![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blueheronhealthnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/medications_myths-300x211.jpg\" "\\"medications_myths\\"")
What would you think if you learned that both serious health issues and deaths by ONE health problem almost tripled in seven years? And, if I told you the number serious injuries and deaths went from 35,000 to almost 90,000 people in those seven years?<\/p>\n
This is THREE times more than deaths by car accidents!<\/p>\n
Now if I added that if you take ANY kind of prescription drugs, you\u2019re likely to be a victim of this health problem. And that the medications that are supposed to cure you are the ones causing those deaths.<\/p>\n
I hope by now you\u2019re paying attention because this is the issue of today\u2019s feature article. And I think you have an idea of what we\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n
This issue is no doubt going to raise some serious discussions. I bet many will agree with me while others might curse our opinion. One thing is for sure, it\u2019s going to be lively. So please read on and make your comment below.<\/p>\n
You guessed right, we\u2019re talking about side effects of medications- medications prescribed by regular, well intended doctors like yours. Not the misuse of sleeping pills or illegally obtained doc-in-a-box prescriptions.<\/p>\n
And just to hammer the nail in heavy\u2026 these numbers are from a study conducted from 1998 till 2005. If this continues to rise in the same fashion (and nothing indicates it won\u2019t), we\u2019re looking at 270,000 serious injuries and deaths due to prescription medications in the USA alone in 2012.<\/p>\n
So what is going on?<\/p>\n
Well first of all, Americans (and other nations) are using more medications than ever before. In 1990 Americans spent $45 billion on prescription medications. In 2007 that number had grown to $287 billion (yes $287,000,000,000.00) \u2013 the increase was exponential.<\/p>\n
At the same time, pharmaceutical companies are spending more than ever on advertising and promotions. In 1996 they spent $9 billion and five years later it more than doubled to $19 billion per year. About 85% is spent on promoting to doctors (despite regulations prohibiting ink pens and extravagances) while 15% is in direct marketing to consumers (like TV advertising).<\/p>\n
Oftentimes this budget is used to show doctors other uses for prescription medications outside of what the FDA has approved, called \u2018off-label\u2019 prescribing. This is, of course, not legal but the practice continues. You may remember Pfizer\u2019s settlement of $430 million in 2004 for doing this on a big scale.<\/p>\n
Sometimes this \u201cmarketing approach\u201d has become so successful that it\u2019s considered \u201ccommon knowledge\u201d among doctors. Statin drugs, for example, are only approved by the FDA as treatment for people who have ALLREADY suffered heart attack and have high cholesterol. <\/p>\n
As you know these drugs are massively over-prescribed as \u201cpreventative\u201d for people who have high cholesterol but never suffered a heart attack. This is despite the fact that there is no evidence that Statins have any preventative benefits. If you\u2019re interested in lowering cholesterol naturally, you want to check out our all-natural cholesterol guide here…<\/a><\/p>\n It looks like the pharmaceutical industry has mastered the practice of the old snake oil salesmen promoting ONE magic medicine that\u2019s supposed to treat EVERYTHING. Except, of course, the side effects this medicine creates frequently require another magic bullet.<\/p>\n One would think that with this kind of spending, Americans were the healthiest nation in the world. This is not true. Life expectancy is relatively low in USA compared to other developed countries and the nation is as unhealthy as ever. Obesity type-2-diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure are out of control, plus pretty much any other type of \u201clifestyle disease.\u201d<\/p>\n However, I don\u2019t think we should blame \u201cBig-pharma.\u201d Not even the FDA for lack of regulation or the government for allowing this to happen. Yes, of course these institutes are unethical, ineffective and incompetent. The point is that we have to take responsibility for ourselves.<\/p>\n As Westerners we have developed the mentality, I dare to say Love Addiction, with the medical system. We tend to think that everything should be treated with magical medications and science. <\/p>\n We sit in awe as the TV reporter reveals new genes that have been found to cause high cholesterol, type-2-diabetes, cancer and even obesity and the hope that science will soon develop a \u201ccure\u201d based on those findings. <\/p>\n As we listen, we disregard the common sense voice in our head that the frequency of these diseases has multiplied in the last 30 years while our genes haven\u2019t really changed at all. But our lifestyles have changed drastically.<\/p>\n It\u2019s often because we want the easy way out that the pharmaceutical companies can take advantage. Other times it\u2019s because we\u2019re scared and we don\u2019t know any other way than the medical way.<\/p>\n Taking responsibility for your own health takes both courage and effort. If you want to tackle your type 2 diabetes using Jodi Knapp\u2019s book on Beating Diabetes<\/a> or if you want to tackle Arthritis using our 21 Days Arthritis Plan<\/a>, you may experience a pretty tough month implementing some of the changes needed. It does require some sacrifices and determination. If that\u2019s not worth good health and life without side-effects, then you shouldn\u2019t even start.<\/p>\n