4 ms·

I think US healthcare is poisoning people. Every office-dweller is on proton-pump inhibitors, SSRIs, or both. In most cases, the PPIs are there to treat peopl

I think US healthcare is poisoning people. Every office-dweller is on proton-pump inhibitors, SSRIs, or both. In most cases, the PPIs are there to treat people who have wrecked their GI tracts by popping ibuprofen once or twice a day. Every older person is also on statins. Then there's the oxycontin dominance in the red states. People constantly going to the doctor over side-effects and dosage level adjustments. Doctors just see them as walking wallets, and prescribe a new pill to cover the old side-effects with new ones. Your liver and your kidneys can only take so much--see the dialysis centers popping up all over the place...

volkl48 7y ago
No, people are poisoning themselves. ~40% of the US population is obese and in total, ~72% of the US population is overweight (including those classified as obese). Every doctor I know would prefer you to eat and move/exercise appropriately rather than prescribing you drugs. That's the preferred treatment and would prevent many of those issues.(especially when you also include other basics of a healthy lifestyle, like sleeping enough and not abusing substances). However, as is obvious, most people are unwilling to actually do what's required for that. So doctors are left with trying to mitigate symptoms or reduce harm without being able to tackle the cause. ---------- It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming decades elsewhere in the world, as most of the rest of the world is rapidly catching up to the unfortunate "norms" of US weight problems. I suspect you will see the prevalence of many of those ailments rising elsewhere in tandem.
- jstewartmobile 7y ago
  No, medicine is. If "healthcare" didn't offer alternatives to getting your shit together, people would either get their shit together, or die. From past life expectancy stats, the former happened more than the latter. Also, recent US life expectancy decline can be accounted for, entirely, by prescription opioid epidemic. iatrogenics
  - ntsplnkv2 7y ago
    People do die. Most complications due to unhealthy lifestyles are causing people to die earlier and more often, or live frustrating lives. The alternatives really aren't that great. Yea, prick your finger every day and regulate your sugar so you don't die or get sick. Fun. The reality is, food is designed to be addicting to sell more food, just like everything else in our capitalist society.
- nickthemagicman 7y ago
  "most people are unwilling to actually do what's required for that." Correction...most people don't have TIME to do what's required because of capitalism requiring them to work immense hours.
WhompingWindows 7y ago
Your post is not medically accurate. PPIs are not there to treat people who have "wrecked their GI tracts by popping ibuprofen once or twice a day". PPIs are very useful drugs for people with GERD, whether that's due to anatomic differences in their LES, dietary concerns, stress levels, excess coffee or alcohol consumption, or side-effects from any number of drugs/treatments (including the one you mentioned, ibuprofen, but that's a subset of a long list of reasons). Second, "every" office dweller is not on these drugs, that's a gross overstatement. SSRI's are not even close to universally prescribed; they are known to not be that effective, many people do not take them but treat mild or moderate depression with psychotherapy, exercise, behavior changes, etc. Regarding statins, they are very useful and have prevented a lot of deaths. They may be over-prescribed due to their generally safe and effective characteristics, however it's a GOOD thing to improve healthcare among the elderly (which is what is stated in the article). Dialysis centers are popping up all over the place due to the rising obesity/type 2 diabetes epidemic, the drugs very much take a second-hand effect in that causal pathway. You shouldn't spout off incorrect medical knowledge in an off-handed way. There are many uninformed people out there who may absorb this and propagate these incorrect views. Facts matter, science matters, as a healthcare researcher I can't let these misstatements go uncorrected.
- jstewartmobile 7y ago
  "as a healthcare researcher" I wonder who's signing the paychecks? edit: and I think it's fair to ask about conflict of interest when reply is an appeal to one's own authority.
  - whitebread 7y ago
    While this comment could have been more tactfully written, I believe the substance has merit. These drugs are classified as “preventative” [1] when they are treating symptoms rather than diseases. We can at least consider the source. [1]: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expands-list-of-preventive-care-for-hsa-participants-to-include-certain-care-for-chronic-conditions https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expands-list-of-preventive-...

volkl48 7y ago

No, people are poisoning themselves. ~40% of the US population is obese and in total, ~72% of the US population is overweight (including those classified as obese). Every doctor I know would prefer you to eat and move/exercise appropriately rather than prescribing you drugs. That's the preferred treatment and would prevent many of those issues.(especially when you also include other basics of a healthy lifestyle, like sleeping enough and not abusing substances). However, as is obvious, most people are unwilling to actually do what's required for that. So doctors are left with trying to mitigate symptoms or reduce harm without being able to tackle the cause. ---------- It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming decades elsewhere in the world, as most of the rest of the world is rapidly catching up to the unfortunate "norms" of US weight problems. I suspect you will see the prevalence of many of those ailments rising elsewhere in tandem.

jstewartmobile 7y ago
No, medicine is. If "healthcare" didn't offer alternatives to getting your shit together, people would either get their shit together, or die. From past life expectancy stats, the former happened more than the latter. Also, recent US life expectancy decline can be accounted for, entirely, by prescription opioid epidemic. iatrogenics
- ntsplnkv2 7y ago
  People do die. Most complications due to unhealthy lifestyles are causing people to die earlier and more often, or live frustrating lives. The alternatives really aren't that great. Yea, prick your finger every day and regulate your sugar so you don't die or get sick. Fun. The reality is, food is designed to be addicting to sell more food, just like everything else in our capitalist society.
nickthemagicman 7y ago
"most people are unwilling to actually do what's required for that." Correction...most people don't have TIME to do what's required because of capitalism requiring them to work immense hours.

WhompingWindows 7y ago

Your post is not medically accurate. PPIs are not there to treat people who have "wrecked their GI tracts by popping ibuprofen once or twice a day". PPIs are very useful drugs for people with GERD, whether that's due to anatomic differences in their LES, dietary concerns, stress levels, excess coffee or alcohol consumption, or side-effects from any number of drugs/treatments (including the one you mentioned, ibuprofen, but that's a subset of a long list of reasons). Second, "every" office dweller is not on these drugs, that's a gross overstatement. SSRI's are not even close to universally prescribed; they are known to not be that effective, many people do not take them but treat mild or moderate depression with psychotherapy, exercise, behavior changes, etc. Regarding statins, they are very useful and have prevented a lot of deaths. They may be over-prescribed due to their generally safe and effective characteristics, however it's a GOOD thing to improve healthcare among the elderly (which is what is stated in the article). Dialysis centers are popping up all over the place due to the rising obesity/type 2 diabetes epidemic, the drugs very much take a second-hand effect in that causal pathway. You shouldn't spout off incorrect medical knowledge in an off-handed way. There are many uninformed people out there who may absorb this and propagate these incorrect views. Facts matter, science matters, as a healthcare researcher I can't let these misstatements go uncorrected.

jstewartmobile 7y ago
"as a healthcare researcher" I wonder who's signing the paychecks? edit: and I think it's fair to ask about conflict of interest when reply is an appeal to one's own authority.
- whitebread 7y ago
  While this comment could have been more tactfully written, I believe the substance has merit. These drugs are classified as “preventative” [1] when they are treating symptoms rather than diseases. We can at least consider the source. [1]: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expands-list-of-preventive-care-for-hsa-participants-to-include-certain-care-for-chronic-conditions https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-expands-list-of-preventive-...