Most of us will know elderly people who are taking an extraordinary number of pills, prescribed by their doctor or a NHS specialist, on a daily basis. We all know the story: one for this problem, but they cause a side-effect so it’s necessary to take something else, and so it continues……………………
Profesor Michael Oliver, a former leading heart specialist, has blamed this situation on the ‘tick-box’ culture of the NHS. This forms the basis of the way in which GPs are paid and also Healh Service guidelines. These practices are also fuelled by agressive marketing by the drugs companies. Not only does Professor Oliver believe these drugs are frequently unnecessary, he believes they can often be harmful and that doctors pay far too little attention to potential side effects.
Dr Scurr, one of the country’s leading GPs, agrees that weight loss, dietary change and exercise can often be as effective as prescribing a drug. These softer options are much more difficult to monitor and therefore there is often no political pressure to introduce them at GP level.
Although some GPs do now offer exercise prescriptions, we at Healthy Life will certainly be much happier when the vast range of natural health lifestyle options available for both prevention and recovery are the first choice ‘prescriptions’ of the local GP surgery.