Fresh Food for Thought

When it comes to healthy lifestyle, the chatter seems to have shifted from diet to drugs. Instead of “you are what you eat” you could say, “you are… the product of whatever prescription you can afford”.  A regimen of Ozempic, the trendy weight loss injection of celebrities, will set you back $1,000 USD a month. So with this kind of pharmaceutical spending in mind, it was refreshing to read an article about the Atlantic Diet, a fresca (fresh) foods spinoff of its more famous predecessor, the Mediterranean.

“Atlantic” foods

Because it’s a common way to eat in Spain and Portugal, the Atlantic is formally known as the Southern European Traditional Atlantic Diet (a real “mouthful” there).  But you can just call it “The Atlantic” because it’s so simple.  A lot of fresh fish, a little meat and dairy, vegetables, whole-grain bread, and the occasional glass of wine.  To contrast, the Mediterranean demands more plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and olive oil on top of just about everything.

No surprise, the Atlantic improves your health by lowering blood pressure, insulin resistance, total cholesterol, and the circumference of your waist.  It’s not rocket science but it still takes fortitude to pass up the other temptations of, say, the American diet.  Soft drinks.  Processed foods.  Just about anything with sugar in it.  The usual sacrifices that come with a healthy diet.

There’s a more challenging aspect of the Atlantic diet besides whole foods.  The meals are meant to be home-cooked and served family style, encouraging social interaction.  Accordingly, an Atlantic dieter should a) turn off the TV, b) put away the cell phone, c) focus on meaningful conversations, d) chew slowly, and e) pause between bites.  Talk about overhauling the way you eat, huh?  So I ask, especially to you fellow Americans, which of those five would be the hardest to achieve?  You’re forgiven if you answer “all of the above”.

Admittedly, my wife and I would be challenged by the Atlantic approach.  We enjoy making dinner together, but after a long day there’s nothing more appealing than plopping our meals on trays and sitting down to another episode of mindless streaming TV.  And the cell phones are always nearby in case a text chimes in.  We’re so immersed in our show in fact, who knows how fast we chew or if we ever pause between bites.  Heck, do we even taste what we’re eating?

At least we’re not tempted by Ozempic.  “Miracle drug” perhaps, but don’t ignore the side effects.  Dropping the weight through injections can gift you with blurred vision, gallstones, allergic reactions, and a constant state of exhaustion (just to name a few).  Worst of all, you might literally wear your results with “Ozempic face”, a hollowed-out look with sagging skin and signs of premature aging.  No thanks.  Those couple of countries on the other side of the Atlantic have a much better approach.

Some content sourced from the CNN Health article, “A cousin to the Mediterranean Diet: the Atlantic Diet explained”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.

Feeling Better by Phone

My wife is recovering from a nasty eye infection, one where I’ve lost count of the visits we’ve made to the doctor and the pharmacy. She’s taking prescription eye drops and a strong antibiotic, and covers her eyes with hot compresses instead of her usual contact lenses. We’re hoping today’s appointment is the end of this ordeal. Odds are however, all of our scurrying around won’t be necessary in a year or two. Instead, my wife will simply seek relief from a digital prescription.

You knew it was coming.  The FDA approved the first smartphone app designed to address a diagnosed medical condition, and it’ll be ready for download in just a few months. Rejoyn (don’t ask me where they come up with these names) is a digital prescription designed to combat depression.  The patient’s six weeks of self-administered tapping and typing trains their brain back to a healthier state.  Or at least, that’s what’s supposed to happen.

My first thought here was, an app used to address a diagnosed medical condition sounds kind of silly, like playing Tetris or something.  But then I realized a prescription of Rejoyn would be one less dose of drugs.  Pills removed from the equation is a good thing.  But then I read how the results of a Rejoyn beta group were no more successful than those of a group prescribed a sham app.  Finally, Rejoyn only works in conjunction with a regimen of traditional medication.

You can see why I’m struggling with the concept.  I mean, you still have to take the meds you were already taking and there’s no guarantee the app will improve your condition.  So why invest the time and money in your phone?  According to an authority from the Division of Digital Psychiatry (which couldn’t have existed even ten years ago), “If the benefits are minimal but the risks are [also] minimal, perhaps there’s no harm in trying it.”  Does that strike you as a glowing endorsement of the technology?

Rejoyn is the beginning of a wholly different approach to healing.  One of these days you’ll find yourself at the pharmacy looking to fill a prescription, and instead of a receiving a bottle of pills you’ll hand over your phone for a download.  Then you’ll go home to your couch and – doctor’s orders – spend more time on your phone than you already were.  Oh, the irony.  Experts say spending too much time on your phone causes depression.  Now, the cure for that depression will be to spend more time on your phone.

A digital prescription gives a whole new meaning to “overdose”.  What happens if you indulge in twelve weeks of screen time instead of six?  What if you get so addicted to your electronic cure you can’t pull your eyes and fingers away from the screen?  Will the app timeout after so many uses, forcing you to plead with the pharmacy to “renew your subscription”?

Don’t overdo it!

Then there are the side effects.  Headaches, loss of sleep, loss of appetite; maybe the same ones you’d experience if you took a pill instead.  Maybe the same ones you experience from any use of your phone.  And what about your email, social media, and games.  Will they be neglected because of all the time you spend on Rejoyn?

Electronic medication is a novel concept, I admit.  It’s like having an IV drip of something that makes you feel great, only it’s “wireless” and you don’t need the nurse to give you a dose.  You have a little doctor right there in the palm of your hand.  But is that little doctor really going to make you feel better?

There is one indisputable positive to a digital prescription.  If you fill your meds at a grocery store pharmacy you’re going to save money.  After all, those fifteen minutes while you wait for the pills to be bottled are spent wandering up and down the food aisles.  A digital prescription can be downloaded instantly.  Now you’ll no longer buy the impromptu groceries you never needed in the first place.

Some content sourced from the CNN Health article, “FDA clears first digital treatment for depression…”