Just two weeks ago, I sat open mouthed with a mix of amazement and disappointment after turning on the TV while in San Diego for The Health and Fitness Conference.
The ads between programmes appeared never ending. But what was worse, the majority were from drug companies. Many were pushing diseases that I’d never heard of before. Then came the list of possible ‘side-effects’, required by law, as long as the ads themselves.
In their inciteful book ‘Selling Sickness’, Alan Cassels and Ray Moynihan alluded to how drug companies hungrily hunt for and research potential diseases that they can then name and provide drugs for. No wonder many are hypochondriacs! More than HALF of the 65 plus age-group report taking four plus medications a day! That’s over 30 million people…..Small wonder that the drug companies are very rich and powerful.
These massive companies increase their influence on the medical fraternity by sponsoring doctor’s educational events, and numbers of elite events. But this wouldn’t happen in New Zealand, would it?
Pharmaceutical companies have sponsored medical education events for many years. They sponsor, The General Practice Conference along with many speciality and scientific meetings. Although NZ has a ‘transparent’ code of ethics about accepting these sponsorships, it’s easy to imagine the moral influence those companies can then exude and promote direct to the profession.
It’s my belief that drugs are over-prescribed in Aotearoa. How often have you heard “I was only in there for 5 minutes and walked out with a prescription”. And it scares me how we rely so much on antibiotics. There is a worldwide avalanche in overuse of antibiotics, to the point that, one day soon, they may no longer work.
Our bodies need to develop a level of natural immunity by being exposed to minor bugs and diseases. Case in point, I was reading Paul Rosolie’s account in the landmark book, ‘The Jungle Keeper’ this week. He spoke about a road being thrust through the dense Amazon Jungle which soon exposed ancient, pre-stone age tribes to modern colds, flues and diseases. While being extremely strong, healthy and resilient in the jungle, they had no immunity to these new diseases. Many died just from catching the common cold.
Drugs do save lives, and sure, in numerous cases antibiotics are the answer. But, we overdo it. And the more pills we take, the more money the drug companies make.
At Club Physical however, our mission is to promote WELLNESS and there are some important keys to include in your lifestyle. Such as, getting a good night’s sleep. This is essential for your immune system.
The Mediterranean diet is regularly quoted as the healthiest diet in the world. You really couldn’t go wrong in looking these guidelines up.
Then of course, there is ‘working out regularly’. Dr Gabrelle Lyon says that the BEST way to support your immune system is by optimizing skeletal muscle health. She says “muscle acts as an essential immune-regulatory organ”. Dr Lyon further promotes four vital areas that effect your immunity. They are;
- Optimising your protein intake
- Resistance training
- Key supplements such as creatine and electrolytes
- And optimising your gut health
Dr Lyon says it much better than I could so, if you would like to dive deeper into this:
This week’s newsletter can be found here
