Early this week, we received a link to the radio show
Science Friday on National Public Radio.
The March 31st show’s format was a debate about the problems vs. the benefits of advertising drugs on television and other media. One of the presenters argued that manufacturers usually advertise new, expensive drugs. He claimed that inexpensive drugs rarely appear in television ads. His claimed that patients do not learn about many effective and necessary treatments because of economics. In addition to the show’s main debate, there were a few key take-home messages:
Aggressive Research
About 22 minutes into the show, a caller named Robin called in to tell about her experiences as a diabetic. With obvious passion, she recalled two of her memories:
"I’ve been diabetic since I was a little kid, so I’ve been shooting insulin for 40 yrs. I was a patient at UAB Medical Center in the early 80s, when a print ad for an insulin pump got my interest. And, I asked my doctor at UAB, ‘Why haven’t you told me about this?’"
Robyn continued with the second story,
“A few years later after I moved to California . . . [I saw] print adds for Humalog and Lantus. Which, for those who aren’t in the diabetic community, are insulin analogs produced by genetic engineering . . . I had to again ask the endocrinologist, . . . ‘Can I use this? Can I get this? Is it approved? There is a print add for this here in Parade Magazine? Why haven’t you told me about this?’”
There are literally hundreds and thousands of products and medications out there. I am not excusing possible oversight of these physicians. However, in a fifteen or twenty minute visit with your physician, she or he will not have the opportunity to explain every option to you. You need to be aggressive about describing your experiences and symptoms to the doctor, especially with PD. (This is reminiscent of
this My Parkinson’s Info interview from a few months ago.)
The more research you do, the more questions you ask, and the more you learn about the science and language of your condition, the better you will be at directing your health care. You will be able to sift through the information effectively with your doctor.
Is that Product the Best for You?
What you see advertised on TV may not be the best treatment for you. (In all fairness, frequently a drug or treatment mentioned in this blog may not be the right thing for you.) However, it may get you to ask your doctor some important questions. Your questions could introduce some important therapies, and improve your life. You may find that an alternative works better, and it may even cost you less. At some point most PWPs have trouble sleeping. However, it is not practical to decide if Lunesta will help you, from a commercial – even if you pay really close attention to the legal-speak at the end.
To download or listen to the
Science Friday debate,
click here. (It is almost 40 minutes long. You can speed it up in many players by increasing the playback speed.)
