Isn’t it strange that we as a society have been shaped to expect a prescription every time we visit our doctor for a particular complaint?
Today is my 47th birthday. I would be a liar if I said I’m not on any prescribed medication— I am. And so are an enormous number of peers within my age group. Medicine certainly has its place and I’m not here to down talk healthcare providers, but I do want to encourage continued education on this subject.
Full disclosure, I am prescribed progesterone to take every month during the luteal stage of my cycle (days 18 until menses). I had complaints of sleeplessness, feeling “wired and tired,” agitation, paranoia, hair loss, and general malaise. A naturopathic friend suggested I might be experiencing peri menopausal symptoms and suggested I do a hormone panel to see what was happening. Every other day for a full month I dutifully spit into a carefully prepared tube sent from a mail order lab. I kept my samples in the freezer during the collection period and then, when completed sent my samples to a lab. The process was clearly spelled out in the kit with 24 hour toll free numbers listed in case I had questions. I paid for this test without help from my insurance company (since they refused). The results returned weeks later—and within the five page document (complete with colored graphs) it revealed that my progesterone levels tended to wane about ten days before my period. Other than that, my estrogen levels were good— no need for hormone replacements yet.
I took my results to my primary care doctor hoping she would prescribe exactly what I needed— progesterone only. Her response was... umm... frustrating to say the least, but ultimately offered me a window into how the current healthcare model fails us all. She basically looked at my results and said, “yeah, this isn’t my wheelhouse, but I can offer you some options: Prozac and/or an oral contraceptive” (birth control pills). I explained to her that the results of my hormone panel clearly indicate that I do not need estrogen and that I felt uncomfortable about taking hormones I don’t need since recent research suggests it could contribute to a breast cancer risk. She dismissed my concerns and explained that “Prozac and the Pill were the standard protocol for PMS.” She further added, “every woman your age could benefit from a boost of estrogen”— I was 42 at the time. I respectfully declined and went to a health food store and bought progesterone cream, which I used in accordance with the research I had in my possession and from the directives of my naturopathic friend.
It was a year later when I finally connected with a functional medicine doctor and was prescribed the appropriate dose of progesterone and offered clear directives. During that year I learned that I couldn’t blame my primary care for her misguided directives either. She, like all conventional doctors are over a barrel when it comes to treating patients. If they want the insurance company to pay them for their service, they need to follow the dictated, “evidence-based” protocol outlined by a consortium of highly paid professionals working for insurance companies and large pharmaceutical companies. And if you think the research literature that comes out of big business is legit— think again. I’ll be brief, but need to mention that pharmaceutical trials of new drugs are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. They pay researchers to produce positive results. So researchers, if they want to get paid, work their tails off to find results that support the efficacy of the product. That means they may conduct 40 trials and publish the results on only three or four! Those three of four studies likely revealed a more favorable outcome for the participants in the trial. However, keep in mind that in this scenario the vast majority of the studies get shuffled into the ether, never to be read... because the results were unfavorable to the funding company seeking to mint money with a new drug. Science in medicine is not unbiased— it is challenged by the subjectivity of researchers and dubious desires of big pharma.
The truth is, your healthcare management is not a private decision between you and your doctor— it is a decision that has been made long before you even experience the symptoms that will lead you into the doctors office. I’m grateful that I am privileged with an education that helps me disseminate medical journal information and research. I’m grateful to have friends who are knowledgeable and openly share their advice and suggestions. I’m grateful to social media for allowing a platform for discussion about pros and cons of healthcare. I’m grateful I can afford to pay for my own lab work (if needed), and to see a functional or alternative medicine doctor when necessary. I’m very lucky. However, most of the people in our country who need healthcare are not so fortunate. They may not be privileged with either the resources or the understanding. They are doing their best to get by with what they have... and this sort of experience happens every single day to scores of other Americans.
Are you confident that the medicine you take daily is really helping you? Interventions that really work reveal lasting results, while interventions that don’t work so well might result in a endless cycle of adding or adjusting medications, or even worse: compounding the health issue or even creating new ones.
This is just the start of a continuing conversation. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I’m ready to share some of my ideas, thoughts and hopes for our health. Consider this excerpt an introduction to the challenges we face. I welcome your feedback, comments and considerations.
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