Unsolicited Alarmism

Ever had one of those week's when you feel that outside entities are getting way too intrusive with regard to your life?  I've just had one such week, which , if I was that kind of person, would have sent my paranoia levels through the roof.  First up, completely out of the blue, I received a letter from some pharmaceutical developer inviting me to apply to join a drug trial.  Sadly, it wasn't for any of the fun hallucinogenic ones, but rather a treatment for type 2 diabetes.  The reason I had been 'selected' was because these days third parties are given free and direct access to our confidential NHS records, rather than having to go through doctors first.  I'm obviously now on their database and meet some of their criteria for this trial - namely that I'm in the right age demographic and have type 2 diabetes.  Reading their letter, however, I'm pretty sure that, even if I filled in and returned the application form, I wouldn't be selected: the nature of the medication implies that they are looking for people with type 2 who are more overweight than me and who don't take regular exercise.  But if I had returned it, I'm pretty sure that I'd end up receiving more of these 'invitations' as that would be taken as an indication that I was interested in taking part in drug trials.  As you've doubtless gathered, the letter went in the bin without a reply.  Quite apart from the fact that I take enough pills everyday as it is and have no desire to spend five years acting as a guinea pig for trialing yet more of them, I just find this sort of approach overly intrusive - my medical records are meant to private and I object to them being accessed by for profit institutions.  Furthermore, I have never given any indication to anyone that I'm remotely interested in participating in any medical trials.

The letter also put my back up with its overly alarmist tone, warning that type 2 diabetes can increase your risk of such things as liver failure, kidney failure, heart disease and even lower limb amputation.  Well, yes, it can, but so can many other common health conditions.  Moreover, such things aren't an inevitability and the risks can be reduced via lifestyle choices (as can most health conditions) - hence my daily exercise regime and monitoring of my sugar intake, rather than relying on pharmaceuticals, (although I do also take the commonest anti-diabetes drug, Metformin).  Just when the feathers ruffled by this unsolicited invite had finally settled, I get one of online banking communications from my bank that they obviously think are somehow 'useful'.  This time it was a communication informing me that last month I'd spent 74% more than the previous month and would I like to opt into their budgeting advice service?  To which the resounding response was 'fuck off'.  I've never actually asked for this kind of rather creepy monitoring of my spending patterns - I only signed up to online banking because my plumber prefers to paid via direct bank transfer.  But my bank keeps on giving me unsolicited advice, as if we are in some kind of relationship more significant than the fact that I allow them to hold my money for me.  I really don't need to be pestered about investment options every time I get payments into my account.  Incidentally, that increase in monthly spending was down to the one off cost of buying a second hand laptop to back up my now nearly nine year old main laptop and, to be frank, if spending less than three hundred quid can put my monthly spend up that much, then I'm not spending enough!  I'm clearly even more of a cheapskate than I thought I was!