I visited my doctor this week to have a new mark on my back checked. Being fair-skinned, I’m careful about any changes to my skin. Fortunately, the mark turned out to be harmless.
While I was there I was asked a question that sparked this post. It’s a simple question but an important one:
What medications are you currently taking?
It’s a routine question, yet I often surprise medical staff with my answer.
Nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.
The reaction is usually a long pause and a puzzled expression, followed by probing questions.
What do you mean you’re on nothing?
Surely you take something?
Birth control? No.
Pain pills? No.
Sleeping pills? No.
You really take nothing? Yes.
Reluctantly, the medical person writes “none” and moves on.
That wasn’t always my reality. A few years ago I had a lengthy list of medications: birth control pills, inhalers, sleeping aids, ibuprofen, topical corticosteroids, and a Z-pack every time I had bronchitis.
Have we become a nation of pill poppers?
Try a little experiment: next time you watch TV, count how many pharmaceutical ads appear during a single commercial break. On one recent break I counted four ads in under five minutes—pain relief, heart medication, erectile dysfunction treatments, and birth control.
Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCPA) began in 1983 and has expanded dramatically. Drug ads are everywhere: television, billboards, radio, and print. Few people realize that only two countries—The United States and New Zealand—permit DTCPA with product claims. Most other countries, including those in the EU, have banned this practice.
Why? Because it’s extremely profitable. Pharmaceutical marketing is a multibillion-dollar industry. If you follow the money, you may find that some prescriptions are driven less by what’s best for the patient and more by business incentives.
Allied to that, there are concerning trends: pharma companies often spend more on marketing than research and development, physicians may receive payments from industry, and many medications work only for a fraction of patients. These dynamics contribute to a system where the default approach is often to prescribe a drug rather than investigate root causes.
And we’ve become desensitized
Because drug promotion is so constant, people begin to accept medication as normal. The constant exposure creates the impression that “everyone takes something,” which reduces perceived risk.
Recognizing that audiences tune out long lists of adverse events, the FDA recently considered allowing shorter side-effect disclosures in advertising. Removing those warnings might make ads more palatable—but it also reduces important context for patients.
Getting to the root of the problem
Easy pharmaceutical fixes can make it difficult to identify underlying causes of illness. I encourage a different approach: question why a symptom appeared and trace it back to its source. This inquiry can lead to long-term healing rather than temporary symptom suppression.
Examples:
You have a rash that looks like eczema
Old approach: prescription corticosteroid
New approach: ask why the rash appeared and what triggered it
You have allergies or asthma
Old approach: prescribe inhaled steroids or bronchodilators
New approach: explore why the immune system is overreacting
Your hormones are imbalanced
Old approach: prescribe birth control, thyroid, or hormonal medications
New approach: investigate what disrupted the endocrine system
The pattern is clear: medications can mask symptoms without addressing causes. I’m not anti-medicine—I’ve worked in reputable healthcare organizations—but drugs can delay discovering the problem’s origin and sometimes cause unintended side effects because the body’s systems are interconnected.
Are wellness and nutrition the missing links?
If your doctor doesn’t recommend diet or lifestyle changes, it may be because they lack training in those areas. In the United States, less than 30% of accredited medical schools meet the minimum 25 required hours of nutrition education. Think about that: in a four-year medical program, the nutrition requirement can be less than one week, and most schools don’t even meet that minimal standard.
So when I say some doctors simply don’t know better, it’s an uncomfortable truth.
Becoming the doctor of you
Given these realities, it’s increasingly important to take charge of your health: understand your body and prioritize prevention and root-cause thinking. Here are practical steps:
1. Ask a lot of “why’s”
Like a curious child, keep asking why. If a symptom appears, ask why it happened and keep tracing causes until you uncover triggers like diet, stress, sleep, or environmental exposures.
2. Connect the dots
Use reputable online resources to research symptoms and possible links. Cross-referencing patterns—fatigue, digestive issues, skin problems—can reveal common threads. Be cautious and focused in your research to avoid unnecessary anxiety.
3. Question your doctor
Ask about alternatives and natural approaches. If a clinician insists on a single solution you’re uncomfortable with, it’s okay to seek another opinion. You are the decision-maker for your body—find a practitioner whose approach aligns with you.
4. Experiment on yourself (safely)
Treat your body like a lab in a controlled way. Remove a suspect food for a trial period, record symptoms, and reassess. Try lifestyle adjustments—earlier digital shutdowns before bedtime, magnesium supplementation for muscle or sleep issues—and track outcomes. Trial and error, with careful observation, often reveals what helps.
Your body is resilient and capable of healing when given the right conditions. Listening to it—and to reliable information—can be more beneficial than relying solely on polished pharmaceutical messages.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is one action you can take today to improve your wellness? Do you feel empowered to be the doctor of you?