BOOK REVIEW: Our Daily Meds by Melody Petersen

Last Friday, after yet another news item about the pharmaceutical industry, I decided to dedicate all the daily news digest to the failures and the aggressive marketing of drugs to the American public.

Today another news article popped up about how drug maker Wyeth used ghostwriters to downplay concerns about hormone therapy in medical journals.
Our Daily Meds reveals this process in-depth.

Our Daily Meds: 
How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs 

By Melody Petersen

Melody Petersen is a former reporter for the New York Times, for which she covered the pharmaceutical industry. 


Paperback: 448 pages 
Publisher: Picador; 1 Reprint edition (March 3, 2009)
Genre:  Non-Fiction
Topics covered:  Big Pharma, prescription drugs, health, medicine

"'We sometimes joke that when you're doing a clinical trial, there are two possible disasters...The first disaster is if you kill people.  The second disaster is if you cure them.'" (Page 143)

Our Daily Meds lifts the veil on the pharmaceutical industry.  Melody Petersen shows that this seemingly benevolent trade group preys upon Americans by turning medicine into record breaking profits.  The side effects of such a shift push patients into greater dependency upon prescription drugs and often causes more painful symptoms than they treat.

Petersen begins the book by discussing how drug companies actually create disease.  Surprisingly, she begins with the 1920s campaign by Listerine who used the term "Halitosis" to transform annoying "bad breath" into a serious social impediment.  Premenstral Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), erectile dysfunction, and overactive bladder are just a few conditions that Petersen describes were created by pharmaceutical companies as they are "concocting disorders and broadening the definition of disease to include more and more people."

Some of the aggressive campaigning to consumers is easy to recognize.  Since the legalization of direct marketing to consumers (only in the U.S. and New Zealand), prescription drug ads can be seen everywhere.  The secret within the medical industry is that pharmaceutical companies persuade doctors to prescribe their medications to consumers.  Far beyond free pens and notepads, drug manufacturers pay for lavish conferences (vacations) for physicians.  Some physicians are also paid to speak and promote drugs to other doctors.  Further, as a way to sidestep disclosure of risks, drug companies create foundations to promote their products and hire celebrities to endorse drugs by referring to them in interviews. 

Petersen goes into detail describing how the pharmaceutical industry transformed from seeking to cure disease to creating blockbuster drugs that only treat symptoms.  Releasing of patents on drugs also greatly reduce the amount of money a company can make on that drug.  By rearranging the chemical make-up of a drug and marketing it as "improved" or with "fewer side effects," manufacturers can continue reap profits when the brand name is chemically the same as the generic.  Pharmaceutical companies also ghostwrite articles to medical journals (see link above).

The chapter "Altered State" exposes prescription drug addiction and "superbugs" as a result of overmedication.  Petersen concludes this expose' with the problems of directly attributing deaths from prescriptions.   

In addition to outlining the problems within the pharmaceutical industry, Petersen also gives solutions as to how to fix the problems, such as stopping physicians from taking drug manufacturer's money, stopping covert advertising, and strengthening the FDA.

Reading this book changed how I look at prescriptions.  I used to accept them without question from the doctor.  This book seems like a perfect pairing with my new awareness of nutrition and diet.  So many of the drugs that we take as a society are unnecessary if care was given to what we consume.  It also enrages me that resources which could be used to cure disease is instead used to keep us hooked on pills.

Although well-researched (68 pages of citations), Petersen focuses too much on the state of Iowa.  The book would have been even more effective if these sections had a larger frame of scope. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is concerned about reforming health in this country, the healthcare industry, or his or her personal well-being.  Since almost half of Americans use prescription drugs each month, it is necessary that we are well-informed as to the risks.

BOOK REVIEW: The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler, MD

The End of Overeating

by David A. Kessler, MD

DAVID A. KESSLER, MD, served as commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration under presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Pages:  344
Publisher:  McClelland & Stewart

Genre:  Non-Fiction

Topics covered: Diet, Food Industry, Brain Science, Weight Loss

"America, he said, has become a 'food fun house...a carnival of delicious, fatty, salty, sugary, and more to the point, accessible and cheap delights. How could you expect to go to the carnival and not want to go on the rides? It's bright and colorful and fun and exciting. There are all these pings and noises. Of course, you want to go on a ride; of course you want to play the game; of course you want to spend your money on this stimulation'" (Introduction).



In The End of Overeating, Dr. David A. Kessler does a fabulous job of explaining the biological causes of overeating, how the food industry intentionally causes overeating, and outlining behavioral and cultural changes that make it possible to break the cycle of overeating.


