Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2013

Cedarville Magazine | 25 by Jennifer Dear ’95 V i e w p o i n t s Every physician has had this conversation with a patient. I’ve heard this question many times in my 11 years in medicine (split almost evenly between urgent care and family medicine). More often than not, the patient in my exam room is asking about a medication that is completely inappropriate for him or her. I usually don’t mind as my practice style encourages questions; however, I marvel at the rationale of pharmaceutical companies pursuing direct-to- consumer marketing such as advertising on TV. Many of the medications I see advertised have a very narrow use, and the side effects they are required to list sound frightening, even to a physician. I can only assume someone has crunched the numbers and determined they will interest more people than they will scare away. Regardless, I amnot convinced these advertisements improve the health of the general public. Most of the medications I’ve seen advertised are for rare conditions. I’m not sure how many rheumatoid arthritis patients are hearing about a potential treatment for the first time on TV. Furthermore, I doubt we would see so many ads for certain psychotropic medications if they were required to say “atypical antipsychotic” and not simply “depression.” These days I’m more likely to be asked about supplements recommended by a certain medical/television personality we will refer to as “Dr. Z.” This particular medical celebrity advises somany different supplements that it would be impossible to purchase and take them all — one would hardly have time to do anything else! There’s no continuity to his advice, and it seems he has never met a supplement he d idn’t l i ke and wholeheartedly endorse. I advise my patients that they should not waste their money on a product that has “not been evaluated by the FDA” or is “not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” Not only are we unsure this product works as it claims, it hasn’t been proven safe (at least to the standards of the Food and Drug Administration). I do not chastise patients who choose to continue taking supplements, but I make it clear that it is not necessarily a practice I recommend. A recent study suggested men who take fish oil may have a higher incidence of prostate cancer. More than one of my patients has asked about this, and my response embodies the “big picture” I have come to advocate. Whenever possible, we should get our health and nutrients from our diet and exercise. Our diet should consist of actual food, not capsules or products created in a lab. Eating fish is likely to be better for you than taking concentrated fish oil. Eating food rich in calcium is likely to work better than taking a calcium supplement. We have no evidence multivitamins prolong life; it’s likely better to eat as varied and healthy a diet as possible. If you can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol with diet, exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation, then that is exactly what you should do. If that is not enough, continue to do those things and add the appropriate medication under your doctor’s supervision. Unfortunately, we can’t or don’t always eat the variety of food our bodies need. Sometimes our genetic makeupmeans that despite having the best diet and exercise habits, we still have hypertension, diabetes, or obesity. I am thankful to be living in this era—when God-given human intelligence and ingenuity have led to many options to improve our health and lengthen our lives when our DNA, or our lifestyle, fails us. There is no magic pill that will let us eat whatever we want with no consequences or avoid exercise without paying the price. However, we do not have to accept our genetic destiny without a fight: we can combine a healthier diet and lifestyle and use appropriate medication to keep death and disease at bay (longer than our grandparents could). Doing so can allow us to make the most of the time God has given us, fulfilling the purpose He has for our lives and honoring the temple He has given each of us. Today I heard a new one. “What do you know about supplement ABC?” I asked my patient if he had seen an ad for this supplement on TV. “No,” he replied. “It popped up on my Facebook wall.” Sigh. Jennifer Dear ’95 is a family physician in Sanford, Michigan. She received her M.D. from The Ohio State University. You may contact Dr. Dear at doc.jendear@gmail.com. “Viewpoints” is an editorial article and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Cedarville University. “Have you seen that commercial for ... ?” AS SEEN ON TV