reaches into his briefcase and whips out his pill container, extracting a purple pill and a white capsule. The “healing purple pill” is Nexium (the third best-selling drug in the world with $5.7 billion in sales in 2005), which is used to treat the increasinglycommon condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its main symptom of heartburn. Nexium, classified as a proton pump inhibitor, blocks the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This provides immediate relief for Ken’s pain but seriously inhibits the digestive process, which relies on hydrochloric acid and other powerful acids to break down and assimilate nutrients from food.
Next is the white capsule Celebrex, a popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) prescription medication that reduces levels of hormonelike substances called prostaglandins that are part of a natural inflammation response occurring in Ken’s body. He takes it to alleviate the back pain that accompanies the inflammation. He will pop another Celebrex this evening per the recommendation of his physician, who also suggested at his last visit that he schedule an appointment at a physical therapy clinic to obtain a customized back and core strengthening exercise routine. He’s been meaning to schedule that but hasn’t yet found the time. 13 Instead, Ken grabs some exercise here and there when the stars align and gaps open up in his schedule. Owing to his athletic youth, his competitive appetite is bigger than his physical condition. His forays into adult pickup basketball at the health club usually produce more tweaks and pulls than inspiration and motivation to pursue a regular, balanced total-body fitness program.
If Ken proceeds with the typical behavior pattern, he will use these prescription NSAIDs for years and neglect sufficient regular exercise. Down the road, owing to Ken’s long-term use of such a powerful systemic anti-inflammatory medication, the drug’s impact will diminish (at which point his doctor will probably put him on something stronger) and his body’s natural ability to control all types of inflammation will have been steadily decimated. This will set the tone for a variety of serious health conditions to take root, including—owing to his poor diet and lifestyle habits—many cancers and heart disease. Yep, that’s right—studies suggest a significant increased risk of heart attack when taking NSAIDs. Vioxx was a very popular NSAID taken by 80 million people worldwide from 1999 until 2004, when it was taken off the market due to concerns about side effects that increased heart attack risk. Celebrex sales skyrocketed as a result, until research suggested it posed similar risks. Celebrex sales then dropped sharply but steadily resumed to exceed $2 billion in 2006.
“
The idea on the medical horizon is that chronic inflammation is a root cause of degenerative disease. It is time for medical schools to improve nutrition education. If physicians are trained to use “food as medicine” they may not need to rely on drugs and their distressing side-effects to treat the inflammatory process.
— Dr. Andrew Weil”
Spreadsheets and Chow Mein
After an hour and eight minutes of driving from the elementary school, Ken arrives at his office. He works as an accountant for a software company. The hours are regular (unlike many of his coworkers, who are selling or developing software and routinely working 10- to 12-hour days), and he makes a third more than he could in the same position in Stockton. Aside from the set hours and compensation benefits, the working conditions are challenging. Executives and division sales managers constantly enroll the accounting team in their hyperdrive, desperate mentality. They have a penchant for requesting ridiculously fancy presentations on short notice or strolling into Ken’s office and literally breathing down his neck to obsessively review sales figures in the days counting down to quarterly close.
The
Next is the white capsule Celebrex, a popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) prescription medication that reduces levels of hormonelike substances called prostaglandins that are part of a natural inflammation response occurring in Ken’s body. He takes it to alleviate the back pain that accompanies the inflammation. He will pop another Celebrex this evening per the recommendation of his physician, who also suggested at his last visit that he schedule an appointment at a physical therapy clinic to obtain a customized back and core strengthening exercise routine. He’s been meaning to schedule that but hasn’t yet found the time. 13 Instead, Ken grabs some exercise here and there when the stars align and gaps open up in his schedule. Owing to his athletic youth, his competitive appetite is bigger than his physical condition. His forays into adult pickup basketball at the health club usually produce more tweaks and pulls than inspiration and motivation to pursue a regular, balanced total-body fitness program.
If Ken proceeds with the typical behavior pattern, he will use these prescription NSAIDs for years and neglect sufficient regular exercise. Down the road, owing to Ken’s long-term use of such a powerful systemic anti-inflammatory medication, the drug’s impact will diminish (at which point his doctor will probably put him on something stronger) and his body’s natural ability to control all types of inflammation will have been steadily decimated. This will set the tone for a variety of serious health conditions to take root, including—owing to his poor diet and lifestyle habits—many cancers and heart disease. Yep, that’s right—studies suggest a significant increased risk of heart attack when taking NSAIDs. Vioxx was a very popular NSAID taken by 80 million people worldwide from 1999 until 2004, when it was taken off the market due to concerns about side effects that increased heart attack risk. Celebrex sales skyrocketed as a result, until research suggested it posed similar risks. Celebrex sales then dropped sharply but steadily resumed to exceed $2 billion in 2006.
“
The idea on the medical horizon is that chronic inflammation is a root cause of degenerative disease. It is time for medical schools to improve nutrition education. If physicians are trained to use “food as medicine” they may not need to rely on drugs and their distressing side-effects to treat the inflammatory process.
— Dr. Andrew Weil”
Spreadsheets and Chow Mein
After an hour and eight minutes of driving from the elementary school, Ken arrives at his office. He works as an accountant for a software company. The hours are regular (unlike many of his coworkers, who are selling or developing software and routinely working 10- to 12-hour days), and he makes a third more than he could in the same position in Stockton. Aside from the set hours and compensation benefits, the working conditions are challenging. Executives and division sales managers constantly enroll the accounting team in their hyperdrive, desperate mentality. They have a penchant for requesting ridiculously fancy presentations on short notice or strolling into Ken’s office and literally breathing down his neck to obsessively review sales figures in the days counting down to quarterly close.
The
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