prescribing health? how does that work?
One of the MSN headlines in my blogline feeds this morning read, As cheap statins arrive, why fret about lifestyle? The article brings up the concept of health-in-a-bottle. Specifically, the article discusses the effect that cheaper cholesterol drugs will make on behavior of patients that have high or at-risk cholesterol levels.
Will patients see the lower cost of statins as less of a barrier for taking the drugs? What are the advantages of taking a drug versus adopting a lifestyle change? What are the disadvantages of taking the drug versus adopting a healthier lifestyle?
What role can a "lifestyle makeover" play in my overall health? As a personal trainer I have to assist people that have a question like this on many occasions. To my advantage though, most of the people that seek my help have already made the decision to adopt healthier lifestyles, such as becoming more active and/or eating a healthier diet. But I will say that "selling" the healthier lifestyle "brand" is not an easy sale. At times I feel like I'm trying to sell a 1980's Ford, while someone else is selling the 2006 Cadillac. And we're asking the same price (or possibly more).
When a person hasn't been active recently, the idea of exercising brings on thoughts of pain, discomfort, aches and fatigue. These thoughts are sometimes reinforced the first time they exercise if they try to take on too much to begin with. When faced with these thoughts compared to the idea that you can take a pill once-a-day and be healthy, why would someone make the decision to go through all the aches and pains?
The answer that I share with people is that health is rarily defined by a single characteristic or metric. Health is not singly defined by our HDL, LDL or total cholesterol readings. It is not singly defined by our blood glucose levels, A1c readings, body fat percentage, BMI calculation or waist-to-hip ratio. It is also not measured by the mileage in our training logs, the laps we can swim or the average resting heart rate for the last week.
I prefer to take a holistic approach when analyzing my own health. Others may use the term "wellness" when defining this approach. I often ask myself how is my physical well-being (which would include metrics such as those listed above), my emotional well-being (have I been happy lately, have I been easily irritated), my intellectual well-being (have I taken the time to appreciate the aesthetics such as art, music, reading), my spiritual well-being (have I allowed my soul to be quiet, have I spent time in prayer talking to God) and my social well-being (what have I done for others lately)?
In answering those questions I am able to get an overall analysis about my current state of health.
One of the truths that I have found in my own life is that by remaining consistent with my exercise program, I impact several of those areas in a positive way. The benefits of exercise can reach out into many areas of our lives if we allow it.
So are drugs bad. And can lifestyle change cure all?
No and No. Hopefully that is not the perspective I'm portraying. I have known people that lead lifestyles (i.e. exercise and nutrition habits) that I aspire to, yet have needed the help of drugs to improve some areas of their health profile. There is a place and a need for many types of services and assistance when trying to create an optimal health profile.
As a trainer and coach, one of the most important attributes I can have is knowing how I can assist someone with their profile. Your physician will know if a drug is appropriate for you or not, your physical therapist will know if an injury is healed and ready for exercise again.....
I just hope that as health care continues to change over-time, physicians won't forget the power of a healthy lifestyle. No matter how cheap drugs become.
Will patients see the lower cost of statins as less of a barrier for taking the drugs? What are the advantages of taking a drug versus adopting a lifestyle change? What are the disadvantages of taking the drug versus adopting a healthier lifestyle?
What role can a "lifestyle makeover" play in my overall health? As a personal trainer I have to assist people that have a question like this on many occasions. To my advantage though, most of the people that seek my help have already made the decision to adopt healthier lifestyles, such as becoming more active and/or eating a healthier diet. But I will say that "selling" the healthier lifestyle "brand" is not an easy sale. At times I feel like I'm trying to sell a 1980's Ford, while someone else is selling the 2006 Cadillac. And we're asking the same price (or possibly more).
When a person hasn't been active recently, the idea of exercising brings on thoughts of pain, discomfort, aches and fatigue. These thoughts are sometimes reinforced the first time they exercise if they try to take on too much to begin with. When faced with these thoughts compared to the idea that you can take a pill once-a-day and be healthy, why would someone make the decision to go through all the aches and pains?
The answer that I share with people is that health is rarily defined by a single characteristic or metric. Health is not singly defined by our HDL, LDL or total cholesterol readings. It is not singly defined by our blood glucose levels, A1c readings, body fat percentage, BMI calculation or waist-to-hip ratio. It is also not measured by the mileage in our training logs, the laps we can swim or the average resting heart rate for the last week.
I prefer to take a holistic approach when analyzing my own health. Others may use the term "wellness" when defining this approach. I often ask myself how is my physical well-being (which would include metrics such as those listed above), my emotional well-being (have I been happy lately, have I been easily irritated), my intellectual well-being (have I taken the time to appreciate the aesthetics such as art, music, reading), my spiritual well-being (have I allowed my soul to be quiet, have I spent time in prayer talking to God) and my social well-being (what have I done for others lately)?
In answering those questions I am able to get an overall analysis about my current state of health.
One of the truths that I have found in my own life is that by remaining consistent with my exercise program, I impact several of those areas in a positive way. The benefits of exercise can reach out into many areas of our lives if we allow it.
So are drugs bad. And can lifestyle change cure all?
No and No. Hopefully that is not the perspective I'm portraying. I have known people that lead lifestyles (i.e. exercise and nutrition habits) that I aspire to, yet have needed the help of drugs to improve some areas of their health profile. There is a place and a need for many types of services and assistance when trying to create an optimal health profile.
As a trainer and coach, one of the most important attributes I can have is knowing how I can assist someone with their profile. Your physician will know if a drug is appropriate for you or not, your physical therapist will know if an injury is healed and ready for exercise again.....
I just hope that as health care continues to change over-time, physicians won't forget the power of a healthy lifestyle. No matter how cheap drugs become.
posted by gary at 9:56 AM
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