TV Drug Ads - Are You Kidding Me?
First, what's the percentage of TV commercials that are drug ads?  Casual observation leads me to guess at least 1 in 4 ads are for drugs.  Second, the disclaimers that the advertisers are required to verbally state in the commercial are nothing short of mind boggling.  The list of potential adverse effects reads like a list of torture 'research' at a Nazi concentration camp: "serious, even life threatening, allergic reactions, swelling of the face, mouth, lips, gums, tongue or neck, suicidal thoughts or actions, hair loss, diarrhea, vomiting, fainting, ringing in the ears, loss of appetite, bleeding from the ears" (ok, I made that last one up - sorry).  Third, I love the names given to drugs: Levitra, Lipitor, Lyrica, Celebrex, Celexa, Cymbalta.  This is one area where my hat goes off to the drug companies - they almost always come up with cool sounding names for their drugs.  Fourth, there's always the final 'Ask your doctor if Pooease is right for you.'  [That's the name I came up for a laxative product - as you can see, I won't be hired as a drug naming marketer - my other choice was Pooflow.]

As the medical community in general and drug companies in particular continue to exploit every symptom by labeling it a 'condition' for which a drug can be sold, our culture is moving relentlessly toward a the belief that our bodies won't function correctly without chemical intervention.  In what has been a very short 250 years (or eight generations), we've moved from living successfully (i.e. healthy) within our environment to now thinking that we need a drug to alleviate suffering caused by anything from misplaced freckles to leg cramps.  What happened?

Well, in short, we're actually wild animals stuck in captivity; and like nearly all animals removed from their natural environment, we're not doing so well in captivity.  Yes, most people don't have tigers or cholera to worry aboput anymore, but we're not paying attention to how our modern lifestyles are depriving us of what we need to be healthy.  Then, when our health suffers as a result of this disconnect, we don't look to what's causing the deficiency or toxicity within our environment or lifestyles, we look to the great drug lord in the sky for relief. It's pathetic.

The Trifecta of Health
The solution is simple but difficult, of course - but then again, don't the most vexing problems in life fit that bill. To win the war for your health, you have to fight three battles:

1. Start doing what's right
2. Stop doing what's wrong
3. Continuously get better at #1 and #2

Start Doing What's Right
Eat pure whole organic foods.
Drinking optimal amounts of pure water each day.
Exercise moderately to intensely every day (that's move, pant and sweat)
Get optimal sleep.
Manage your mind, stress and attitude.

Stop Doing What's Wrong
Stop eating nutrient-poor processed foods.
Stop allowing toxic industrial chemicals into your body.
Stop wishing you had more; want what you have.
Stop doing things that take time away from doing what's right.

Continuously Get Better
Each month, each quarter, each year, improve; don't strive for perfection, aim for progression. 

Ask your doctor if getting off your butt is right for you.

You can do it.

Yours in health, Dr. Paul

PS.  Dr. Stephen Franson came up with the idea of having a TV ad on Super Bowl Sunday with the slogan Ask your doctor if getting off your butt is right for you - Bonfire Health, You Can Be Healthy. Don't you just love it!