DP3 Pharma Waste Reduction

My PSP began as an investigation of different organic and environmentally friendly forms of pain relief. It ended as an introspective, philosophical analysis of what it means to be dependent on external sources of relief for simple ailments. What I tried to get across in my presentation on Monday was that we need to be less dependent on THINGS to make us happy, because most solutions based on things are temporary fixes to deeper more severe problems. Seeking happiness and comfort by looking within is not only a better environmental alternative because less waste is produced by not creating things, but we can improve our own personal health as well by improving our eating and lifestyle habits.
This is not where my journey began. I am by nature a technologist: I think we should push technology to the limits to solve the world’s problems, and relying on people to willingly change their behavior is simply a waste of time. I often describe it as if one were trying to push a rope – nothings going to happen no matter how hard you push. So, my initial PSP was designed to find some product-based solution to my personally and environmentally damaging need for anti-inflammatory medicine.
I decided first and foremost to stop taking my daily 800mg of Advil. I had been taking a steady dosage ever since late 2004 when I first injured my knee, and despite two knee surgeries and many dollars of physical therapy, the pain persisted. This was not a sustainable lifestyle choice: taking Advil for the rest of my life would invariably result in irreversible liver and stomach damage.
Taking unnecessary pharmaceuticals is also not an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. A recent report in the EU suggests that there is a significant amount of ibuprofen and other excreted drugs in the sewage water that goes untreated and is dumped into streams and water sources. These drugs have very negative effects on the fish and animal populations, and we’ve yet to study their effects on humans through the drinking water (which should happen, seeing as waste water treatment only removes 60-90% of ibuprofen from sewage). Ibuprofen is the 3rd most consumed drug in the world (aspirin is the 1st), so there are significant volumes being wasted every year. The EU report shows that in a place like Spain with a great sanitation system, there is still 276 tons of ibuprofen being dumped in the water every year. The US is roughly ten times as large as Spain, so you can imagine what our pharma footprint looks like.
As a technologist, my reaction, which follows a report out of the U of Virginia law school, is that we should make better drugs that are completely absorbed into the drug stream so there’s less waste (only 20-30% of ibuprofen is absorbed). This sounds nice, but drug companies don’t want to sell less of their product, so the incentives might not be in place for this to happen. This UV law report claims that the FDA should be responsible for making sure that drugs are designed with the end of life in mind.
Relying on technology to solve the problem, unfortunately, means relying on many people to change policies and business models. So then, I sought to find a solution that was a bit more realistic for me personally and for me to recommend.
Pain, in low doses, is largely psychological. Through positive thought and meditation, one can eliminate most low-level pain. Furthermore, one’s diet affects much of how the body deals with pain. Diets high in antioxidants and omega3s have proven to reduce chronic pain.
Simple steps, like changing diet and personal habits, doing yoga and other healthy exercise, can greatly increase the quality of one’s life without relying on superfluous medication. The developed world is becoming increasingly medicated, and this will not only have an impact in our long-term health but also in the long-term health of our planet. Drug makers need to ensure that their medications are more environmentally designed, especially at the end of use, so that people can get medications they need to live happier, healthier, longer lives. And for those of us who don’t need to rely on medicine to survive, let’s find other ways to be happy that have a net zero or net positive environmental impact.
Do it for yourself and do it for your children’s futures.