Baby boomers and offspring have become the most medicated generations in history

June 8, 2006

http://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/22/chris_rock_on_drug_companies.htm

Chris Rock's brilliant stand-up routine includes some riffs on theubiquitous television drug commercials that "keep naming symptoms tillthey get one" that the viewer has.

Even if the ads don't mention what it is the medicine is supposed todo: "You see a lady on a horse or a man in a tub, and they just keepnaming symptoms: 'Are you depressed?' 'Are you lonely?' 'Do your teethhurt?'" Even "'Do you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning?'They got that one!" he adds. "I got that. I'm sick. I need that pill!"

The New York Times quotes Chris Rock as part of its review of GregCritser's new book, Generation RX. This book examines how baby boomersand their offspring have become the most medicated generations inhistory, taking pills that promise to "do everything from guarding usagainst our excesses of drink, food and tobacco, to increasing ourchildren's performance at school, to jump-starting our ownproductivity at work, to extending our very time on this mortal coil."

Critser traces the massive growth of drugs claiming to do everythingto the loosening and speeding up of the regulatory processes that usedto keep the big pharmaceutical companies in check.

As an onslaught of money and lobbyists has made the governmentincreasingly willing to do the bidding of drug companies, and doctorsare similarly besieged with advertising, the barriers between BigPharma and the public have grown thin and porous.

New York Times September 30, 2005 Registration Required

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Chris Rock's routine is right on the money. It's great that the socialcritics like Rock and the muckrakers like Critser are exposing thetruth about what's going on in the drug industry. Sometimes it's soridiculous you just have to laugh.

But it's also a serious issue. For those of you who regularly read mynewsletter, you know that I strongly advise AGAINST using drugs whenpossible. And, though drugs are sometimes appropriate and at times cansave a person's life, most of the time they are unnecessary, harmfuland expensive. The drug companies aren't interested in saving yourlife; they're interested in taking your money.

As Critser points out and Rock implies, drug companies are driven byprofits and have used their power to influence many areas of medicine.What is most unfortunate is that this has resulted in many biasedstudies, which ultimately lead to misleading information to the public.

In addition, health costs are rising through the roof, and shortly wewill be spending over $2 trillion a year for health care in the UnitedStates! It is safe to estimate that over three-fourths of this moneyis wasted on short-term fixes, primarily drugs and surgeries, which inno way address the long-term cause of the problem.

Further, the far-too-cozy relationship between government agencieslike the FDA and major drug companies lets Big Pharma get away withpractically anything they want. This has much to do with why I'm sofocused on my vision of exposing the existing medical paradigm'stechniques, habits and messages that have put your health and that ofthe American public in grave danger.

The key to caring for illnesses is to focus on finding the underlyingcause of the problem. It is possible to maintain total health byavoiding unnecessary drugs and by gaining a comprehensiveunderstanding of good nutrition and proper lifestyle choices. Here aresome general guidelines to achieving good health (without the use ofharmful drugs) that seem to hold true for all people:

* Eliminate sugar and grains * Eat unprocessed, high-quality foods, organic if possible, rightfor your metabolic type * Eat your food as close to raw as possible * Have omega-3 fish oil * Exercise regularly