Comments on: What Are You On?

By: Katty, Oral Surgeon

Katty, Oral Surgeon — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:04:08 +0000

Yes, dentists have been guilty of overprescribing prescription drugs. One of the main reason Americans so readily get on drugs is the massive amount of TV advertising (is it $6 Billion/year?) that Americans are exposed to. It’d be curious to see how many Rx drugs an average person that does not watch TV takes.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:00:02 +0000

Hello Jonathan,

You are embracing a topic that I too am very passionate about. As a nation, America is certainly over medicated and I’d love to be a part of a movement to battle the mentality that there is a pill for every ill. Maybe your coming articles will be the catalyst for that movement! I stand with you!

By: Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:17:39 +0000

In my corner of Spain, everything is diagnosed by blood work and cured with pills. If it can’t be found or cured by one of these two things then it doesn’t exist or is incurable.

Boggles the mind.

By: Brodie Welch

Brodie Welch — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:43:18 +0000

Kudos to you for taking the opportunity to examine your life and yet not want to medicate away the ways in which your body might be trying to communicate with you. Health challenges can be powerful portals to new ways of being. Is healing the eradication of symptoms, or something deeper than that?

We miss the invitation to change by medicating over a symptom. Considering that over 100,000 people a year die from taking pharmaceutical drugs (properly!), we do this at our own peril! While pharmaceuticals certainly have their place,
most chronic diseases and pain can be better addressed with diet, lifestyle, herbs (which are simply strong foods), examining our thoughts and emotions,stretching, visualizing, and breathing. Non-drug interventions like acupuncture and bodywork can help catalyze change as well.

Of course, it’s so much easier to take a pill than to take responsibility for one’s life. But who gains? And who loses?

Magnified out to the national level: At this time of crisis in our health care system, and when 80% of the reasons people seek health care are related to stress, why aren’t we teaching kids how to breathe and meditate? Wouldn’t that save a ton of money?

I wish you all the best in your journey.

By: Michael Martine

Michael Martine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:48:52 +0000

Whoa, man. Wow. Well, this is going to be interesting and I know that whatever is in store for you (and by extension, your readers), you’ll bring honesty and insights into it that will benefit everyone.

It’s funny how as soon as you raise this topic of overmedication, you’re suddenly branded as anti-medical, as though you just declared all of Western medicine a crock of shit. Everybody loves their little boxes to put things in, negating possibility with labels. Can there be a middle ground that doesn’t automatically discount alternative methods as “hippie dippy” nor call for the downfall of conventional care?

I would like to think so. I think people are hungry for that, and that’s why Andrew Weil has been so successful.

By: zencontrol.net

zencontrol.net — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:11:07 +0000

Last week I also met one 62 year old person and he was so fit, you could hardly belive. With just few grey hair he was looking in fifties. Despite eating outside for whole day, he was fit. On questioning he told he was practicing Yoga for last 35 years and at home he was taking bitter food (most good food is bitter) like bitterguard and couple of other things which I forgot. He was on no medicine at all.

Your post is also inspiring and I am looking forward to your series soon.

By: Natalia

Natalia — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:12:16 +0000

Gosh, that’s definitely disturbing! It would have been a lot better if she had smiled or expressed gladness.

Rock on, by the way!

By: Kerry

Kerry — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:17:25 +0000

Hi Jonathan,
I have to agree with Lars, I’m from Australia and there is a definite perception that Americans readily take medication and I’m not sure how true it is. I was reading a blog the other day and a woman was writing her tips for sleeping well … there were only four and the fourth was a drug! I nearly wrote a comment I was so shocked but wondered if that was a cultural response. I suppose it was like you say – it was more shock at the acceptance that of course a drug would be a normal response to dealing with an issue. Thanks for sharing, I look forward to reading more

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:11:52 +0000

@ Lars – I often wonder how we compare to other countries in terms of chronic med use. Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m not anti-med, I know people who need to be on them for the long haul, but there’s that middle group who could do what they need through lifestyle, but default to the far more effortless pill-based option. Again, not passing judgment, it’s just not my path…I hope.

@ Matthew – Always knew you weren’t “normal!’ LOL!

@ WMG – Yeah, it’s a bit frightening how bacteria adapts to thwart meds. A bit scary.

@ John – No doubt, weight gain from a combo of inuries, illness and a massively more sedentary lifestyle has taken a big toll. Still figuring out the answer, but as someone who’s been taught others how to take control for a dozen years, excited to share my journey, stumbles and all

By: John McElhenney

John McElhenney — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:38:31 +0000

Jonathan your post and exposé is well done. I too have been on a journey. We share our age and concerns about health and mental welfare among other things.

I have a post where I am reviewing and being honest with myself and readers about goals and achievements towards those goals. http://bit.ly/big-goals-09

While I am happier than I can ever remember being, and I am med free as well, I am struggling a bit with my weight. 10 days ago I cut sugar, so we’ll see how that goes.

What excites me about your post is your commitment to honesty at all cost. If we can’t be honest with ourselves we will not be successful at life. By revealing our processes in the light of the web, I hope that we can bring others into a similar resolution of clarity and transparency. It’s a lot ot ask. It’s a lot to hope for. But I believe, it’s the only way to be.

Thanks for your contribution.

@jmacofearth