amazed me the most, knowing a product would not be advertised on national TV unless there is sufficiently high demand for it, is why these products are selling when their list of possible side effects seemed to me to be far worse than the ills they're proposing to remedy.

I began wondering how much of the symtoms targeted by these products might actually be side effects of other prescribed medications. I remembered a research study that showed over 40% of illnesses are iatrogenic (caused by medical treatment). Is it possible that a blood pressure or a cholesterol medicine might be causing low libido and trouble with erection? If so, is it a good remedy to add one more medication that might cause even more drastic side effects??

We are now living longer than ever before. Even with the best self-care, our systems break down and need tune-ups. At the same time, medicine is becoming increasingly specialized while the insurance industry is such that physicians are working more rapidly, seeing more patients per hour and spending less time with each. We can no longer simply rely on someone else to be in charge of our health, without involving ourselves in the deliberation process for treatment.

It is up to each of us to know what our primary care phsyician's treatment philosophy is and whether it is one with which we agree. One physician, for example, might embrace the newest medications on the market while another might favor a more natural appraoch. It is also up to each of us to become more cognizant of the variety of natural remedies available for certain conditions so we can have am educated choice as to which treatment course we want to follow.