There is no substitute to living healthy lifestyle

[Guest guest]

12/28/2004

There is no substitute to living healthy lifestyle

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Although the federal Food and Drug Administration has come under fire

recently, the agency should not take the full blame for everything wrong

with prescription drugs of late.

Recent issues include:

* The popular arthritis drug Vioxx was pulled from the market by

manufacturer Merck on Sept. 30 because of evidence it increased the risk of

heart attack and strokes.

* Last week, another popular pain reliever, Celebrex, was found to increase

the risk of heart attack when taken in high doses. Its maker, Pfizer, has

suspended advertising, but the drug is still on the market.

* Officials at the National Institutes of Health on Monday halted a study

of naproxen, an over-the-counter pain reliever commonly sold under the brand

name Aleve, because of possible links to heart attacks and strokes.

These reports - and questions about other prescription drugs in recent

years - have led critics of the FDA to claim the agency approves drugs too

quickly, doesn't follow up effectively on possible health effects and is too

close to drug companies.

Surely, there is a lot of pressure on the FDA to approve new " wonder drugs, "

and the pharmaceutical companies are trying to outdo one another to keep

their investors happy. But we as consumers of drugs (three in 10 Americans

are taking one or more prescription drugs) must also take a step back and

ask ourselves some serious questions.

We believe that if the drug companies spent only half the money on research

and development that they shell out on commercials touting their products,

maybe strong follow up testing of their new drugs would have headed off

letting drugs with unacceptable side effects get to the FDA in the first

place.

Consumers, swept up in all the hype that new drugs promise (you can't sit

though an hour of television without seeing at least one ad for erectile

dysfunction, acid reflux or allergies) seem to believe that the body will

tolerate anything. The persuasive power of advertising sends patients to

their doctors asking for whatever new drug will cure their ailment, and much

of the time, the doctors comply.

Every drug you put into your body has some side effect, sometimes

untraceable or minor, sometimes not. People must realize this before they

choose a prescription drug as a remedy. They must also closely follow the

recommended dosages.

It's a fact that our medical advances have increased our life expectancy and

enhanced the quality of our lives. Yet, there can be too much of a good

thing. Millions of Americans are over-medicated, their doctors are signing

off on it and the drug companies are encouraging it.

There is no pill that can substitute for living a healthy lifestyle that

includes exercise, eating in moderation and getting enough sleep.