Wednesday

The Connection Between Obesity and Prescription Drug Use

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>

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