"Ï have had enough," I said as I stood up and turned off the television. I witnessed the last pharmaceutical commercial I could take and needed to find a good anti-emetic. The last half hour of viewing held promise with an antihistamine that would have me feeling like running through a hillside full of spring flowers, a drug that could spark things between Bob and Libby Dole, a drug to make me slim, and a drug to help me stop smoking. And just in case I suffered any of the many and documented side effects associated with these drugs, there was at least one anti-depressant and a whole medicine chest of pain relievers that I could take. Maybe if the drug industry turned down the marketing hype, the cost of these medicines would stay at a reasonable level.

Unfortunately, we cannot achieve better health, a slimmer body, or happiness just by taking a magic pill. If it were possible, we would all be walking around slim and beautifully happy. The fact remains that achieving health really takes commitment to changing ones behavior. And, it is most likely that our reliance on medications to make us feel better has helped create an adversarial insurance industry that is giving us less coverage while our premiums, co-payments, and deductibles continue to skyrocket.

What exactly do I mean? Well, in 1995 there were over 2 billion prescriptions written in the United States. That is approximately seven prescriptions for every man, woman, and child. These prescriptions made approximately $49 billion for the pharmaceutical industry. However, according to the Vital Statistics Report for the National Center for Health Statistics, there were 190,000 deaths in 1995 due to drug toxicity and 300,000 deaths were from hospital acquired infections. In addition, there were 8.8 million drug-related hospitalizations costing $47 billion. Twenty eight percent of hospital admissions were due to drug side effects. Insurance covers the cost for most of this care, and is ultimately passed on to the consumer.

Americans have voted with their feet and dollars. In fact, a 1993 breakthrough article by David Eisenberg, MD, a researcher at Harvard University, documented that there had been more visits to "alternative" providers than to traditional medical providers. The real significance is that the majority of these healthcare costs were out of pocket. This sent a shock wave trough the medical community as chiropractic, massage, nutrition, acupuncture, herbal medicine, meditation, and faith healing, all of which had been strongly and consistently labeled as quackery by traditional medicine, might actually have some value. Those of us educated in "alternative medicine" watched unbelievingly as MDs now began to hold themselves out as "experts" in complimentary medicine. We were astounded as hospitals tripped over themselves in their efforts to open up holistic centers, presumably in the hopes that these new profit centers could help to slow the red ink hospitals have been bleeding lately.

Can MDs, who are so busy they usually do not have time to conduct comprehensive health histories on new patients, realistically be relied on for information regarding a holistic approach that may require 4 to 8 years of education and specialization in itself? It is very unlikely.

Let's take a look at obesity, its health implications, and the most common measures used to fight this problem.

Obesity has been linked to increased risk of certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems. Especially gall bladder, liver, and pancreas disease.

• 33% of adult Americans are obese (defined as being 20% over one's ideal weight).
• The average weight of young Americans increased 10% in the last 7 years.
• 21% of American children are overweight.
• Over 20% of youths 6-17 years old are obese.
• 71% of Americans age 25 and up are overweight.
• Obesity related health problems cost over $100 billion and cause 300,000 premature deaths annually.

People who want to lose weight turn mainly to: Primary care doctors. However, basic nutrition is not commonly taught in most medical schools and despite overwhelming evidence, weight loss drugs are ineffective and are often harmful, the medical community persists in relying on them as their primary treatment for obesity.

Dietitians: Represents a subset of established medicine. Registered dietitians work in many institutions such as hospitals, prisons, etc. One need only to look at the food being served to undernourished patients in many hospitals to understand the dietitian's principles.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has come under increasing criticism for soliciting funds from trade groups, and processed/fast food companies. In 1995, the ADA received $3.2 million from Coca-Cola, M&M Mars, McDonalds, Sara Lee, the Sugar Association, and the National Livestock and Meat Board. Defending the ADA position, past-president Doris Deraliah said, "actually we could put our name on any McDonald's meal… I honestly believe there are no good and bad foods, only bad diets." An organization that cannot distinguish between good and bad foods is surely a questionable authority on nutrition.

Media: It is nearly impossible for the average person to judge what is valid and what is invalid concerning diet, nutrition, and weight loss from a media that is bought and paid for by advertisers with special interests.

Self-Help Books: This audience comes from a higher socioeconomic background and a higher level of education. There are several books such as The Zone, Dr. Atkins New Revolution, Five Day Miracle diet, and Protein Power which recommend specific "one size fits all" diets without regard to individual biochemical needs.

Fad and crash diets have a high risk of malnourishing the dieter and can leave lasting side effects.

Commercial Weight Management: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Physicians Weight Loss, Diet Center, and NutriSystems generally attract females with moderate weight problems.

As a general rule, 95% of people who diet "successfully" regain most or all of the weight within a short period of time. In a Consumer Reports Study, respondents showed an overall dissatisfaction with weight-loss programs that was higher for any other consumer service they had ever evaluated in reader surveys.

The fact is that practically anyone can lose weight on any diet. The problem is that as soon as the diet is discontinued, all of the weight is usually regained. The management of obesity is accomplished through lifestyle changes that must take hold deep in the individual's psyche. These habit changes must include eating patterns and food selection, exercise and activity levels, body image and self-perception issues, and ongoing coaching. Interestingly, these are the basics that should be considered when dealing with the most common degenerative conditions in the US.

Our human nature will cause us to continue to search for magic bullets and cure-alls. No doubt, modern medicine has given us amazing miracles that help alleviate suffering, extend lives, manage disease, and give us hope. However, good health is something that is achieved by a lifelong commitment to the principles consistent with good health. Many chronic diseases have their remedy and best management in complimentary medicine. Be certain you have the facts before making decisions regarding your health. And if your doctor has little to no experience with a specific discipline, be careful when taking their advice.

Dr. Thomas Eliopulos is a chiropractic physician in his ninth year of practice. He completed his pre-medical studies at the University of Cincinnati and then he attended the National College of Health Sciences in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a B.S. degree in human biology and a doctor of chiropractic (DC) degree. He is eligible to sit for the examination of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists, a three-year specialization in the diagnosis and holistic management of internal disorders. Dr. Eliopulos is a past member of the Ethics Committee of the Ohio State Chiropractic Association. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Cindy and their two children.

Any comments or questions can be forwarded to Dr. Eliopulos at 761-1175 or at his e-mail address: DCat-19@worldnet.att.net