Swallow a Pill And It’s Done, You’re Cured
A “quick fix” mentality might be the biggest issue regarding our recovery from health issues.
Recently, I had to make several life changes for the treatment of gut issues. This included changing my diet and restricting it immensely for (at least) three months.
The first six weeks were quite dire, basically only being allowed to eat protein (meat/fish/tofu/eggs), certain veggies (e.g. salad/zucchini/tomatoes) and nuts (which I am mostly allergic to).
After the initial six weeks, I was allowed to reintroduce some carbs such as potatoes and rice along with some fruits such as berries.
The change of diet was difficult with food choices so limited I often ate the same meals repeatedly.
But I knew why I was doing it: to fight the gut issues I have, changing your diet supports your system and in turn helps medication to work and to make you feel better overall.
Even though I felt like I was barely eating anything — let alone anything fun — I started feeling a lot better after two weeks of dieting.
I hadn’t even started the course of antibiotics then.
Feeling less bloated and surprisingly more energetic than before, I was quite satisfied with the results.
What I was surprised about: other people’s reaction to the course of treatment.
Of course, people notice and talk to you. Be it that I couldn’t eat most things and had to decline on anything that was offered food-wise or the weight-loss that came along with the diet.
I’m not surprised that the overall reaction was:
That seems really hard and difficult. Well done.
I agree, I thought so before starting and I found it difficult during the diet as well.
However, the next sentence most people said was:
I couldn’t do that. I just wouldn’t want to do that.
You couldn’t or wouldn’t change your life [for a specified period of time] so you would feel better again? You wouldn’t abstain from some foods that you love to finally enjoy all foods again?
I could only nod and smile when people said that. I think, I was baffled.
Maybe they had never felt as awful; good for them.
Give me a pill and let’s call it a day
But then I looked closer at what other people were telling me about their health struggles and solutions and noticed: people love a quick fix.
Taking a pill that magically makes everything all better. Wanting to fix a problem that’s been bugging them for a long time in a day or a week.
Luckily, a lot of doctors love to prescribe pills to ease symptoms without ever further investigating for the root cause and addressing the actual problem. Great fit. *sorry, mad irony off*
An example:
At least 20% of all antibiotics prescribed in primary care in England are inappropriate according to research published by Public Health England (PHE). The research found that the majority of antibiotic prescriptions in English primary care were for infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts. However, in almost a third of all prescriptions, no clinical reason was documented.
For most conditions, substantially higher proportions of GP consultations resulted in an antibiotic prescription than is appropriate according to expert opinion. An antibiotic was prescribed in 41% of all uncomplicated acute cough consultations when experts advocated 10%, as well as:
bronchitis (actual: 82% versus ideal: 13%)
sore throat (actual: 59% versus ideal: 13%)
rhinosinusitis (actual: 88% versus ideal: 11%)
acute otitis media in 2 to 18 year olds (actual: 92% versus ideal: 17%)
The article is from 2018 and the British government has reacted since and put in place “an ambition to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing” (Public Health England, 2018, para 7). So this data might have improved since then, but as the research suggests, the gap between antibiotic prescription and expert opinion on what is appropriate is high.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I am absolutely grateful for the advances medicine has made over the decades and years. And I will always go (and recommend) to see doctors and specialists to solve health issues.
Mainly, I am saying that I believe in order to properly recover, we have to do more than just taking a pill. We have to go the (in the beginning) uncomfortable and to us unknown route. We have to change.
Long term recovery
The uncomfortable, long route isn’t a quick fix. But (chronic) health issues that you had going on for months or even years won’t be cured extremely fast (in most cases).
The same applies for gut issues — at least in my case.
I completely understand why people would want to have a quick fix though. I also do. Wish I could swing my magic-Harry-Potter-wand and mumble a spell that would relieve me from my health and gut issues.
Unfortunately, I have to go the muggle route and try common and natural medicine paired with lifestyle changes, adamant routines and discipline as well as trial-and-error of what works for my body.
In an effort to support my experiences with scientific research, I came across the term lifestyle medicine.
Lifestyle medicine is a subset of integrative preventive medicine that focuses on changing the four or more core behaviors: nutrition, movement, relaxation, and social support. The diseases that have been shown to be reversible include even severe coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and early-stage prostate cancer. (Brown, 2017)
Among the many factors affecting general health and resilience to disease, lifestyle is at the same time the most controllable and the most influential factor [1,2,3]… Consequently, the continuous rise in chronic disease cases is the most pressing challenge to global health [4]… A healthy diet, moderate and regular exercise, and sufficient amounts of high-quality sleep form the basis of a healthy lifestyle…. To summarize, behavioral interventions promote metabolic health through lifestyle changes, including diet improvements, increased physical activity, stress management, and sustainable behavioral changes [19]. (Oster & Chaves, 2023)
Evidence shows that adopting a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the incidence and progression of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. The implementation of Lifestyle medicine requires a multidisciplinary approach involving healthcare providers, patients, and communities. Healthcare providers play a pivotal role in educating and motivating patients to adopt healthy behaviors, while communities can provide a supportive environment that fosters healthy lifestyles. (Zadiq, 2023)
Helpful tools to manage difficult recovery periods
An incredibly weird thing that helped me when I was craving sweets and food: looking at delicious Pinterest pictures of sweet treats and desserts. Am I crazy? Maybe. But it helped.
Venting and exchanging thoughts on Reddit. Might not be for everyone as it can easily be overwhelming. There is a huge crowd of people posting on the microbiome and gut related issues on Reddit. Sometimes, it helps to see that others are in the same boat. It also made me realise that healing is not linear for anyone, that people experience and deal with set-backs and that they have to *find* the right treatment for themselves.
Picking up an activity or a hobby that has nothing to do with my disease and that I can do nonetheless. For me that was bike riding. Going to work by bike every day led me to focus on my surroundings and the beauty of the city I live in.
Some grounding sentences
*I am resilient. I can manage this time in my life.*
*This is temporary. It will be different again.*
*I’m going to be better. I will be able to enjoy food again.*
*It’s okay to be frustrated. Keep going, you’ve got this.*
*Just a little further.*
Just a quick disclaimer that I am not a doctor and the article does not mean to provide medical advice for anyone, however, I am happy to chat about my own experiences and provide further context.
The content is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals. Any issues or risks associated with using or acting upon the information in the story are not the author’s liability.
