Seeking a quick fix for your health problems? Here's why that's not always the best solution

“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to    spend their wealth to regain their health.” –A.J Materi
 
You go to your doctor to get your routine lab work done. The results come back and show you have chronically elevated blood sugar. You’ve been told that your blood pressure too is unacceptably high. Unsurprisingly, you’ve also gained some weight since your last visit.
 
Your doctor made some very brief, vague and unconvincing suggestions. Going forward you may want to watch your salt and sugar intake. You should “eat healthier” (whatever that means…). Oh yeah…and “exercise more” too.  You leave the office with two little pieces of paper of illegible scribble. You were a bit disappointed that your doc wasn’t willing to give you a third piece of scribble for a weight loss pill.
 
Your next stop, the local pharmacy. You’re in a major hurry so you’re hoping the wait time isn’t too long. You hold in your hands, what you think are the keys to better health. Even a 30-minute wait at the pharmacy seems like too long an investment of your time.  You just want to “fix” this problem quickly and then move on to the next item on your never-ending to-do list.
 
A society of quick fixes
A “quick fix mentality” is one that values speed and convenience over all else. Safety and effectiveness are only secondary at best. One would think that with increased automation and improved technology, our time would be freed up a bit and we wouldn’t be so rushed. But this has proven not to be the case. We’re as rushed as ever. We try to squeeze in more time any chance we get. It’s no wonder that the same mentality is being applied to our health.
 
A quick fix is not typically a long-lasting solution, nor is it always the best solution. But in a world increasingly pressed for time, it makes sense that quick fixes are popular. I mean, who doesn’t want to take a shortcut if one is made available to them? Wouldn’t that be the smartest option? Well not necessarily…
 
But first... it’s not your doctor’s fault
It’s really not any one person’s fault that quick fixes are being sought more than ever. Doctors are heavily pressured by their patients to offer quick fixes. Think about it. You’re super stressed and short on time. You go to one doctor who recommends an intense 12-week health challenge. You visit another who just gives you a pill to take once a day. Without any additional information at your disposal, which solution sounds more appealing at this stage of your busy life?
 
We have time constraints pressuring us and we then transfer this pressure onto our doctors. They know they must provide or they could lose you as a patient. If anyone has capitalized on our society’s need for quick fixes, it’s the pharmaceutical industry. They market directly to consumers rather than solely to the physicians (although they also market heavily to physicians). You see a commercial and you want to change your life with that one little pill. The next time you see your doctor, you demand that pill. If they try to deprive you of living your best life, then you’ll find a doctor who wouldn’t dare deprive you of such a thing.

The problem with quick fixes
I’ve seen the following scenario countless times: A person is put on one medication. That medication causes an annoying side effect. Another medication is added to counteract that side effect. Then that medication causes a complication down the road and has to be discontinued. It’s replaced by another medication, which has a different kind of side effect. Now another medication has to be added to counteract the new effect. And so it goes…
 
There’s no doubt that medications can work wonders. In large part, medications can be credited for extending lifespans. So let me be clear here for a second. I am by no means suggesting that we all stop taking our medications and just eat apples instead. If you have no desire to make healthy changes, then of course, taking medication is better than doing nothing at all.
 
But since you are reading this post, I am assuming that you want better than, “better than nothing”. I am simply suggesting that we be more mindful as to whether or not a quick fix in the form of medication is the best, safest, long-term solution for a given problem.
 
A quick fix in itself is not a bad thing. It only becomes bad if it has the potential to cause underlying harm. When a medication is given to lower blood pressure or to lower blood sugar, this is a good thing. But what’s not so good is the fact that this enables unhealthy habits to persist, unchecked. 
 
A medication is designed to treat one specific problem. It improves this one health marker and it may appear that your problem is now solved. In reality, only that marker is improved. Unseen damage from unhealthy habits is still occurring. Taking medication in conjunction with healthy changes might be better. But only relying on medication to solve all of your problems, without discontinuing your unhealthy habits may not the best approach.  
 
How to decide what to do
Some chronic diseases were coined “lifestyle” diseases for a reason. These diseases have been directly linked with unhealthy lifestyle choices.
 
You can begin by asking if there’s an alternate solution which may take more of an investment of your time but which may be worth the investment. Determine if it would be possible or realistic to pursue this alternate path.
 
Is there a healthy lifestyle change that you can make? If you started exercising more, would it be possible to decrease your blood sugar as effectively as a med would? If you cut soda out of your diet, would that be more effective than taking diabetes medication? If you follow a low sodium diet and incorporate some cardio workouts into your daily routine, might this work better than blood pressure medication?
 
Yes, these things will take a bit more time to see results. But when you consider time spent in doctor’s offices, time spent waiting for prescriptions, time spent recovering from invasive procedures and diagnostic tests or time spent running from one appointment to another, suddenly taking a little time to exercise each day doesn’t seem like too much to ask for. This is not even to mention the money saved along the way and the quality of life gained made with healthy habits.
 
Advocate for yourself
Education is power. Only you own your body. Educate yourself on the possible unwanted side effects of your treatment options. Discover alternative approaches. Make the alternatives as easy and pain-free as possible. Have some foresight and realize that some quick fixes may come with unacceptable trade-offs. Be your own best advocate by knowing how to do your research and by asking questions. Ask your healthcare provider if there are other, less invasive but equally effective options available. Ask if lifestyle changes can be tried first. Find out if your insurance covers a nutritionist or a dietician. Get second opinions. Seek role models who’ve made changes without going the invasive route. Find reputable and credible sources of information.

Takeaways
Costly meds and invasive procedures keep many people in business…but at what expense? Again, there are instances when these treatment options are definitely necessary and are truly lifesavers. Doctors and nurses really do have the best of intentions. We're all just part of a larger for-profit system that unfortunately does not always have the patient's best interests at heart. It doesn't help that we as a society also seem to be naturally inclined to seek quick fixes. The problem is we're not always explicitly told that these quick fixes can cause us so much more damage down the road.
 
With this in mind, we can take back control if we so choose. We are a product of our environments. We are stressed, rushed and we live fast-paced lives. But this does not mean we are destined to be so. We can decide at any moment that our health is our priority. We make time for that which we value. It’s as simple as that. You have time to shower every day. You have time to brush your teeth. You have time to scroll mindlessly through social media. You have time to tend to an endless stream of emails and text messages in your inbox. You have time to attend hours of pointless meetings. You can carve out time for healthier habits too.
 
If you look closely, you’re already probably making time for some pretty trivial matters. Start saying “no” to what doesn’t matter and start saying, “yes” to your health. Stop trying to please everyone. You can never effectively help anyone if you don’t help yourself first. So get organized, make a plan and your real fix will be far more impactful and fulfilling than any quick fix can ever be.
 
At the end of the day, nothing matters more than your health. We ignore our health because we take it for granted. Believe me when I say, we cannot afford to do this. The consequences tend to sneak up on us slowly. Then the consequences suddenly catch up to us all at once. Invest time and energy in your health today. You’re only given one body in this lifetime. And your body is worth far more than any cheap quick fix.