Taking the Easy Way:
Concerning Diet Pills and Energy Boosters

There is a tendency these days to look for the easy way out or for the quick fix. Personally, I’d love to win the lottery. What a break that would be!

But, the easy or quick way is rarely the best way.

The State of Texas is considering placing restrictions on the sale of products that contain ephedrine. Ephedrine is a drug derived from Chinese herbs. It is the active ingredient in many of the energy booster pills and dietary supplements. It also is used in some asthma medication.

The state is considering classifying ephedrine as a dangerous drug and making it available only by prescription, except in the case of the asthma medications that would continue to be available over the counter.

Why exactly are we talking about this? Because I believe these energy boosters and dietary pills, as well as many others that have nothing to do with ephedrine, bring up an interesting moral point. There may be no moral issue here, but I’d like to take a quick look.

Besides taking diet pills, is there another way to lose weight? For most people, the answer is "yes." It’s called watching what you eat and exercising. There are some for whom this does not work, but for a vast majority, diet and exercise would work fine.

But, taking a pill is so much easier!

As for the energy boosters, I have to admit I tried one of the herbal pills once. It didn’t work for me, made me jittery. I didn’t like it at all. Amazingly enough, there is something else that works for me – exercise! Exercise, again. Of course, that is more difficult than popping an herbal pill or drinking an energy shake.

My point here is that the easy way is not usually the best way. The Church, to my knowledge, has not said anything about these diet pills or herbal pills. I’m not saying they should. But, there is a dangerous mindset involved in pilling your way to good health.

It is this same mindset which leads people to distrust Natural Family Planning and to use artificial means of birth control. There IS a moral issue there.

Those who are unhappy with the way their lives are going sometimes turn to excessive drinking or the use of illicit drugs. Again, there is a moral issue involved.

There are those who would like to change the teachings of the Church on some issues, because to adhere to the teachings is often difficult.

The mindset in each of these cases seems to be "If it’s hard, it ought to be made easy."

The use of herbal pills and dietary supplements, in my opinion, is very similar. Diet and exercise is hard, but taking one of these little pills each day is easy.

If none of this is convincing, perhaps this last point is. The state is taking a hard look at ephedrine because it is suspected to have caused eight deaths.

Finally, I’d like to ask a question that Dr. Janet Smith often asks in her talks against contraception: "When do you take a pill?" The answer: "When you’re sick."

If you want energy or to lose weight, try exercise.

Chris Mosmeyer
June 7, 1998