Unfortunately the vast vast majority of people won't commit to a big lifestyle change like that in the first place, and a big majority of the people that due end up not following through. So most doctors won't bother suggesting it as a legitimate option because for most people it kind of isn't.
"So most doctors won't bother suggesting it as a legitimate option because for most people it kind of isn't."
This is just flat wrong and borders on malpractice for deceptive counseling. Even if a patient is unlikely to accept an option, they still need to be presented with the best/standard options. This is also the lowest risk and highest gain option with a proven track record. I would stop seeing a doctor who is not presenting all the standard options and would rather just have me pop pills.
So first off I never said I agreed with those doctors' reasoning and love that I'm getting downvoted despite it being a reply to a comment literally exemplifying what I'm talking about, and several other people are commenting things among similar lines.
It happens and I don't agree with it, but I totally understand why they do it. General practitioners and family practice doctors see dozens to hundreds of patients every week, and they get maybe half an hour with each patient and they know that out of the 300 people they see, maybe two or three of them will actually commit to the lifestyle changes they need to control their condition. So instead they optimize for what's going to work for the majority of their patients and skip straight to medication.
Doctors aren't supposed to decide much of anything for us, especially lifestyle choices. But they should at least present the appropriate options once.
- exercise to live longer and healthier, to have a better life in literally every aspect
vs
- take X and Y pills until you die, it'll cost you up to xxx thousand dollars over your lifespan, will cause serious side effects and will not solve the root cause
I bet people would be at least consider the first option.
The problem is that the pharma industry works the same way as the food industry, their business model is to sell you things you need on a regular schedule and the for as long as possible.
