A Sea of Pills — Natural and Unnatural

Too often, health magazines and alternative medical journals read a little too much like conventional medical journals. The parallel is odd, even uncomfortable.

Most medical journals publish drug ads for a variety of ills, along with articles describing the benefits of various drugs. The ads are doctor-oriented versions of the commercials you frequently see on television – ads to help you sleep better, have less heartburn, lower cholesterol, improve your mood, be less shy, and have better erections.

The pitch is not just for the seriously ill. The underlying message is often based on arousing your fear of disease, discomfort, or, as the case may be, a soft penis. Take a lot of pills and all your problems will disappear, assuming that the side effects don't produce new problems.

Health magazines and alternative medical journals often follow a similar tack. An ad in a recent consumer health magazine pitched products for blood sugar, eye health, sports injuries, hormone replacement, bone health, immunity, and prostate health – on a single page!

Articles in some of the alternative medical journals aren't much better. They commonly include long lists of vitamins, minerals, and herbs – a natural polypharmacy for preventing and reversing the same health problems described in conventional journals.

Granted, I think there's research behind these supplements, and they're safer than drugs. But when both conventional and alternative recommendations point only to pills, something is seriously wrong.

We live in a pill-oriented society. We've been bred to believe that a pill, whether natural or synthetic, is the solution for our health problems. It's easy to forget that the foods we eat – wholesome versus junk – is of fundamental importance. After all, a dinner of fish and veggies provides a diversity of nutrients not found in any supplement. Similarly, physical activity and stress reduction foster good physical and mental health.

I'm a firm believer in the health benefits of nutritional supplements. The scientific evidence behind their use is sound. But let's be careful to not use supplements only as a natural way of mimicking drugs. Fostering good health demands that we eat, not just swallow.