Selling Fear and Sickness

[Guest guest]

http://www.mercola.com/2005/sep/29/selling_fear_and_sickness.htm

 

Selling Fear and Sickness

 

 

This revealing article explains how drug companies promote a system

that does not cure disease so much as it promotes sickness -- it has

now progressed to the point that sickness has been redefined so that

drugs can be sold to people who are actually healthy.

 

Expanding the Definitions

 

The article describes how this works by examining how disease is

managed in large populations. Medical conditions are defined by a set

of numbers, and if the range of those numbers is broadened even

slightly, a population of millions can suddenly become " diseased. "

 

For example, if your blood pressure is above a certain number, you're

officially diseased, but if it is below that, you're considered

healthy. But this number is determined by consensus in the medical

community rather than exact science, and therefore can be influenced

by companies with long purse strings.

 

The Culture of Fear

 

The article also examines the role drug companies play in the creation

and promotion of " trendy " diseases, and the way effective but free

treatments such as exercise have been replaced in the public mind with

more expensive therapies.

 

In particular, the piece looks at the culture of fear that drives

medical advertising.

 

Some additional interesting facts presented in the article:

 

* Drug companies now spend more than $5.5 billion to promote drugs

to doctors -- more than what all U.S. medical schools spend to educate

medical students

* Major drug companies employ about 90,000 sales representatives

-- one for every 4.7 doctors in the United States

* The total pharmaceutical marketing budget is $25 billion

* Drug firms have spent $800 million since 1998 buying influence,

including $675 million on direct lobbying of Congress. No other

interest group has spent more money to sway public policy

 

GoAnimal.com 2005

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

The mega-drug companies have created such a media spin on you and your

family that cartoon characters like Digger, the " mascot " for Lamisil,

are considered entertainment. It's just one of the many ways drug

companies have made it easier and comfortable for you to accept

whatever nonsense they claim in their ads is completely safe and

completely true.

 

As the definition of " disease " expands bit by bit -- all at the

prompting of drug companies and with guidance from the FDA -- so does

the market for designer drugs that may be completely worthless and

dangerous for your health.

 

And, as this article describes, the flip side of the happy,

cartoon-image " promotional " coin is the selling of fear. They want you

to feel frightened for your health, as that is a very powerful

motivating emotion. The goal of the campaign is to create a picture

where relying on them for the solution (to the issue they made you

fearful of) is necessary. This creates a dependency and annuity that

enriches their bottom line.

 

It's all part and parcel of the conventional medical machine designed

to promote diseases rather than treat them. The ongoing mission of

this Web site is to overturn this monopoly that's sickened America as

well as the rest of the world, and show patients better, safer, and

far less expensive methods to treat their illnesses.

 

If conventional medicine truly worked the way it should, prescribing a

drug for a disease condition would be one of many tools a physician

would use, just not the only one ...

 

Related Articles:

 

Aggressive Drug Marketing is Blamed For Inappropriate Use of

Painkillers

 

Increased Spending on Drugs is Linked to More Advertising

 

Are TV Ads for Drugs Soon to be a Thing of the Past?