The continuous wave of weight loss — Health vs Beauty
I call it insulating for winter, High cortisol levels as a founder lead to weight distributions which linger in my mind every morning. I stare at my wardrobe like many others dreading the thought of trying to do up that top button. As the days draw darker I envy the animals that are able to hibernate. That’s normal and by normal I mean I have spoken to people about this and we share the same sentiments. In spite of this, we continue and we recognise as humans we have seasonality and fluctuations too.
These fluctuations can be daily and monthly. As long as we feel healthy and recognise that our ‘normal’ may not be the same as someone else’s, we plough on. There are disparities and access to not just healthy foods but in some cases food generally. We have free school meals and preventative measures to avoid people suffering but unfortunately there will be those who fall through the gap. The lack of access to both food and information or education of it can lead to unhealthy habits. This combined with the ease of accessing information through social media can skew perceptions of what we ‘should’ be in order to identify as successful humans.
We all know where I’m going with this, it’s been in the media recently too, but my inner polymath senses have allowed me to get closer to the problem from the scientific, business and beauty industry, not necessarily in that order.
Ozempic — Anyone can tell me if they want a PCR or lateral flow test, where it is refreshing to see when people are learning more about health systems and medications available to them. This story is different though. It is something I’ve been asked for, but not by someone suffering from diabetes but rather, from someone who wanted to lose weight. The irony in that they were not obese or clinically overweight, but just unhappy with their weight distribution at that particular time.
Diabetes — I won’t delve too deep, we all have an idea of what diabetes is. We know it is an inability to regulate blood sugar and that there are 2 main types. We all assume it is due to poor diet but this is not always the case, although this can contribute if you are predisposed to it. It is a condition, as it can become irreversible once you cross the pre-diabetic threshold. The severity of the condition (I can explain first hand having had family suffer with it sadly), includes everything from physical weakness to problems with eyesight and nerve damage.
Ozempic or Semaglutide is a diabetes medication prescribed to those suffering with Type 2 diabetes. It is useful in regulating blood sugar levels through mimicking the action of the hormone glucagon like peptide GLP-1.
Those who are not diabetic are requesting the medication from private clinics or online often through inaccurate information being provided to healthcare professionals.
Unfortunately this is due to a virally spread (pun not intended) awareness of this drug, publicised by those using it for incorrect (and damaging) reasons. The supply currently cannot keep up with demand and those who really need it are left with an additional anxiety each time they hand in their prescription.
What links this to the beauty industry? The beauty industry is the best form of capitalist vanity, it is there to enhance your beauty and hopefully provide confidence. We are all aware of the nuances with beauty, culture and differences in perception within decades and across multiple gender demographics. What appears almost universally is that there is a focus on weight. How to lose it, gain it, how to augment where it is gained, lost and the most efficient (easiest) way to reach any said aesthetic goals.
The danger of information excess: Not everyone can be an expert in everything, but there is an appetite for it. True expertise takes time and experience. As soon as it became knowledge that someone of some sort of robust social standing, (by that I mean idolised for one reason or another by many), was using Ozempic for weight control, the masses launched.
I am amazed by the fact that now, if I ask someone if they have heard of it, they immediately site its main use as ‘weight loss’. It is quite amazing how information can be spread like wildfire without verification. It is all over the news how now, we are presented with a shortage, as people are prescribing it for weight loss. As useful as it may be for this, it is still primarily a drug required for a health condition. It is one thing, to cross disciplines between beauty and medicine, but another to save lives using the same resource. The blur in the reasons for prescribing is not often seen with medications, but as the industries grow to meet demand so do the requirements for cheaper costs of manufacturing, supply & demand management and the dissemination of information related to risks of usage, contra-indications and long term health implications to those using it.
As a founder, late nights, early mornings and working lunches have an impact on me. As humans we are subject to fluctuations in weight which feeds into many industries such as beauty, fitness and medicine. Over the years through study and experience, I am aware of human physiology, our biological weight distributions, cycles of change and predispositions. I wrote a thesis through my research on the impact of genetic polymorphisms in 5HRTC serotonin receptors related to weight gain. It has taken years to understand that a variety of factors affect us and can allow us to fluctuate from our norm, however I am also able to understand that there are no quick fixes.
The use of medication for non medical purposes can harm those who actually need them and may not help solve the systemic cause of any internal issues. I will just be comfortable, as healthy as I can be, despite my love for ice cream, a guilty pleasure that I proudly share as a connoisseur (obviously in moderation). I appreciate the difficulties and
understand the temptation…yet continue the scandalous affair, you are sincerely not alone…
What are your thoughts on drug usage through misinformation? Share your thoughts!
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Edited by @VShroff
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