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8 Realizations about Pharmaceuticals
By Todd | September 25, 2007
The rise of technology in medicine is nothing short of remarkable. Western medicine is growing in exponential fashion, and it is seems almost every day new procedures and drugs are released that save people’s lives (and help us live longer). But there are drawbacks, and the purpose of this article is to provide 8 realizations that we must wake up to when delving into the world of prescribed drugs and pharmaceuticals:
1. Pharmaceuticals is a relatively new phenomenon
If you put things in perspective, human beings have been alive and shuffling around this planet for hundreds of thousands of years. Herbal and natural remedies have been around for most of this time and Chinese Medicine techniques have existed for thousands of years. Pharmaceuticals are brand new in the greater scheme of things, and their long-terms effects are still relatively unknown.
2. Drugs do not distinguish individuality
Mass produced drugs are a quick fix solution that interact with our bodies in a one-tract, come-one come-all manner. Dealing with sickness, disorders and disease is most effective when done so on a person-by-person basis.
3. Pharmaceuticals is a Business
Drug companies are some of the most profitable companies in the world. They stay profitable through increasing sales, which means that over time more and more people are buying more and more drugs. We have to become aware that this industry’s primary motivation is for the financial well-being of corporations and not our personal well-being. Ask yourself: when was the last time the medical community announced the cure of a disease? It has not happened in decades as cure does not equal sales of drugs.
4. New Statistics for Health Needed
Respondents to the above argument will focus on how drugs have been integral to the increasing longevity of human beings. But what is missing (and needed) is statistic for longevity while “living with independence, strength and happiness”!
5. Pharmaceuticals lead to more Pharmaceuticals
Drugs lead to more drugs because they are synthetic remedies that ALWAYS cause non-intended inflammation in the body. For some reason, many of us have blind faith that the scientists who create drugs have the ability to develop medications that only treat targeted ailments. The truth is, pharmaceuticals can wreck havoc on systems that were perfectly healthy when you began.
6. Mass use can have unforseen long-term affects on humanity
Pharmaceuticals may never vibe with the endless intricacies of the human body. Over time, the mass implementation of these synthetic chemicals can drastically alter what it means to be human, and even change our genetic code. Our bodies will adapt and persist, but they will be forever altered by the mass introduction of these laboratory-based concoctions.
7. Be Realistic About Physicians
Working with thousands of physicians over the last several years, I can tell you that today’s doctors are under more pressure and scrutiny than almost anyone. They have insurance and reimbursement issues, malpractice worries, technology to learn, massive pharmaceutical influences, and to top it off have less time per patient than ever. When you go to a doctor, keep these facts in mind. Although he/she is most likely a genuine person that is really trying to help you it is necessary to ask the question “how much does this person really understand my situation”? Unfortunately, drugs and pharmaceuticals can be a physician’s easy answer to the declining time they have with patients.
8. Pharmaceutical Industry is Symbolic of Modern Culture
The massive growth of prescribed drug use is very much in-line with the offbeat nature of our culture: it is fast, easy, and a quick-fix solution that relieves individual responsibility. Furthermore, the commercialization of drugs is clear sign that money and power are what perpetuate it. These new, synthetic, and mass produced cures (that rarely cure anything) are ingrained in our culture because they are profitable business.
In conclusion, although there is certainly a place for technological advances in medicine and wonderful uses for drug treatments, our culture has taken it way too far. Isn’t it time we asked ourselves: do we really want these dangerous chemicals being such a common part of every day life? More sustainable answers lie in 1) alternative and holistic medicine; 2) prevention; 3) making more informed choices about drug treatments when necessary and 4) taking responsibility for our own health!
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Topics: Alternative and Holistic Healing, Business, Health, Uncategorized |
[…] 8 Realizations about Pharmaceuticals […]
Posted by: 10 Simple Ways to NEVER Get Sick Again on October 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 am[…] • Western physicians are influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, while holistic doctors have virtually no interaction with drug companies. A holistic doctor may offer herbs, vitamins, or some form of physical activity as a treatment. For information about the potential dangers of pharmaceuticals, please read my article 8 Realizations About the Pharmaceutical Industry. […]
Posted by: Advantages of holistic doctors and alternative techniques over Western medicine on October 10th, 2007 at 9:14 amI agree with a lot of your points (e.g. #1, 2, 4, 7, 8). Unfortunately, there’s also a lot of baloney, to be blunt.
Agreed so far. But then you continue:
Meaning what - that pharma could cure diseases if they wanted to, but they don’t? That they purposely ignore and/or suppress cures?
Sorry, that’s conspiracy talk. The easy diseases to cure - like many bacterial and viral infections - were cured decades ago by antibiotics and vaccines. What’s left now are the hard things. That’s the real reason you don’t hear many new cures.
Besides, how many diseases have the herbalists, naturopaths, or accupuncturists effectivelly cured? Exactly none, that I know of.
Sorry, no. Every drug does not cause inflammation.
Maybe you mean that all drugs can have side effects of some kind? That’s certainly true. But it’s true of herbal medicines as well. It’s even true of water. (And I don’t mean drowning; drinking too much water too fast can literally kill you.)
Yes, patients need to understand that drugs can have side effects. But you imply this is a problem specific to pharmaceuticals, as opposed to ‘alternative medicines.’ That’s just not true.
It doesn’t matter if a chemical is ‘natural’ or ’synthetic.’ (And make no mistake, herbal concoctions are most certainly chemicals.) If you put enough of it in your body, it will hurt you. All medicines, conventional or ‘alternative,’ can wreak havoc if used improperly.
Now you’re really off the rails.
If gene therapy ever works, and if we start using it widely for enhancement, that might alter what it means to be human. Eventually.
But for today’s pharmaceuticals, this is just hogwash.
Posted by: qetzal on November 8th, 2007 at 12:56 am