The Pill is No Panacea
by Veronica Maska
If you are a woman, odds are you have been offered the pill, not just once, but many times and for many different symptoms. For me, the first time came in middle school. Acne was the culprit. The litany of conditions the pill can treat is a veritable laundry list from heavy cramps, to psychological conditions. So, is the pill the panacea of women’s health? Is it the opiate to any female-specific pain? Intelligent women and caring doctors should want to find out. That’s where Jackie Francois Angel comes in.
For starters, watch her video on five reason to stop taking the pill. I won’t spoil the whole thing, but be aware that carcinogens, serious health risks, decline in attractiveness, environmental risks, and abortifacients are all reasons for why you—as a woman who wants to know what she puts in her body—should hear her out. But don’t stop there or be scared away by these ominous associations with the pill. Jackie’s point is that better options are available. For virtually every condition, there is a safer and healthier alternative to the pill. The good news is that the future is a lot brighter.
Here’s where the medical literature and resources come in. While Jackie cites a multitude of studies in the video, she can’t unpack them all in a short time. Moreover, you might want to read the studies for yourself, so she has laid out all her evidence on her website. Check it out! Her resource page is the best I have seen on the topic. (The resource page is also linked in the description box at the bottom of the video on YouTube.) If you are considering exploring alternatives for the pill and want to find doctors who will heal the root of your health issues, Jackie has links to directories of doctors in the US and around the world who will work with your body instead of covering your symptoms with a one-size-fits-all medication. Send Jackie’s video to your friends, daughters, and nieces.
As a 6th grader with acne, I will admit, I was torn—since so many people take the pill, I rationalized it couldn’t be that bad. Certainly it couldn’t be worse than having a zit on picture day. But my mom insisted that I find safer and healthier alternatives—options that wouldn’t increase my risk of teenage depression (among other risks). Now I’m glad she did and that I found medical treatments that worked, without being tied to the pill. Plus, if a 1998 BBC article is correct that ovulating women are more attractive than supermodels, I for sure, had no reason to worry about a pimple.
