Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Healthy lifestyles reduce the need for expensive prescriptions
[Laura Vanderkam, "Want lower drug bills? Look in the mirror," USA Today, 14 February 2005.]
Taking an unusual look at the demand side of the drug price equation, USA Today rightly suggests that pharmaceutical companies could not charge what they do for drugs if no one was buying:
[T]he biggest demand-booster is that we don't take care of ourselves. It's no secret Americans are in bad shape. Two-thirds of us are overweight. We stew in our own stress. After years of weight gain, we suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, even Type II diabetes. Obesity, combined with lying on the couch after fatty meals, contributes to acid reflux. Stress and inactivity can worsen depression.
"Why worry about your diet when Lipitor can have you out at age 90 playing bocce on the beach somewhere?" jokes Mark Pettus, chief of staff at the Berkshire Medical Center and author of The Savvy Patient. Doctors find it easier to write prescriptions than teach us new diets. Behavioral medicine, notes Pettus, is a tough sell. But small changes matter:
•A 1999 Duke University study found that exercise worked as well as Zoloft in treating depression. Exercise was even more effective in preventing relapses.
•A 2003 University of Toronto study found that a diet high in soy protein, fiber and almonds lowered cholesterol as much as statins.
•A Diabetes Prevention Program study in 2001 found that folks with impaired glucose tolerance who lost 5%-7% of their weight cut their risk of diabetes by 58% — more than preventive treatment with diabetes drug metformin.
•A Harvard University study, published in 2001, found that a low-salt, low-fat diet lowered systolic blood pressure in individuals with hypertension about the same amount as hypertension drugs.
There are limits, of course. Everyone could eat oat bran and jog, and we'd still have heart attacks. But on average, prevention is a contract. If you don't smoke, exercise an hour a day and eat right, you'll need fewer drugs in the long run. We should keep this in mind when drug companies jack up prices.
Taking ownership of one's health is "hard work," says Pettus, but unlike drugs, "it's not going to cost you a penny."
[Laura Vanderkam, "Want lower drug bills? Look in the mirror," USA Today, 14 February 2005.]
Taking an unusual look at the demand side of the drug price equation, USA Today rightly suggests that pharmaceutical companies could not charge what they do for drugs if no one was buying:
[T]he biggest demand-booster is that we don't take care of ourselves. It's no secret Americans are in bad shape. Two-thirds of us are overweight. We stew in our own stress. After years of weight gain, we suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, even Type II diabetes. Obesity, combined with lying on the couch after fatty meals, contributes to acid reflux. Stress and inactivity can worsen depression.
"Why worry about your diet when Lipitor can have you out at age 90 playing bocce on the beach somewhere?" jokes Mark Pettus, chief of staff at the Berkshire Medical Center and author of The Savvy Patient. Doctors find it easier to write prescriptions than teach us new diets. Behavioral medicine, notes Pettus, is a tough sell. But small changes matter:
•A 1999 Duke University study found that exercise worked as well as Zoloft in treating depression. Exercise was even more effective in preventing relapses.
•A 2003 University of Toronto study found that a diet high in soy protein, fiber and almonds lowered cholesterol as much as statins.
•A Diabetes Prevention Program study in 2001 found that folks with impaired glucose tolerance who lost 5%-7% of their weight cut their risk of diabetes by 58% — more than preventive treatment with diabetes drug metformin.
•A Harvard University study, published in 2001, found that a low-salt, low-fat diet lowered systolic blood pressure in individuals with hypertension about the same amount as hypertension drugs.
There are limits, of course. Everyone could eat oat bran and jog, and we'd still have heart attacks. But on average, prevention is a contract. If you don't smoke, exercise an hour a day and eat right, you'll need fewer drugs in the long run. We should keep this in mind when drug companies jack up prices.
Taking ownership of one's health is "hard work," says Pettus, but unlike drugs, "it's not going to cost you a penny."
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