| Pharmaceutical sales are skyrocketing while | | | | doctors' offices result in a drug being |
| the health of Americans declines. The | | | | prescribed? Some patients may be on numerous |
| problem is philosophical in that drugs do not | | | | medications prescribed by various specialists |
| cure and patients are looking for quick | | | | while not one of them knows, or could even |
| fixes. | | | | predict, the health consequences of the |
| | | | interactions. (I recently discovered that my |
| The U.S. government's annual bill for | | | | elderly mother, suffering from a variety of |
| healthcare spending - $3,925 per person - | | | | ailments, including dementia, was on 17 |
| significantly exceeds that of all other | | | | different medications. Not only did she not |
| nations. Despite this, our current health | | | | know what she was taking or when she did, |
| care system is increasingly failing both | | | | neither did any of her physicians.) Little |
| patients and medical practitioners. Of 13 | | | | wonder pharmaceutical toxicity is one of the |
| nations, the U.S. is last for neonatal and | | | | major factors contributing to medical care |
| infant mortality, last for years of potential | | | | being the leading cause of death in the U.S. |
| life lost, 10th for age-adjusted mortality, | | | | |
| 11th and 12th for female and male life | | | | [Why Modern Medicine is the Greatest Threat |
| expectancy respectively. Chronic | | | | to Health] |
| degenerative diseases - heart disease, | | | | |
| cancer, arthritis, obesity, etc. - are at | | | | Aside from profiteering and marketing, the |
| epidemic levels and create the ideal | | | | most fundamental flaw in the system is |
| long-term customers to grow the medical | | | | philosophical. Doctors and pharmaceutical |
| industry. | | | | companies think about names of diseases and |
| | | | removal of symptoms, not cure or prevention. |
| Looking for a culprit? Consider that | | | | They chase, but the race is rigged so they |
| pharmaceutical company profits are so large | | | | never catch. |
| they outstrip every other American industry | | | | |
| by far. Americans spend over $500 billion on | | | | Enabling such a system to prosper and |
| drugs. The drug companies claim that they | | | | flourish is a public that also has a flawed |
| need large earnings ($124,835,595,000 in | | | | philosophy. They want to live life as they |
| 1999, for example) to conduct their research, | | | | choose, carpe diem, thinking only of |
| but just one of every five dollars the drug | | | | momentary relief, pleasure and convenience. |
| industry collects actually goes to drug | | | | When something goes wrong with their health |
| research. Some drug companies spend twice | | | | they don't want instruction on how to change |
| as much annually for marketing and | | | | lifestyle, but rather want to use the power |
| advertising. From the years 1996 to 2001, | | | | of money (preferably the government's) to buy |
| pharmaceutical companies spent $3 billion on | | | | their way out with a silver drug bullet that |
| consumer advertising. Many of the | | | | immediately takes the problem away. We spend |
| advertised pharmaceuticals are not (contrary | | | | much for dying, little for living. |
| to popular belief) FDA-approved, and the | | | | |
| information contained in the advertisements | | | | American health will continue to slip and our |
| is often misleading and not entirely | | | | economy will continue to be drained by a |
| accurate. Now there is even a new wave of | | | | failing healthcare system until the |
| drugs being marketed to alleviate the side | | | | underlying flawed philosophies are changed. |
| effects of other drugs being marketed (e.g. | | | | Medicine must change from naming diseases and |
| NexiumTM to relieve digestive problems | | | | treating symptoms to prevention and cure. |
| created by pain killers). | | | | Yes, that means the medical care system |
| | | | should be trying to put itself out of |
| Pharmaceutical companies have enormous | | | | business, not create a growth industry of |
| influence on physicians through the billions | | | | illness. |
| of dollars of marketing resources. Drug | | | | |
| companies in the U.S. spend, on average, | | | | On the other hand, people must change by |
| $10,000 each year per physician to influence | | | | taking the responsibility for controlling |
| their behavior through subsidizing studies in | | | | their own health destiny. As it stands, the |
| major journals, aggressive marketing by drug | | | | public has become a pawn of commercial |
| reps (in some instances trained exactly how | | | | medical interests. |
| long to shake a doctor's hand), | | | | |
| advertisements and sponsorship of medical | | | | Ultimately health is something we do to |
| education programs for doctors and medical | | | | ourselves, not something others do to us. |
| residents. (Such support of education and | | | | When that fact is faced, the |
| science subtly brainwashes physicians into | | | | medical-pharmaceutical complex will shrivel |
| thinking symptom-based medicine is sound | | | | to a cottage industry and the public will be |
| knowledge and science as well.) Is it any | | | | the better for it. |
| surprise that two thirds of visits to | | | | |