HEALTH + WELLNESS
gave his patients medicine but spent
time collecting data from the patient’s
lifestyle, habits and diet. Currently,
pharmaceutical sales are skyrocketing.
Multimedia advertising and endorsements by celebrities have prompted
patients to ask doctors for prescriptions they don’t necessarily need. Some
commercials reassure that bad habits
are OK because there is a drug to help
with the sequelae. It seems there is a
pill for every symptom. And for any
side effects the prescription pill might
have, there is another will to treat
them. Americans are told there is a
fix for every diagnosis so they readily
accept the treatment. Doctors no longer
need to investigate the cause because
there is always a pill. Unfortunately,
these medications come at a cost, both
financially and physically. It is estimated that 76,000–137,000 patients die
every year as a result of complications
of medications. More than 2 million
are hospitalized with adverse reactions
from them. Prescription drug abuse
is an epidemic and has just recently
captured national media attention due
to untimely celebrity deaths. Together,
physicians and patients need to use
pharmaceuticals as last resorts. While
there are certainly disease conditions
that warrant treatment with a prescription, it is important that together
the physician and patient look at all
aspects of lifestyle to see what changes
might improve conditions and ultimately avoid the need for pharmaceutical treatment.
“Make no pretense
to infallibility.”
Physicians don’t want to admit that
they don’t have a diagnosis. They need
to be brave enough to admit this to
patients. Once they are content that
significant disease is absent, they must
resist additional testing and procedures. Physicians must encourage
conversations with patients about why
additional testing is not necessary and
often will not lead to a diagnosis.
A United States group working with 25 medical specialties has released its
recommendations in the Choosing Wisely Campaign. This campaign, launched
in 2012, is aimed at helping doctors and patients navigate through more than
130 tests and procedures.
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