Performance Enhancing Drugs

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been treated to the so-called Mitchell report identifying several Major League stars that had used performance enhancing drugs. The report was received with a collective yawn by most Americans. Many were shocked by the seeming apathy at what many consider “cheating” by using steroids or human growth hormone.

But how could we be surprised by the public’s “so what” reaction to the allegations. For years, owners simply turned their back while MLB was enjoying growing fan interest with the home run race between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Better hitters and faster pitchers are good for the game, right? And, what would the player’s union say? After all, more fans and more revenue for MLB mean bigger salaries and prolonged careers for its members. As a fan of Aaron, Mays, Rose, Koufax, Clemente and so many other greats of the past, I’m disgusted and have decided to all but ignore professional sports altogether.

In a society where children from the age of two are given the equivalent of cocaine (Ritalin, Adderol, etc.) supposedly to help them do better in school by suppressing “symptoms” of ADD/ADHD. As adults, we take pills for potency (Viagra, Cialis, etc) or pills to sleep or for depression and anxiety. In fact, our society seems to be based on the premise of “better living through chemistry”. “Whatever it takes” is the mantra of today’s American athlete. Heck, maybe that’s one of the problems facing our entire culture. We’re so bent on winning that we’ve cast aside corny virtues like integrity, hard work and sportsmanship.

There was a time when Americans ridiculed Eastern Bloc countries for using steroids to boost their performance in the Olympics. But then again, that was before the USA decided to use professional basketball, baseball and hockey players to ensure winning Olympic medals. I wonder how many Americans relish the specter of American amateur athletes winning the gold medal in hockey or basketball, any more. I hardly even watch the Olympics these days.

But, unless we’re willing to clean up the rest of society, why the double standard for MLB players? Professional sports in some ways merely reflect social mores. Maybe we’ll eventually get the idea that how we play the game and how we live our own lives are more important than the instant gratification of hollow victory. Real victory is an expression of who you are deep inside and reflects the training, dedication and endurance of one who really loves who they are and what they do. Honor, principle and the game itself are far more important any statistic or season.

Tamiflu

Beware of relying on drugs as a means of achieving or maintaining health. Check out this story about the Food and Drug Administration and popular flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. Can you afford to trust your child's health to the pharmaceutical industry?

FDA Advisers Back New Warning on Tamiflu

WASHINGTON — The most widely used flu drug in the world should carry a stronger warning label about psychiatric problems seen in a handful of patients, government advisers said Tuesday.

A panel of experts to the Food and Drug Administration recommended drug maker Roche change the warning label for Tamiflu, which has been used by 48 million patients since its launch in 1999.

The drug's label already mentions reports of delirium and self-injury, primarily among children in Japan, but some FDA's experts suggested the language should mention several patients died as a result of these abnormal behaviors. The panel was discussing specifics of the language late Tuesday.

For the full story CLICK HERE.

Chronic Fatigue

I can’t begin to tell you how many people I’ve seen over the years who’ve been diagnosed with “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”. Well, I just don’t buy it. For one thing, how do you come up with a diagnosis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? In my opinion, it’s one of those “junk drawer” diagnoses that is often used when nothing specific can be identified. What causes it? How should it be treated?

The problem with diagnoses like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, ADD/ADHD, etc. is that because they’re little more than a collection of symptoms whose cause cannot be specifically identified they end up with sometimes bizarre treatment regimes, like antidepressants, muscle relaxers, steroids, etc. Once on the treatment path, it’s almost impossible to get off the treadmill.

In my practice, I’ve observed that when someone begins to look at the bigger picture of their lives and living more intuitively, their symptoms tend to fade away. As they take more control over the things they can control (their thoughts and behavior) and quit worrying about the things over which they have no control, their reliance on either over-the-counter or prescription drugs goes away.

If you’re always tired and have little energy to do the things you want and must do, I strongly encourage you to try to get off the symptom chasing treadmill. Find a holistic wellness practitioner and develop a plan for living a free and healthy life. Freedom is found outside the pill bottle.

Drugs Don't Work!

That sounds like a pretty bold statement. Maybe it is. But frankly, if drugs worked there‘d be no more chronic disease like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and so on. Sadly, chronic disease is the leading cause of death of Americans. The treatment of those diseases is reported to also be among the leading causes of death.

Maybe in one sense drugs do work in that they might provide temporary symptom relief. However, their purpose is to fool the body so that it responds inappropriately to certain conditions. By altering your body’s normal function, drugs cause problems for other systems that may not be revealed for years to come.

Everyone’s heard about Vioxx and Celebrex and the risks those prescription drugs carry, including death. In recent months the popular diabetes drug, Avandia, has been shown to also put you at risk of heart failure. Kids diagnosed with ADD/ADHD who take drugs like Ritalin and Adderol are at risk for problems ranging from stunted growth and insomnia to suicide. Anti-depressants have been implicated in numerous mass murders, including Columbine and Virginia Tech. Even common over-the-counter drugs for colds, arthritis, allergies and headache carry significant health risks.

What is this fascination we have with drugs? Granted, Mankind has been self-medicating itself since the beginning of time. However, that was on an individual basis and self-limiting. But I’m afraid our societal love affair with drugs is having (and will have) a long-term negative impact on the health of our economy, health care system and well being of our nation as a whole.

Have we evolved (or devolved) as a species to the point where we can’t tolerate any discomfort, whatsoever? If so, how can we ever survive? I’ve never seen a dog or cat complain of a headache or depression. When they’ve eaten something bad, they don’t reach for the Pepto Bismol. They simply throw up and move on. But we humans, having dominion over all the Earth, can’t survive without taking a pill to manage a headache, a fever, diarrhea, constipation, blood pressure or whatever.

By this time, you’re probably thinking I’m some sort of nut. Drugs have all been researched and approved by the government and wouldn’t be on the market if they weren’t safe. Right? Well, I would only ask that you check out the facts and compare them with what you know or what you have seen. Some of you will probably say, “I’ve been taking drugs all my life and have never had a problem”. But, a good many of you will honestly “You know, I’ve been taking drugs for so long, I can’t remember. But, he’s got a point. I’ve STILL got my problem!” And there’s a reason why you’ve still got that problem.

For the most part, drugs have only one purpose, managing your symptoms. While temporary symptom relief is not a totally bad thing, it’s never a permanent solution. Think about the addict that continually escapes from their problem by getting drunk or high only to find their problem has worsened If he’d deal with his real problem his life would take on new meaning, power and significance. So it is with you. Find the source of your problem and correct it.

OK. So what can you do to get off some of your medications? The first thing I recommend is to take some time to consider your lifestyle. Are you overweight? Do you exercise, at all? What do you eat? Got stress? After you’ve taken a serious look at some of the things you might be doing to make yourself sick, make a plan to begin to change some of those habits. Even better, think about the life you want to live and start living it. As you begin to pursue health, it will pursue you. As you clean the crap out of your system, your body will function better and you’ll feel better. Find a good wellness chiropractor, a nutritionist, a personal trainer, drink tons of water and maybe even find a family doctor who will help you get off the drugs. Live the life you want and you’ll rarely need to cover up the parts that don’t work perfectly.