With healthcare becoming so siloed, finding a doctor who views patients as whole, interconnected beings is increasingly difficult. We are not just a GI tract or a cholesterol number—our systems affect each other. Digestive issues cannot be considered without also considering stress or eating hygiene, just as hormonal imbalances can relate to diet, stress, and chemical exposure. When was the last time your doctor asked about your stress, sleep, or personal care products? If asked, you were most likely prescribed a medication to manage the symptoms.
Consider my personal experience. As a young woman, I suffered from painful GI issues. A gastroenterologist immediately prescribed medication for “spasming,” but no one asked about my diet, stress, or hydration. Nothing helped. Eventually, I realized I was chronically dehydrated, stressed, and sensitive to dairy. Why didn’t my doctor explore these factors?
Our healthcare system seems designed to manage symptoms rather than to heal. This isn’t the doctors’ fault[EC1] —According to an NIH article discussing the financial ties between medical schools and the pharmaceutical industry there is a big connection. Two thirds are heavily funded by pharmaceutical companies which in turn affects their curriculum. Our medical community struggles to treat the whole person –limited time with each patient prevents nuanced conversations, insurance reimbursements don’t cover holistic approaches to health, and many practitioners lack the broad integrative training required to identify the nutritional and environmental factors that impact overall health and wellbeing. In fact, most medical schools require no dedicated nutrition courses at all. There are tens of thousands of scientific papers linking chronic health issues to poor diet and environmental factors, yet these findings are largely absent from medical education.
Our system excels at acute care- surgeries, emergencies, infections—yet, according to an NIH article from 2020, these account for only 5% of medical costs, the other 95% comes from chronic conditions, which for the most part are managed through pharmaceuticals. Heartburn? Take a proton pump inhibitor. High cholesterol? Take a statin. Hypertension? An ACE inhibitor. Type 2 diabetes? Ozempic. Anxiety? An SSRI. Trouble focusing? An amphetamine. Acne or painful periods? Birth control. There seems to be a drug for everything. Doesn’t that make you wonder?
Take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), one of the pharmaceutical industry’s biggest moneymakers. When introduced, doctors were advised they should only be used for a period not exceeding three months. Now, they are sold over the counter, and many people take them for years. Long-term PPI use can cause nutrient deficiencies, yet few doctors address this. Many reflux cases stem from poor eating hygiene and insufficient stomach acid. Low acid impairs digestion, leading to partially broken-down food causing reflux. Stress and poor chewing compound the issue. Yet rather than addressing the causes and eliminating them, people are usually prescribed acid blockers[so2] which can offer temporary relief, but over time may worsen the problem. As well, patients most likely are not changing the behaviors which may have been contributing to the heart burn to begin with.
Most pharmaceuticals have some negative downstream effects. Here are some examples. Oral birth control pills have been connected to “leaky gut” and nutrient deficiencies. Statins result in muscle weakness, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and a failure to address the underlying causes of heart disease: chronic inflammation. Ozempic, another drug which was meant to be taken for just a short time, has shown to reduce muscle mass, cause inflammation of the pancreas, create gallbladder and kidney problems and much more. NSAIDS are directly linked to digestive issues, kidney function problems, and with long term use an increased risk of stomach ulcers internal bleeding. The point being, there is no such thing as “no side effect”. Sometimes the benefit definitely outweighs the risk. I just ask that people start really thinking about what they put into their body, and not just take something because a TV commercial, or even their doctor, suggested it.
We need to use common sense with our health. Question the drugs advertised to us. Pharmaceuticals have their place—they save lives. But we should think critically before using them to mask symptoms that could be resolved through lifestyle changes.
As always, I hope this information was helpful. Please reach out with any questions.
[EC1]I would be a little more sympathetic to the docs here— they are working under enormous stress, with very little time to meet with patients and develop a relationship - but they very much want that.
[so2]Suggest: the causes and eliminating them,, people are usually prescribed acid blockers which can only provide temporary relief and may even worsen the problem.
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