Commerce or coercion?

[Guest guest]

This guy thinks that he is so very knowing, but I don't consider him a

very smart man. He sees a very small part of the problem and thinks

that it is all, brags about it for years and never gets beyond it. He

rails against the drug companies as the big evil but is so very timid

when it comes to looking with open eyes at the AMA and 99% of the

doctors in the USA, the crooked government agencies, the crooked

politicians and especially his beloved crooked right wing poiticians. F.

 

 

 

" WC Douglass " <realheath

 

 

Commerce or coercion?

Mon, 18 Oct 2004 09:11:23 -0400

 

Daily Dose

 

Monday October 18, 2004

 

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The bones of the drug-marketing issue

 

I've been railing for a long time about how drug marketing causes

an increase in the diagnosis of illness. Slick, prime-time TV

commercials for this drug or that one spiel off vague lists of

symptoms that almost everyone suffers from to try and prompt

folks into self-diagnosis. After that, their invitations to " Ask your

doctor for more information about (insert disease-of-the-day here)

and NEW (insert drug-of-the-moment here) " spur people who

didn't even know they were sick to flock to their doctors…

 

By then, it's all over but the prescription writing.

 

Recently, an Associated Press article really hammered home to me

just how effective drug marketing can be. According to the article,

data from 2003 shows that osteoporosis diagnoses have increased

SEVENFOLD since 1994. Doctor visits for the condition have

jumped nearly 5 times over the same period.

 

Now I realize that osteoporosis had indeed become more common

as an ailment over this period (largely because of the vilification of

sunshine) — but 7 times over in just 9 years? That's coercive drug

marketing at work and nothing more. Need proof? The AP story

states how the increase in osteoporosis diagnoses has conveniently

coincided with the high-profile releases of new drugs to treat the

condition in 1995, 1997, and 1998.

 

Now do you see how the drug business fuels the " increase " in

certain diseases?

 

This same thing is happening with all sorts of other conditions. I'd

love to see similar statistics on the boom in diagnoses of

depression, ADD, asthma, high cholesterol, and erectile

dysfunction over the last decade. These are all diseases

aggressively targeted by drug marketing — and they all have

increased stratospherically in the last ten years.

 

That's not to say that these diseases aren't prevalent, or that a

certain number of the cases being diagnosed aren't legitimate. It's

just that drug ads have us all convinced that if we're not operating

at our absolute pain-free peak every waking moment, we must be

" sick " and in need of medication. Remember, as we age, it's

perfectly normal to get the blues every once in while, or to

experience some aches and pains, congestion, or occasional

challenges in the bedroom. It doesn't mean you need a

prescription.

 

In fact, if you're suffering from any of these things (and more),

there are effective alternatives to drugs. That's especially the case

with osteoporosis. Keep reading…

 

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Fooling fractures with folate

 

As I said above, just because " Big Pharma " is fanning the flames

of osteoporosis diagnosis doesn't mean that the condition isn't

prevalent or increasing in frequency. It just means that drug

companies have found a way to position themselves as the solution

to the problem.

 

But recent evidence shows that some natural substances — certain

B vitamins, to be specific — can be quite effective (as effective as

prescriptions drugs, I'll wager) in preventing the most common

effects of osteoporosis: Broken bones.

 

According to a recent ABC News online item (reprinted from the

Associated Press), a European report found a positive association

between the occurrence of osteoporosis-related bone fractures and

blood levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, long known to

cause an increased risk of heart disease. The research showed that

both men and women with homocysteine levels in the top 25% of

subjects endured twice as great a risk of fractures as those in the

lowest 25% bracket. A U.S. study yielded this same finding. The

research couldn't pinpoint why homocysteine contributed to

fractures, but some theorize that the amino acid interferes with

chemical bonds in bone tissue.

 

So what's the best way to naturally slash your homocysteine (along

with your heart disease and osteoporosis risk)? Good old folate, or

folic acid, a B vitamin of the most powerful order. There are three

" Bs " that have been found necessary in the control of

homocysteine: B12, B6 and of course folate. Besides

supplementation (always a good idea), certain fruits like apricots

and cantaloupes are high in folate — broccoli and other " green

leafies " are, too, but don't overdo it. You should also make sure

you're getting plenty of dairy products (preferably raw) and nuts

like almonds and peanuts.

 

Fringe benefits of consuming plenty of full-fat milk and cheese are

calcium and Vitamin D, both known to aid in osteoporosis

prevention. And for goodness sakes, get out in the sun! There's

nothing like sunshine for boosting vitamin D levels (not to mention

your mood).

 

 

Conversing, not coercing,

 

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

 

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