The Fitness Guru

Dr. Matt believes its all the Tylenol. Dr. Matt is one of my favorite doctors (and those of you who know how I feel about the medical community know that is quite a statement). He’s one of my favorites, not only because he is just an all around great guy, but because he takes his work VERY seriously. He believes in the responsibility that he has taken on and the care that he needs to give every single patient. He is also incredibly well read and well studied when it comes to his professional work. The last time we got into a discussion like this, he felt that The Swine Flu Pandemic of 2009 was incredibly overblown, causing far more panic than Pandemic. He thinks that Tylenol is doing a number on our livers.

The FDA has been very busy lately.  A few weeks ago they issued a warning against Hydroxycut. Then they issued a warning against Zycam. Now they are issuing warnings, and may well pull from the market, products like Tylenol with Codeine, citing Codeine’s negative impact on the liver. Dr. Matt believes that it is the Tylenol and not the Codeine that is doing a number on our livers. The FDA, one of the most corrupt Agencies at work today according to Dr. Matt, simply won’t put the kabash on Tylenol because there is too much money involved. Dr. Matt is not the Informer, ready to bring down the entire over-the-counter pharmacuetical industry. Its simply his opinion– based on years of study and an equal number of years working in the field. Take it for what you will.

Here’s what I take it for: we think we are so damn clever and, in the midst of outsmarting everyone and everything, we have created what will be known as the great Millenial Paradox. We have spent the past century and a half trying to pull a fast one on Mother Nature: harnessing the power of petroleum and coal; conquering forests and jungles in favor of the urban landscape; and manipulating the world around us to better serve our “greater good.” The result, whether you believe it or not, has been the slow, steady shift of our climate. (Author’s note: honestly, if you don’t believe in climate change, come and spend next June in NYC. That’ll change your mind). We have also caused the extinction of an untold number of species. Extinction. That word means “extinguished”. Those species will never be seen again. Ever. Done.

The past few years have brought a great deal of focus to the new global condition, a Green Revolution, in the hopes that we can save the planet. But while trying to save the planet, who is going to save us? On a day-to-day basis, in one of the largest cities in the world, I watch people try to pull a fast one: drugs and drink and food and sleeplessness. We are wreaking havoc on our inner climates. You want to lose weight? Someone has a pill and a bar. You want to sleep? Someone has a pill and a drink. Something is wrong with your cholesterol (because of what you have been eating and drinking)? Someone has a pill and a song. On and on and on. The problems arise and we compound the problem with more problems. Sure, people need pain relief, and thank god we have drugs for that. But the use of these medicines has become casual and commonplace. We should have the good sense to back off and not simply wait for some agency, any agency, to dictate how we behave.

I have heard my eco-friendly friends say “Save the Planet. It’s the only one we’ve got!” True enough. But how are we going to save the Polar Bears if we are simply killing off ourselves? Oh! Wait a sec!! Just answered my own question.