What don’t you need to do:
We are bombarded by rubbish health claims on the internet or even by so called professionals. This is even more so on Insta, Tik Tok and Facebook where “Influencers” are paid big money to promote products and services. It is refreshing to hear of a new trend of “de-influencers” who apparently tell you what you don’t need to do or buy.
Please, allow me to de-influence you: You do not need to do/spend money on the following.
- A pap smear every year: International guidelines recommend a cervical screening test every 3 years from 26-50 and every 5 years from 50-65. Why? Evidence does not show any increase in survival with more frequent screening. The exception: If you have a history of abnormal smears this schedule may change.
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Take expensive Vitamins. – Unless you have a known dietary deficiency or a medical reason why you cannot absorb certain vitamins, then a healthy adult with a varied diet does not need to take a Vitamin Supplement. The exceptions: Pregnant women should be on 10 mcg of Vit D3 and Folic acid. Post menopausal women should also consider a Vit D3 supplement. Vegans may need Vitamin B supplementation- see more below. Taking a B12 shot or infusion is not without risks and does not work as a “pick me up” unless you have a B12 vitamin deficiency. As for the Vitamin C tablets…too high a dose and you just pee it out. We see it when we dip your urine. It comes up as “Ascorbic acid” on our dip stick tests. You are literally peeing your money down the drain. Stop it! Eat fruit instead.
There is no evidence for Vitamin patches which claim to prevent hangovers. It’s not a good look: You just end up looking like you are wearing an HRT (hormone replacement therapy) patch especially if you are a woman who might be approaching 50.
3.Spend money on brand name prescription drugs when there is a good generic available. Now, not all generics are created equal, but your doctor or pharmacist can advise you on good quality brands like DENK, APO and SANDOZ. These can sometimes be less than half the price of the branded preparations and work just as well. The exception: Anti-epileptic brands should not be switched without consulting your doctor.
- Spend money on expensive fad “superfoods” that are not locally grown. A good, properly trained dietician (who will have a three year university degree as opposed to a 6-month course) will not feel the need to tell you to purchase expensive food like Quinoa, Kale, Kimchie or Probiotics. He or she will be able to tell you about local foods that are just as healthy.
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Spend money on Probiotics. A varied and healthy diet with lots of bananas, tomatoes, onion garlic etc will provide you with enough Prebiotics. What’s the difference between a Pro- and Pre-biotic? : To learn more click on this link: https://amesmedicalservices.com/theres-a-party-happening-in-your-gut-want-to-know-how-good-it-is/ The exception: Sometimes Irritable bowel syndrome is helped by Probiotics.
6.Worm your children before school. It’s just not necessary. I won’t go so far as to call it child abuse but it’s pretty rough…See here: https://amesmedicalservices.com/deworming-debunked/
7.Do a “detox”. What rubbish! Your liver does this for you…providing you are not poisoning it with too much alcohol or herbal remedies like Echinichea…. Yes you heard me. Echinicea is bad for your liver. I have seen someone need a liver transplant because of it. Just stick to no more than 3 drinks per night and have 2 drink free days per week and you should be ok!
8.Have a Colonic irrigation – They might perforate your colon and the good bacteria in your colon keep it clean for you. Just eat lots of fiber instead and spend the money on a colonoscopy when you are 50 instead.
- Douching. Same as above – your vagina has friendly bacteria that cleans it for you. If you douche you can upset the balance of bacteria and leave yourself at increased risk of a smelly fishy discharge called Bacterial Vaginosis. – Then you will probably vigorously douche to try to fix the smell and make it worse spiraling downward….
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Alkaline water… or alkaline anything for that matter There is an ad for a local “alkaline” bottled water that is genius: “If you believe… alkify yourself” Why do I think it’s genius? Because it isn’t claiming to work at all… its basically saying “If you so stupid as to believe this give us your money”. Why stupid? Our body has to keep our pH at a strict 7.35-7.45. That’s pretty neutral. So, when you consume something acid or alkaline your body neutralizes it.
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Ditto for anything magnetic like bracelets and water
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Become a Vegan. Now, I am not doubting that most of us can cut back on the red meat and saturated fat. I am also not arguing that a steak has a huge impact on climate. (Apparently it takes 1847Gallons of water to make 1 llb of beef!) However, let’s not throw the protein out with the water. Everything in moderation. We have incisors for a reason. It’s also not easy to be a healthy Vegan despite what current fads tell you. In fact, a lot of Vegans have a diet very high in fats and carbohydrates… and some don’t get enough B12 or protein. My advice: If you really want to go Vegan see a dietitian to make sure you are doing it properly…. that’s one with an actual university degree. A recent study also showed big problems with the climate and health impact of a Keto/paleo diet too: see the link here: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/05/health/keto-low-carb-high-fat-diets-heart-disease/index.html
The healthiest diet with the least environmental impact: Pescatarian. I know a good fisherman if anyone wants his contact….
So, the next time you see a vegan MAMIL (Middle aged man in lycra) running a Marathon (I don’t like those either they are too extreme on the joints) with his vitamin patch on his arm and his magnetic water…you can feel smug if you are moderately walking with your bottle of WASA water with no patch in site… and enjoy your eggs fruit and coffee for breakfast afterwards. That’s your protein, Vitamin C and Prebiotic right there.
