Letter: NHS wants fewer medicine, extra way of life prescriptions

The wonderful article by Hannah Kuchler on the “miracle weight problems drug” (FT Magazine, July 16) highlighted the ideological battle between those that imagine in “medicine” and people who imagine in “way of life” for the administration of long-term situations.

In truth the proof is obvious that each are important. Everybody with a long-term situation receiving drug remedy must also obtain an exercise prescription and lots of must also obtain a eating regimen prescription.

This isn’t taking place at current and within the final 10 years I’ve acquired about 1,000 little leaflets from the NHS concerning the medicine prescribed for my coronary heart illness however not a single phrase about exercise or eating regimen.

Each are important and within the UK’s nationwide programme to allow folks to “Stay Longer Higher” — which is aimed toward decreasing the chance of dementia and frailty each via prevention and the efficient remedy of situations equivalent to kind 2 diabetes and hypertension — we’re introducing exercise prescriptions linked to drug prescriptions.

After all the individual has to take the recommendation given. And simply as many individuals don’t take the medicine, some will select to disregard the information supplied, particularly, that, within the phrases of the Academy of Medical Royal Faculties, train is the “miracle treatment”.

Sir Muir Grey
Oxford, UK