Although as a health care professional I have to admit that I have problems with people often reaching for a bottle of pills rather than adapting their lifestyle to deal with health issues, the fact is that most of us at times would rather take a pill than drink more water, exercise more and eat sensibly. One of the reasons we reach for the pills is that it allows us to carry on with our previous lifestyle whilst at the same time reaching a goal we have set ourselves.

Nowhere is this issue more clearly visible than in the issue of weight control. Most people who are overweight eat too much (and often at the wrong time of day) and do too little physical work/exercise. That is a known fact. Very few people who are overweight have medical conditions that make them so.  Yet we would rather take supplements such as ephedra, amphetamines or medication that stops fat being absorbed in the intestines, than eat a diet lower in fat and walk to work.

The same issue applies to the vitamins we take (rather than eat a balanced diet of organic fruit and vegetables and less meat) and the fact that we reach for the painkillers every time we have a headache, rather than maybe drinking more water (dehydration is a major cause of headaches) or trying to find out what is causing the pain.

I do exactly the same myself, and console myself with the idea that at least I am relatively well-informed about the actions of various drugs and their side-effects.

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