Week of June 7: HEALTH BITE

Pop quiz!

How does one treat 1) heartburn?  2) High cholesterol? 3) ADHD?

 How many of you thought Prilosec, Zantac or some other antacid for the heartburn?  Who thought Lipitor, Crestor, or another statin for cholesterol? Anyone immediately think Adderall, Ritalin or another stimulant for the ADHD?
 

I wouldn't be surprised. Unfortunately, do we realize how many of us have fallen into the “pill for the ill” approach to treating disease? When penicillin was first discovered last century, it seemed like we had found the "magic bullet" to eradicating infectious disease. The problem is this "pill for the ill" approach rapidly expanded into psychiatry and health conditions in general, so that the immediate thought for both practitioners and patients alike is "What pill do I need to get rid of/cure me of  ____ ?"

The truth is this: medications are great for resolving acute infections. You have pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, and you get some antibiotics and voila, done. The problem is, this our medical system has fallen into treating chronic disease that way. I'm sorry, but high cholesterol is not a Lipitor deficiency, nor ADHD a Ritalin deficiency. Granted, there are appropriate times for meds for chronic conditions, but my point is that most docs and practitioners are unfortunately now doing what the picture above shows: addressing the symptom, but not the root cause. I'll be posting more on this topic in the following weeks, but hope this was food for thought, so that the next time you or a loved one deals with a long-standing medical problem, ask "What is at the root of this?"