Is medicine a threat to our health?

The environment is increasingly subject to man’s will.

We do not yet know how to prevent volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.

However.

Man has already been to the moon and will soon visit other planets. He is about to create artificial life and artificial intelligence that can contact natural life and go beyond what nature has created.

We are becoming God-like!

But on the other hand.

Walking down the street, we see people who move slowly, who breathe with difficulty, who are obese, in whose eyes we see only pain and doom.

Should human beings remain miserable slaves to their bodies and passions?

I am sure that most would say, “Of course not! Science, social progress… etc.”

I am all for progress and science too.

But.

A closer look at our health system shows that things are not so simple and straightforward.

That’s what this reflection is about.

Facts

1. Healthcare spending worldwide is growing faster than the economy. If this trend continues, money for healthcare will run out by 2050.
2. Our physical health depends 50% on lifestyle and diet, 20% on heredity and environmental influences and only 10% on the level of medical care.
3. Virtually all medicines are toxic (cause side effects – yes, they prevent certain symptoms, but they also affect our bodies, often in unexpected ways).
4. Medicines do not improve the health of most patients.

Where is the problem?

In 1841, the average life expectancy of a newborn girl was 43 years. Fortunately, today it is almost twice that.

But.

Our living conditions have changed dramatically:

1. Industrially ultra-processed products are dominating our diets. Read: we eat a lot more sugar, salt, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, etc. – a lot of different chemical compounds which of course have an impact not only on the taste, texture and shelf life of the products but also on our metabolism, immunity, etc.
2. We move less than ever. Read: our muscles and joints are atrophying, our weight is increasing, and our risk of chronic diseases is rising significantly.
3. Most of humanity lives in cities. Read: exposed to increased pollution, stress and noise.
4. Our health care has improved. Read: deaths from infectious diseases have fallen, but non-communicable diseases have become much more common (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health disorders, neurological disorders, cancer…).

As a result, taking medication is becoming a daily routine for many people already in middle age.

And.

Although we are now living longer, how about our quality of life?

Why is modern medicine a serious threat to our health?

The answer is simple: our healthcare system is failing to improve health outcomes for patients because, in most cases, it is not tackling the causes, but the effects (symptoms), for example:

1. Diabetes is often treated with drugs such as insulin (to control blood sugar levels), but less attention is paid to lifestyle changes such as diet and physical activity that could prevent or delay the disease.
2. Medication is usually prescribed to control high blood pressure and cholesterol, while changes in diet and smoking cessation are often ignored.
3. Medication is the first choice for depression and anxiety, although psychotherapy or lifestyle changes may be more effective in the long term and have no adverse side effects.
4. Weight loss is often based on medication (we want to lose weight quickly and effortlessly) or medical interventions (e.g. bariatric surgery) rather than on lifestyle and dietary changes.

Several eminent scientists believe that modern medicine poses a serious threat to public health by over-prescribing.

For example, Peter Gøtzsche estimates that prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death worldwide, after heart disease and cancer.

In developed economies, prescription drug use is at an all-time high, with almost half of adults taking at least one prescription and a quarter taking at least three prescriptions.

Notably, life expectancy growth in these countries has slowed since 2010.

Contrary to popular belief, the cost of an ageing population is not in itself a threat to a country’s healthcare system – the threat is an unhealthy ageing population.

The greatest pressure on health budgets comes from the treatment of almost entirely preventable chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes (shown to be reversible in up to 60% of patients). In the UK, for example, around 10% of the National Health Service budget is spent on type 2 diabetes alone.

Nevertheless.

Instead of tackling the causes of chronic disease through lifestyle changes – we prefer to use drugs that, for the vast majority of patients, do nothing to improve their long-term health.

In reality, healthy lifestyle choices do more than reduce the risk of disease in the distant future – their positive impact on quality of life can be seen within weeks, sometimes even days (read the testimonials of my Slimming Challenge participants).

Key takeaways

We love reading about diets and healthy living.

But.

We often fail to critically engage with what is written. For example, if a celebrity says she is following a certain diet, we look at her and see that she looks pretty good, and we conclude that it is because of the diet. We assume if I stick to the same diet, I’ll look just as good.

We forget that this celebrity has a personal chef, a fitness trainer, a beautician… a whole team whose only concern is that she looks great.

For more than 15 years, I have helped people young and old, athletic and chubby, to improve their well-being and health.

I have seen a 116 kg woman become a fitness model (at 53 kg), blood pressure normalises, cholesterol lower…

Without medication and drastic diets.

Just by changing your lifestyle and dietary habits.

In other words:

• Most illnesses are not caused by nature (genes, heredity, etc.), but by our own – most often we get sick because of laziness and greed (we want everything quickly and effortlessly).
• To be healthy we need constant effort. This cannot be replaced by medication. But the good news is that our bodies are so well designed that it is possible to recover from almost any condition (though with age this requires more and more effort).
• The amount of effort we put in is determined by the importance of the goal, the time and the likelihood of achieving it. Unfortunately, health comes to the fore as an important goal only when a person’s health deteriorates significantly (and even then, not always).
• Exercise, dietary restrictions, time and the ability to rest are all equally necessary to improve health. The support of loved ones is also important.
• 20-30 minutes of exercise a day is enough to keep you healthy, but only if your heart rate rises about twice and you find it difficult to speak fluently while exercising.
• It is said that good health is happiness in itself. But – it’s so easy to get used to it and stop noticing it. It helps you achieve happiness in your family and at work. Illness, on the other hand, is definitely a misfortune, especially if it is severe and long-lasting.
• Don’t rely on medicine alone – it is necessary for some conditions but cannot make you healthy. So far, it has not even been able to teach us how to become healthy;
• Doctors sometimes exaggerate human weakness and the power of their science, i.e. they invent imaginary diseases and prescribe unnecessary medicines.

And finally, a few words for young people.

You are healthy now and your mind is not clouded with thoughts of future illnesses.

But.

Time passes quickly.

Moreover.

Many of you are already facing health problems.

Think about what you can do for yourself before they become an everyday reality.

Eat tasty, eat balanced, exercise and – be healthy!