It is quite possible that in the near future, drugs that are moderately effective in producing weight (fat) loss will be on the market. It is also quite likely that drugs of this type will bring some risks to health.
I don’t think this is a good option for an “over the counter” drug for weight loss. The American people are already quite dependent upon taking prescription pharmaceuticals to the point of abuse and addiction of many specific drugs. People will often take meds for high blood pressure but won’t change their diet or become more active. Many children and adults as well, are taking medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, where diet, physical activity and exercise have been reported to be helpful with this condition. Every medicine has side-effects on some level, depending upon the dosage and the individual. Individuals that are overweight, often already have other accompanying health issues that can be exacerbated with use and abuse of particular medications.
I think these individuals should be diagnosed, prescribed and treated on a case-by-case basis. Recent events surrounding the opioid crisis should lead to some caution as to what drugs are widely available for what seemed like a great solution to the problems of chronic pain, but in fact led to a myriad of other health issues for those addicted to the pain medicines.
Drugs to solve all of our ills and poor lifestyle choices is a terrible idea and encourages a potential path to continuous downward trends in healthcare self-responsibility. The US has been on a steady increase in body weight for at least the last 50 years. In 1960 the average US male weighed 165 pounds. As of 2010 the average male was 195.5 pounds. I feel drugs are a Band-Aid approach to issues that come down to values and priorities. If we are truly to become a healthier nation, we need to change our actions to reflect what we often state as our highest priorities of wanting healthy minds and bodies for all of our citizens.
I want to address the point about people not having the time, finances or other reasons that would make it hard to eat healthier, be more active and generally live a lifestyle that would help maximize health and well-being.
Often these reasons for poor health are attributed to low income and/or other socioeconomic issues, which in some cases might contribute to poor health. However, I feel from my past experiences and interactions teaching and training people of all income levels as well as career paths, that root causes of disease are more from lack of education, low desire and low self-discipline, than lack of income.
I have given many free classes and lectures over my last 35 years of teaching health and wellness. Even when given the opportunity to attend free events, many times people make the decision to not commit to attending future classes or events whether there is a charge or not. Here is when the excuses arise of no time, no money and ultimately no desire to change their lifestyle. I think that a true paradigm shift needs to come about were the attitude of people changes to make health and self-care an individual responsibility. Throwing money at social and cultural health issues, has often been shown over time to not fix these issues. Education of health issues can be relatively free, when distributed via television, newspapers, online, and even in person. Here in Florida, when a hurricane is coming almost everyone in the state receives the warning days ahead of time. When there are major news events such as Covid19, elections, national tragedies, a celebrity marriage, an eclipse and other sometimes trivial events, almost everyone hears about it within minutes of the occurrence. If only health issues like obesity, diet, stress and physical activity could receive the same level of priority and concern.
References:
https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/no-money-wont-solve-all-of-your-problems-9ba72664624d
Why Money Won’t Solve Your Problems
https://www.wisebread.com/9-problems-you-cant-solve-with-money
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis
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I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises
Mind and Body Exercises on Google: https://posts.gle/aD47Qo
Jim Moltzan
407-234-0119
www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan
United Martial Arts Association 