An Unacceptable Cost To the NHS

When I think of these costs to tax-payers I get very angry. But I first need to add a note of caution to my comments.

If you are taking any drugs prescribed by your licensed medical practitioner DO NOT change them, or stop taking them, without his or her consent.

Obviously many seriously ill patients have every reason to be grateful for the advances in medical science that have improved or even extended their lives with drugs, but so many people resort too quickly to prescription medicines.

This is a huge generalization, of course, and there's no intention to include reference to those suffering from grave illnesses that have hit them "out-of-the-blue". My rant is against those who have brought their illnesses upon themselves, and are then popping pills to "fix" them, when a good dose of self-discipline or common sense would have prevented it in the first place.

There are people popping pill A for the side-effects of pill B, which they are taking to ward off the side-effects of pill C - with a fair chance that they shouldn't be taking pill C in the first place.

Preventable by a healthy diet and a healthy life-style.

It makes me very angry to think of all the people digging themselves an early grave with cigarettes, junk food and substance-abuse. Especially when, as a UK tax-payer, I have to pick up a proportion of the bill via our admirable NHS. I'll happily contribute towards the health of my less-fortunate "neighbors" UNLESS they have caused their own problems.

I'm not all that virtuous about my life-style and what I eat. I enjoy the occasional glass of wine, my friends know me as a bit of a chocoholic and I hate the gym. But I try to stay well within the bounds of good sense.

A healthy diet need not be boring, and it can still include the occasional treat. Limit the foods you know aren't good for you, and start to enjoy those that are. I also firmly believe in supplementation with a good quality "multi".

A healthy lifestyle has no need to involve pounding the pavements at 6am or 10pm in the driving rain. The only exercise I actually enjoy is my linedancing. It's a great work-out, we have a good laugh and a really enjoyable night out - fueled usually by one large glass of fizzy water!

If YOU could be kinder to your body, before you make yourself ill and fall onto the downward spiral of a pill-for-a-side-effect, PLEASE take better care of yourself - then those of us funding this through our taxes can fund people who are ill through no fault of their own.