Today I am going to write about two more subjects that have a significant effect on our health and longevity: sex and drugs. These are not related in any way but I just didn’t think I could fill a whole blog about the sex issue. So, let’s get on with this one and then turn our attention to the extremely important issue of drugs (drugs from doctors  as opposed to illegal narcotic ones).

No discussion about the Chinese Medicine understanding of longevity would be complete without including the sex issue. So here is the bad news: according to TCM, everytime a man or woman reaches a sexual climax their kidney energy becomes weaker – or, in other words, their life length potential becomes shorter. As uncomfortable as it sounds this is a fact that is well demonstrated in the life of the Eunuch. The Eunuchs were servants to the Emperor in the forbidden city in ancient China. They were castrated in their youth in order to make sure that they could work in the Palace without any chance of messing around. Anyway, the Eunuchs apparently lived around 15 years longer than was average and, considering that in those days average life expectancy wasn’t much more than 50 years, this is a remarkable fact. Of course I am not advocating we stop having sex. Sex is important in all sorts of ways that we are not going to discuss now. Also it is important to say that people of a robust constitution and a naturally strong kidney energy will be much less affected by this. TCM does not recommend to stop having sex but to do it less rather than more. This advice particularly applies to people of a weak kidney constitution The main signs of weak kidney energy, in case you are wondering where you stand, are: weak and achy lower back, knees or legs; lack of energy; frequent urination and/or waking in the night to urinate; difficulties in sexual function and a tendency to feel cold or to have night sweats.

And now for another controversial subject: drugs – or, as they are more commonly called, medicines! The fact of the matter is that medicines are hugely overprescribed these days and the long term damage they cause is largely ignored! This worrying trend is not a result of a lack of knowledge. The figures are all out there for anyone to see if they wish to. Examination of information relied on by the Ministry of Health revealed a horrifying picture regarding the consequences of rising prescription medicine. Let me give you some examples:

-Over two thousand people in the U.K. die each year as a result of taking painkillers. This staggering figure does not include cases where an overdose is taken. These are all people who took painkillers for their aches and pains, like knee pain or back pain.

-Thirty thousand people in the U.K. die each year from what are termed hospital accidents. That means that people went into hospital for something simple that they weren’t expected to die from, but then died as a result of medications or procedures that they had during their hospitalisation. Even more shocking is that, apparently, half of these deaths were preventable. Let’s examine this statement for a moment: half were preventable-that means probably human error. That is worrying enough but what about the other half? I think this one is no less shocking: the other half (15,000 unnecessary deaths per year) is an acceptable “side effect” of going to hospital these days.

– Millions of people in the U.K. are taking aspirin as a prevention of heart problems and strokes. A recent review study (review studies are considered to be the gold standard for medical science studies these days) has found that aspirin can prevent death from blood vessel conditions in two out of one thousand people but, at the same time, will cause the death of four out of one thousand people from GI bleeding or kidney failure. In other words, for each one it saves it kills two.

These are just a few examples- I could go on and on. The medical research literature is all out there to see if you want to. I think probably most doctors just don’t want to. It is understandable in a way, their work is very hard and stressful anyway even without these unsettling facts sitting in their heads. So, is it understandable or is it criminal? People come to their doctor in good faith, trusting them to look after their health, present and future. They should at least be informed about the risks associated with using modern medicines.

Dangerous and serious side effects are one major problem of modern medicines. The other major problem is that they are rarely curing the condition. Much more commonly they are treating the symptoms without having any curative effect on the root of the problem. The consequence of this situation is that very often one will need to take this medication long-term and, in many cases, even for life. This, in turn, increases the chance of long-term side effects. Let me give you a couple of common examples: HRT (hormone replacement therapy). Ladies who suffer from menopausal symptoms will be offered HRT treatment from their doctors. In the early days of HRT use it was considered to be almost a miracle cure by easing your symptoms (night sweats etc) and by making you feel young again. Perfect-except, as usual with modern medicines, most ladies had to keep on taking the HRT for years. If they tried to stop then all hell broke loose in their bodies and all the symptoms (and more) came back. After HRT had been in use for 15-20 years worrying data started to appear. It has become clear that long-term use of HRT increases the risk for heart conditions, strokes and cancer.

The other example of the modern medicine approach is antidepressants. The new generation of antidepressants is actually a vast improvement on the old one. It has less side effects than the old tricyclic antidepressants and less addiction than the tranquilisers. Doctors love them for that and prescribe them left, right and centre. If you walk into a GP clinic with a mood or anxiety problem you are most likely to walk out with a prescription for antidepressants. It may come as a shock for some Doctors but if a person feels depressed or anxious there is a reason for it. Failure to address this reason (with counselling for example) will cause the condition to persist. It is an effective way to keep people chronically ill and dependant on their medications. What a blast for the pharmaceutical industry! This unfortunate situation is not unique to menopausal and emotional problems. It exists across the board in most symptoms and ailments, with the modern medicine treatment only aiming at the symptoms and not at the core and this is the reason why so many people are taking so many long-term medications these days.

What I would like everyone to know is: there is an alternative, there is another way- in most cases, not in all of them. In some cases you must take the doctors’ medication but in many other cases you should not. You can find a better, healthier, safer and more long-term solution to your health problems. If you suffer from back pain or any other musculoskeletal pain then try physiotherapy, osteopathy, a chiropractor or Acupuncture. If it’s an internal problem, such as digestion problems, skin, migraines, sleep etc, then try homeopathy, Acupuncture or herbal medicine and so on. There are very good and safe treatments for most symptoms and conditions.

To sum up: modern medicine is very important. It can do some amazing things but it can also cause a lot of damage. For many conditions the treatment from the doctor is poor and potentially dangerous so, when possible, look for an alternative and don’t automatically accept what the doctor offers. Ask is it absolutely necessary and what are the possible side effects and risks. In cases where the doctor’s treatment is not absolutely necessary to your survival then look for alternative treatment-it can be as effective, if not more so, for your symptoms and, more importantly, it won’t edge you towards an early grave.

Have a great week,

Ilan