Friday, August 1, 2008

I believe that the NY Times is TRYING to get me to stop reading their paper!


Two articles in the health section of the times have me livid over the stupidity our culture when it comes to our bodies and health. Lest I sound like an angry vegan, I assure you I am not, but sometimes I just want to bang my head against a wall because I cannot understand peoples thinking. Last night reading the NY Times online I came across an article titled, "Drugs Offer Promise of Fitness without Effort," it has been aptly renamed, "Couch Mouse to Mr. Mighty by Pills Alone."

Please see for yourself http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/science/01muscle.html

This article tells of a pill being given to mice to make their bodies feel as though they have exercised and make their muscles look toned. The scientists seem very hopeful about these pills implications for diabetics. Yes that is right diabetics, sit on the couch eating a pint of ice cream sweetened with Splenda and pop this pill; life will be all right!

The side effects of this pill are not listed, though I would imagine they are numerous. I do not want to think what this would do to the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, not to mention the all important liver. And if it really makes the body believe it has exercised so hard, how about the risk of stroke and pulmonary embolism in people who are unfit to exercise vigorously. How about bone mass, will it increase that too? If it doesn't people will be left with more than a crushed spirit. Plus how long will this pill work for before it stops? It would only stand to reason that we would develop a resistance to this drug just as we do any other. What happens then?

We think we are so cleaver with science, we see the body as a machine, and think we can outsmart it. Well until we can build a self sustaining machine with emotions and epithelial tissue we shouldn't be messing with mother nature so much. We pride ourselves in the west with a longer life expectancy thanks to drug culture, than other parts of the world. Well guess what? It is not true anymore! This generations of children will be the first to not outlive their parents. Look at our sick children! They do not need more medication, they need exercise, REAL food, and love!

There may be some application for this drug, probably among body builders for purely aesthetic reasons at the risk of their health, but not to diabetics.

In my opinion Americans are anti exercise for the same reason they are anti vegetables. We are told from the minute we are born, from our families and advertising that we will not like them! It is a conditioned response. That is what needs to change, adults need to start leading by example and being parents to their children. The excuses are killing us and not slowly. Within a generation, cancer, heart disease, and metabolic diseases have sky rocketed. That's not genetics. It is stupidity and shortsightedness.



Second on my hit list of NY Times articles is this one on birth control. Titled "Weighing the Health Benefits of Birth Control"

http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-contraception-ess.html

The article in fact does no such thing as weigh the health benefits of birth control pills. What it does to is spill out all of the reasons why drug companies say the pills is healthy and actually an improvement over the natural state of affairs in your life. It makes no attempt to weigh out or check any of these claims just put them out there. The article is more concerned with convenience than health. Just because something is convienient doesn't make it healthy. It seems to imply that all women should be on the pill until they are ready to conceive because somehow it makes you healthier. And it states that the reason there are so many unplanned pregnancies in this country is because people are non committal to taking their "medication."

I will disclose that my anger over this article is purely personal. I was personally on the pill, and several different brands, for 4 years and it had some horrible effects on me. The details I will spare for the most part except to say that I was not in complete control of my body and certainly not my emotions. The British Broadcasting Company. British researchers at several universities have conducted experiments and found that the pill effects women’s sexuality and decision-making abilities. Likening the hormonal changes that take place to the phenomenon of beer-goggles, calling them pill-goggles. In these studies the researchers found that taking the pill may actually encourage women to have relationships with unsuitable men simply because they have more masculine features. Lead researcher Tony Little going as far as to say that, “A woman who chooses a partner while on the pill, and then comes off to have a child, may find that she married the wrong man.”

Women in another study were less likely to be influenced by pheromones. I felt very strongly that my senses were dampened while on the pill and I have heard this from several other women as well. Some saying that they can feel and smell better after a few months of being off the pill. I really did feel as though I got my body back after going off the pill, as if I was getting to know myself all over again after four years. I suddenly was much more rational, particularly with regard to relationships. Certainly could be used to explain a lot of my college relationships!

Something that I must point out in this article that I do not understand is the line that says in paraphrase, that taking the pill will make women healthier before getting pregnant. Scientifically this makes no sense to me. When you are on the pill your body essentially believes it is pregnant for the entire duration. Never relenting. This means that my body thought it was pregnant for 4 years straight. There are obvious implications on the hormonal system, but how did that make me healthier? Bleeds are not real, but what are called withdrawal bleeds and this article goes into the newer pills that wipe that out all together.

Let me be clear though, I completely agree that women need to be healthier before pregnancy and that it would solve a lot of the problems faced in pregnancies and postpartum. But in my humble opinion that should include a longer amount of time off of the pill before getting pregnant.

Back to the main point, Milwaukee DOES NOT have the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country because not enough of the girls are on birth control pills.

Again our problem is not lack of drugs, it is lack of personal responsibility! Things happen, condoms, diaphragms, and even the mighty birth control pills fail, but not enough to make 50% of the pregnancies in the US unplanned as the article states. That is a responsibility and education issue. Guess what? Denying sex education in school and denying birth control pills at pharmacies is not effective pregnancy prevention. We need to teach girls why THIS is not ok:


I came across that picture while image searching. But I have seen girls just her age, sporting similar clothing. Next time you are at the beach, take a look around at the young girls, if you are a man do this discretely... See how many of them are proudly sporting the birth control patch. Seemingly the newest fashion accessory thats screams "look at me, you can't knock this up! ....probably"

1 comment:

Human Microbiome Search Engine said...

Wow! I agree with you completely on the negative side effects of prescription drugs. I have quit taking all of my meds, because I am convinced that our bodies have evolved over millions of years to operate very well without inference from bizarre chemicals. I hope lots of people read (and follow) your advice. Thanks.