Diet, medication, supplements, medical procedures……. Healthcare options we all have to make decisions about. We often trust other people to make these decisions for us, but is this best for our long term outcomes? When we make decisions about buying a house, washer or dryer, car or college education, we often spend time talking to others, doing internet research, or reading reviews that the magazine Consumer Reports publishes. Why don’t people always do this with healthcare? Often we trust our doctor because he/she is the expert since he has many years of training and education. We think we already know what is good for us because the media outlets are full of health information telling us what is best. However, the information we are often given from these sources should be considered “misinformation,” and this has resulted in the phrase “informed decision making” being the mantra of Dr. Pam Popper of Wellness Forum Institute.
So what exactly is informed decision making? According to Dr. Popper it is “a model of healthcare in which a person understands the risks and benefits of any diet, supplement, test, drug or procedure before deciding to proceed.” (1) As a result, you are in control of your health and not the media, doctors, or insurance companies. This can be done by evaluating the original research, looking at how the study was conducted and how the results were reported. It involves looking at the long term health benefits and not just short term effects of a drug, procedure, etc. and comparing those to other available options. It can involve asking for and reading the package insert of a recommended medication. Informed decision making is doing your own research so that you can make a decision about what is best for you.
Now that you know what informed decision making is, why is it so important? Today health information, and really any type of information, is readily available through the internet and media outlets. This, at least regarding our health, is often inaccurate information. Let’s consider the headline that surfaced a couple months ago that proclaimed eating red and processed meat was okay for our health. If you read what I’ve written about meat and protein, you may have been wondering why the turnaround in thought after hearing this. Looking at the actual research that was used for the article, it was found the opposite to be true. (2) This article actually supported what we have known about red and processed meats, but the findings reported by the paper’s authors and then the media gave everyone permission to go out and eat that hamburger. This is an example of why people are so confused about what is actually good for them. It appears as if the authors only used certain studies, the ones showing what they wanted, instead of all of them that they were initially reviewing. This was also seen with butter several years ago when the headlines came out that “butter is back” when in fact it was not and never has been a healthy food.
Corporate money is also responsible for misinformation. Whether or not we want to believe it, their money influences research and the choices we make about our food. I recently the book “Unsavory Truth” by Marion Nestle.(3) She has an insider’s view into how this happens and it happens all the time. One of the take home points for me from the book is that much research is done for marketing purposes and not nutritional or health purposes. For example, the Coca Cola Company gave researchers money to conduct a study to show that sugary drinks do not affect a person’s weight and instead it is exercise that will result in weight loss and not eliminating Coca Cola from a diet. Once the study was finished, the company could promote their product using this conclusion despite the fact that the drink is high in sugar content and has no nutritional value. By the way, a good study does not begin with a specific conclusion. Researchers should formulate a hypothesis and then set out to either prove or disprove it.
Governmental agencies such as the USDA and FDA, as well as disease groups such as the American Heart Association, also rely on corporate sponsorships for money, which is also used for research, as well as paying for health professionals to attend conferences, meals, and more. Unfortunately, these groups also promote misinformation based upon how the research is conducted and reported. Our health professionals often rely on these organizations for their information that they pass onto their patients, which while well intentioned, may not be improving health.
Taking control of your health care decisions will empower you to make the best choice for you. The first step is to learn how to read the research or find someone who will help you. I can show you how to look at research objectively, and discover the true risks and benefits of food, drugs, procedures, etc. that you may be contemplating. I have learned how to do this through the courses I have taken and continue to take with Dr. Popper. The goal of Empowering True Health is to supply you with enough information so that you can make an informed decision based upon facts instead of misinformation. As a result, not only will you feel better but get better!
(1)Popper, Pam. Informed Health 101 Booklet. 2016.
(2)Popper, Pam. Are red and processed meats safe to eat? Get InforMED Weekly; (5) 41; October 14, 2019.
(3)Nestle, Marion. Unsavory Truth. Basic Books, New York, New York; 2018