A recent study by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public
Health shows that more people are taking prescription medications and that many
of them are taking multiple medications at once.[1]
There was a 9% increase in adults who used prescription drugs in a 30-day
period compared to the study results from just a decade ago (59% vs. 50%).[2]
This, naturally, raises concerns about how medications can negatively interact
with each other, particularly when people self-medicate or are untruthful with
their doctors about what they’re taking.
One interesting conclusion made by the researchers was that
“the increase in prescription use may be driven in part by the rise in
obesity…because many of the widely used drugs treat conditions that can be
related to obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high
cholesterol.”[3]
It’s no secret that the U.S. is one of the unhealthiest and most obese
countries in the world, and we don’t show many positive signs of improvement in
that area.
There are various other surveys that support the fact that
prescription use has increased and that Americans are spending more on
medicines each year. One such survey by IMS Health, a healthcare industry
information company, “found that spending on medicines increased by 10.3
percent to $374 billion in 2014 from 2013.”[4]
As I’ve written in previous blog posts, there are many
alternatives to prescription medications, including (of course) chiropractic
care! The next time you’re about to pop a pill as a sort of “Band-Aid approach”
to your ailments, remember that adopting a healthier lifestyle can greatly
reduce the need for pills. A healthy diet, exercise, attention to your
emotional health, and chiropractic care can work together to make a happier,
healthier you without having to ingest handfuls of harmful drugs.
Working to restore
GOD’s perfect design in you!
[1] Kodjak
A. “Americans Are Using More Prescription Drugs; Is Obesity To Blame?” NPR.org,
November 3, 2015. <http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/03/454241609/americans-are-using-more-prescription-drugs-is-obesity-to-blame>
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.; IMS Institute for Healthcare
Informatics. “IMS Health Study: 2014 a Record-Setting Year for U.S. Medicines.”
IMSHealth.com, April 14, 2015. <http://www.imshealth.com/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c578dcd8474bc410VgnVCM1000000e2e2ca2RCRD&vgnextchannel=2e11e590cb4dc310VgnVCM100000a48d2ca2RCRD&vgnextfmt=default>
