Bad senator, worse doctor

I caught Bill Frist's speech at the RNC last night on the radio while I was driving. Now, I used to give him points because (1) he is from TN and (2) his brother operated on my father's heart. No more! He said that medicine's greatest weapon these days is prescription drugs. Not all the great stuff we know about preventative medicine, not advances in the study of genetics that allow people to make some more informed choices in their lives, but prescription medicines. In other words, the greatest weapon is that once people are already sick doctors can prolong their lives. This is not someone I would like caring for me. And his opinion is just indicative of people's constant looking for a quick fix. Feeling down? Take a pill. Don't want to watch your diet? Take a pill. Can't get it up? Take a pill. Is there a place for medicines? Yes. I'm particularly fond of the one that keeps my liver from imploding into a cirrhotic mess. However, I'm more impressed with the benefits I receive from the "free"* treatment of living a fairly healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising. * (I, in fact, spend quite a bit of money on exercise-related endeavors, as Mr. Stewart can well attest.)