Cedarville Magazine
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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
.
“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
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