Kessler begins this book with its most important section, "Sugar, Fat, Salt." Through extensive research,

Kessler describes how the brain becomes addicted to sugar-fat-salt combinations, remarkably similiar to the way someone becomes addicted to cocaine. This addiction causes desire for sugar or fat or salt to increase once it is introduced into our bodies instead of decreasing, leading us to crave more and more and more instead of becoming satisfied. Kessler names the sugar-fat-salt cycle many of us struggle with as

"conditioned hypereating."


In the second part of the book, Kessler unveils how the food industry intentionally designs foods with layers of the sugar-fat-salt combinations and exploits the addiction. Further, chemical coloring and flavoring is added. Before food reaches the store or restaurant "it's been prechewed," describes a former meat company president, causing us to eat faster and more calories than we realize. "Hyperpalatable"

foods are highly addictive and successful restaurants and food companies make millions off this knowledge.


Kessler devotes the second half of this book to outlining how conditioned hypereating begins and also how it can be ended. He provides readers with a framework of how to end conditioned hypereating, though acknowledging that eating is ultimately personal. Behavioral modification is essential to retrain the brain and Kessler gives guidelines of how it can be achieved. Finally, he delineates how we can end overeating as a culture by demanding greater transparency about what is in our food and how it is prepared.


When I read about this book, I knew I had to have it. The overeating periods in my life are highly characterized by the sugar-fat-salt cycle. I can remember eating Cheetos, then a Little Debbie snack cake, then back to Cheetos as early as late elementary school, craving the salt-fat, sugar-fat, and salt-fat combinations.

Though I have learned along the way how to cope with the addiction, "conditioned hypereating" rears its ugly head as soon as I consume that first potato chip.


I just finished reading The End of Overeating, I already have changed my eating habits. Even following a raw food diet can lead me into the hypereating if I eat the sugar-fat-salt combinations. I see a french fry for what it is, salt on fat on simple carbohydrate (white potatoes easily covert to sugar).


I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially someone who has disordered eating. Food choices are very personal, however, in the age where health care costs last year were $2.5 trillion, we as consumers must hold the food industry accountable. 

BOOK REVIEW: The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose

 The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss

By Natalia Rose, author of Detox for Women (2010), Raw Food Life Force Energy (2008), and The New Energy Body (2007).  

Pages:  288
Publisher:  Harper

Genre:  Non-Fiction

Topics covered: Raw food and recipes, Detox, Healthy Living, Vegan

Since more than 70 million adults in the U. S. are obese, books about losing weight should be popular.  This book, however is different.  In addition to discussing how to quickly lose weight and keep it off without deliberate exercise, counting calories, carbs, or grams of fat, Natalia Rose also promises liberal amounts of satisfying foods, and possible improvements in other areas of your life.  

In the beginning, Rose addresses myths of raw food, such as needing to go 100% raw right away to see results.  She reassures readers that sprouting, dehydrating, and soaking are not absolutely necessary, nor is becoming a "health nut."

This book is divided into five parts:  an introduction to the raw food diet, menus, recipes, real-life scenarios, and revelations of the "aspiring raw foodist."  Rose breaks down the raw food diet into five steps which include avoiding toxic foods, eating in quick-exit combinations, flooding the body with live enzymes, detoxing and elimination, and categorizing the reader's diet into one of five levels. The next section lists sample menus for each level, starting with someone who typically eats fast food, as the reader works his or her way to a primarily raw diet.  Recipes follow the menus, including the essential appliances needed by an aspiring raw foodist.  "Real life" scenarios provide the reader with solutions to common problems as he or she transitions to a healthier diet.  The final section of this book is devoted to "revelations" of the raw foodist, clarifying topics addressed earlier and focusing on applying principles to ensure optimum effectiveness.  The book also includes an appendix with resources on raw products, raw restaurants, shops, and stores.  

This book has provided me with a great road map to becoming a raw foodist. After reading it, I began referring to myself as an "aspiring raw foodist," on my way, but not quite there yet.  I also appreciate Rose's suggestion to transition to a raw food diet, instead of extreme changes in diet which can often lead to failure.  I have lost weight while applying these principles to my life.  Most importantly for me, however, is even when I'm eating unhealthy foods, I always try to balance them with raw foods.  Most of the recipes in this book are easy to make, although I sometimes have difficulty finding all of the ingredients here in the rural Midwest.  I have adapted her "green lemonade" recipe into a refreshing smoothie that I drink every day.  

