If you want a compelling, incisive report on part of what's wrong with modern American medicine, read a new essay by Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. It details how an alliance of pharmaceutical companies and prominent faculty members of leading medical schools is putting profits before public health.
The piece is full of insights, but I was particularly struck by Dr. Angell's take on the drug industry's promotion of new, serious-sounding names for what are often minor conditions, in an effort to persuade people to take powerful, expensive drugs for relief. For example:
- Heartburn is now routinely diagnosed as "gastro-esophageal reflux disease"
- Impotence is "erectile dysfunction"
- Premenstrual tension is "premenstrual dysphoric disorder"
- Shyness is "social anxiety disorder."
In short, even mild versions of conditions that used to be seen as transient, annoying and/or best addressed through diet or lifestyle changes are now vigorously pathologized, resulting in extra millions - or billions - in profits for drug companies. "Instead of promoting drugs to treat diseases, they have begun to promote diseases to fit their drugs," wrote Dr. Angell. I encourage you to read the whole piece, titled "Drug Companies & Doctors: A Story of Corruption," published in the January 15, 2009 New York Review of Books.
As I have written and said throughout my career, health is a dynamic balance, and no one feels 100 percent healthy all the time. Occasional pains, discomforts and "dysfunctions" are part and parcel of the human condition, and the body has a marvelous capacity to correct most of these minor ailments if we simply give it the food, exercise and rest it needs. Pharmaceuticals, if they are needed at all, should be taken only after a disciplined attempt to resolve the problem through adjustments in lifestyle incorporating gentle, natural, and effective changes.
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Vitamin D for Mental Sharpness
If you want to keep your wits about you as you get older, make sure that you’re getting enough vitamin D now. Lower blood levels of vitamin D may increase the chance of mental slippage among seniors, according to a study from a research team at England’s Cambridge University. The investigators checked vitamin D levels and cognitive impairment among 1,766 persons 65 and older. They found that 212 patients (12 percent of the total) were cognitively impaired and that those who had the highest levels of vitamin D were least likely to have cognitive impairment. Participants whose vitamin D levels were lowest were more than twice as likely to have cognitive impairment. The researchers weren’t sure exactly how vitamin D protects the brain but noted growing evidence “for previously unsuspected roles for vitamin D in brain development and neuroprotection.” We don’t know yet whether vitamin D supplements can help seniors avoid cognitive impairment, but the researchers noted that the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D in response to sun exposure diminishes with age. The study was published online December 10, 2008 in the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology.
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Lose Weight to Reduce Incontinence
For women with incontinence, dropping about eight percent of body weight - about 17 pounds on average - decreased episodes of incontinence by almost half among women who participated in a newly-published study and followed a six-month protocol of diet, exercise and behavior modification. A control group of women who didn’t diet or exercise but did get information on weight loss, healthy eating and physical activity lost only 1.6 percent of their body weight, a little more than three pounds each. Nevertheless, they benefited, too: episodes of incontinence among them dropped by 28 percent. Earlier research had suggested that losing weight might relieve incontinence, but this study is the first to show that it really works. A total of 338 women participated, all of them overweight or obese. All reported at least 10 episodes of incontinence in a seven day period before joining the study. Losing weight led to reduced pressure on the bladder, the research team leader said. The study was published in the January 29, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Want a Healthy Weight?
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Green Cabbage and Mushrooms
Cabbage is a true vegetable treasure, widely underappreciated. It is low-cost and highly nutritious. Along with the other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale), cabbage provides significant amounts of fiber, vitamin C and an important class of nutrients called indoles. Research on indoles is focusing on their ability to protect against both breast and prostate cancer. An additional bonus in this savory side dish is the mushrooms. Use the more flavorful (and healthful) shiitake mushrooms if you can find them.
View Recipe
Healthy Aging Tip
Courtesy of Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging
Managing Blood Pressure: Ditch the Cigarettes. Smoking can temporarily spike blood pressure, can damage blood vessel walls, and can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
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What’s New
Natural Products Expo West 2009
Anaheim March 6-9, 2009
The Role of Food and Supplements in the Health Care of the Future
Dr. Weil will speak about health care and disease prevention at Natural Products Expo West this year. As the US health care system collapses from escalating costs, we will be forced to shift our priorities to disease prevention and health promotion instead of intervention. Practitioners and patients will increasingly demand high-quality foods and supplements to maintain optimum health and treat common disease conditions.
6th Annual Nutrition & Health Conference
Chicago, May 10-13, 2009
Expanding on the growing success of previous Nutrition and Health conferences, the 2009 meeting, co-directed by Dr. Andrew Weil, will assemble an outstanding faculty of internationally-known scientific researchers, skilled clinicians, innovative chefs, and best-selling authors whose work focuses on the interface between nutrition and healthful living. The course provides essential information for health professionals who address issues of food and nutrition in their clinical practices, including the latest research findings, practical recommendations for clinical care, and challenging discussions of public policy.
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