In this week’s BMJ there is vociferous criticism of a recent article which advocated treating everyone, yes everyone, over 55 with antihypertensives irrespective of their actual blood pressure. The authors claimed that this would be a good way to reduce heart attacks and strokes. There were a number of excellent criticisms of this suggestion and in their right to reply the authors rebuffed the claim that this would medicalise everyone over 55 with this statement –
Offering treatment to all above a specified age regardless of blood pressure does not “medicalise” people because they do not become “patients” with a medical diagnosis, but telling people they have “hypertension” does medicalise them.
Pardon? A person doesn’t become a patient unless they are given a medical diagnosis, but if they are treated with a drug they are just a person?? I’m sorry, but I don’t follow that logic.
Imagine my surprise when after putting down my BMJ I came across this quote in one of Montaigne’s essays –
…among all my acquaintance, I see no people so soon sick, and so long before they are well, as those who take much physic [drugs] their very health is altered and corrupted by their frequent prescriptions. Physicians are not content to deal only with the sick, but they will moreover corrupt health itself, for fear men should at any time escape their authority.
That’s from Montaigne’s Essais written in 1580!
I’m with Montaigne…..a medicated life is not something to aspire to! (I’m also pretty fed up with so called experts telling me they know what’s best for ME!)
Heroes Not Zombies 
With the amazing things medicine accomplishes it can be tough to take a breath and push back from treatment. We’re long overdue for a discussion of quality of life versus length.
I wonder what Nortin Hadler would make of this
…..http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1753
I don’t follow their logic either –when you are prescribed something by a medical professional you are a patient in my opinion. Taking BP medication is not the same as taking a cod liver oil tablet from a health food shop……
People behave and think differently when a Dr gives them medication and usually it is because they are ill.
I do think there is an insidious process of medicalisation and some of it is due to a cultural aversion to risk in any shape or form. This policy seems to exemplify this. It would also create a massive extra workload for GP’s and nursing staff. Health care seems much more about monitoring the ‘well’ and preventing them from getting ill …….I don’t think it makes much difference and there are much more important social ills to tackle which are the real cause of the majority of these problems in the first place!
I for one would not follow the guidelines to take anti hypertensives preferring to use other proven means to ‘keep well’.
Loved the quote…….
ian
Gun to my head answer: Yes. ,