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to lose weight, increase energy and stamina, prevent illness, and have a clearer complexion.  It can be a great resource for someone who is interested in raw foods and natural health and wellness.  

The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss By Natalia Rose

Natalia Rose works with some of the world's most health- and body-conscious men and women. Her private practice is in the heart of midtown Manhattan, where she is sought after by a wide variety of clients, including models, actors, socialites, and media personalities. She has been in private practice for more than ten years and has also served as the nutrition director for the Elizabeth Arden Spa on Fifth Avenue and the Frederic Fekkai salons and spas. [amazon.com]

REVIEW: NasaFlo Neti Pot

What is a neti pot?  Where did it originate?
A neti pot is a small pitcher that resembles a tea pot or an Alladin's lamp.  The neti pot is filled with a saline solution which is poured into one nostril and drained through the other nostril, irrigating the sinus cavity.  The process is called "Jala neti"  which means "nasal cleansing" in Sanskrit (the classical language of South Asia) and has been used throughout India and South Asia for centuries.  Westerners have used nasal cleansing since the early Twentieth Century. 

Why I tried a neti pot:
I have suffered from seasonal allergies for as long as I can remember.  Nasal congestion, sinus pain, sneezing, drainage, runny nose, sore throats, headaches, coughing, and sinus infections were just part of my life.  Over the counter medications helped with my symptoms, however, they also made me drowsy.  I also was very intrigued when I first heard about neti pots on the HBO series, Six Feet Under.

Expectations:
I was a little frightened when I first bought the Nasaflo neti pot.  I expected that horrible burning sensation that I felt when I would get water up my nose at the swimming pool!  However, I tried it because it made sense to me, to clear the dust, pollen, and air pollutants that clogged my sinuses instead of taking pills that made my body ignore it (which is what antihistamines do).  Further, chlorinated swimming pool water burns, while a pH balanced solution formulated specifically for neti pots does not burn. 

Results:
I was amazed!  The first time I used the neti pot my sinuses were so clogged that I couldn't breathe out of one nostril.  After using it twice, it cleared up!  Though I had taken antihistamines for years, using the neti pot once a day keeps my sinuses cleared and free of infections without the effects of medications.  The combination of using a neti pot and a mostly raw food diet kept me from catching a cold or having any sinus problems for over a year!

NasaFlo Neti Pot Product Features:

• 45° spout makes it easy to pour the solution into and out of nostrils and nasal cavity
• Lid keeps the solution from pouring out the top
• Hole on top of lid makes it easy to control the speed of the flow
• NasaFlo Neti Pot comes with 50 premixed packets which make a perfect 8oz. of pH balanced, isotonic saline solution.
• Plastic NasaFlo Neti Pot is very durable and virtually unbreakable.
• Porcelain NasaFlo Neti Pot is also available and comes with 100 premixed packets which make a perfect 8oz. of pH balanced, isotonic saline solution.

Directions:
1.  In a microwave-proof cup, heat 8 oz. (1 cup) of water (bottled if your tap water is heavily chlorinated) to 105 degrees F. (25 seconds  in the microwave, depending on model). Test on your wrist to ensure it is warm, not too hot.  Having the water too cold can also close nasal passages.

2.  Add premixed packet or 1/8 tsp. of non-iodized salt and 1/8 tsp. of baking soda.  Mix well.

3.  Add solution to the neti pot, screw on lid.


4.  Breathe naturally through our mouth.  Keeping the mouth wide will ensure the passage from the nose to the mouth is closed and no solution will pass into the mouth and throat.  Be sure not to talk or laugh.  It will protect the airways.

5.  Put the spout of the neti pot into the right nostril so that no solution comes out of this nostril.

6.  Leaning over the sink, gently tip head to the up to the right and bend your head forward, making your nostrils vertical, one above the other.  The left nostril will be directly below the right nostril.


7.  Only move the neti pot to keep the solution moving through the nostrils.  It may take time to get it just right. 

8.  Use a half of the solution (about 15-20 seconds) in the right nostril.  Return head to an upright position and let all the solution out, slightly blowing the solution out of both nostrils into a tissue (if desired).  Do not blow too strongly or solution may enter the ear canal.

9.  Repeat procedures #5-8 with left nostril and to the left.

10. Gently blow all the solution out of both nostrils into tissues.  If necessary, move head around to get all the solution out.

11.  If sinuses are heavily blocked with mucus, it may take several rinsings to thoroughly cleanse cavity.

12.  It may take time to become comfortable with nasal cleansing with the neti pot.  If after a week of practicing the rinses, the procedure is still difficult, consult with a Yoga practitioner or a physician.