How DTC advertising increases patient demands:

“Well, I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about. You carry your weight very well. What diets have you tried so far?” he asked, flicking through her notes. “Look, I don’t want to go on a diet, I want you to prescribe me these,” she snapped, bringing out a neatly folded page torn out of a magazine.

The GP, rolling his eyes at me, took the paper but didn’t read it. I suspect he’d read it before. He attempted to explain that tablets really weren’t suitable in her case. As well as having some nasty potential side effects, they’re expensive to prescribe and don’t offer a long-term solution . . .

. . . But, that day, Miss Parker wasn’t going to be lucky and, seeing that she was getting nowhere, she stood up. “Fine then, don’t help me. See if I care. I’ll get my sister to get them off her GP – he gives her whatever she wants.” And she stormed out, leaving the GP and me staring at one another.