Bet you can't take just one

Lately I've noticed a another disturbing trend in drug commercials ads. Apparently getting people to take one drug for each "malady" just isn't enough. Tonight, during an hour long program, I saw two different ads for drugs to fix problems not already being fixed by the first drug.

I would think if a drug isn't taking care of whatever issue someone may have, they would stop taking it and try something else. I can't imagine adding another drug, with it's own side effects, would be the answer. I also can't believe a doctor would allow this either. I thought the "do no harm" thing was taken pretty seriously.

On the other hand, with the millions that Big Pharm dedicate to buying doctors, I can see the Hippocratic Oath going out the window. Apparently "oath" doesn't mean what it used to, if it ever did. Of course Big Pharm doesn't really care about our health, just the bottom line.

Here's hoping our new executive wunderkind can see this problem when he "fixes" our health care...

Fewer reboots of the OOS required

The other day there was yet another pharmacuetical commercial that I had to chuckle at. It's for some birth control that also inhibits a woman's period to once a quarter. Sounds great right? Going from 12+ to only 4 times a year, terrific.

What got me was the "Side effects may include blood clots, stroke and heart attack."

Um, excuse me?!? Being male, I know I'm treading in dangerous waters here, and I can only imagine what the difficulties of the menstrual cycle can be. However, is it really so bad to be willing to risk death?!?!

I would be worried about being killed in my sleep for wondering this, but I know there's only one woman that reads this. Fortunately she's also pretty cool, at least I hope so...

and NOW a warning?

The other night yet another commercial for a drug made me chuckle. It was for an arthritis medicine that I won't name. What amused me about this was that the ad didn't waste time telling me how great it was. No, it spent 60 seconds telling me that the benefits out-weigh the risks involved in taking it.

Obviously the side effects are serious and have been causing hesitation to take this particular drug. Any drug that needs to take that much time trying to convince me to not worry about the serious side effects, I don't need.

Have I mentioned I hate pharmaceutical companies?

Pharm aid

OK, so fair warning. This post is more ranting about Big Pharm. Feel free to change the channel. Ranting will begin in 3....2......1.

Last month the Nursing Online Education Database published the "25 shocking facts about the Pharamaceutical Industry". Among these are such interesting facts as:

• The price of drugs is increasing faster than any other form of "health care". Some drugs have a mark up of over 1000 percent over the cost of ingredients.
• Big Pharm spends twice as much on marketing than research. This isn't that shocking to anyone that sits through commercials every night.
• Most drug reps have no science or medical education - just sales training.
• The combined wealth of the top 5 Big Pharm out weighs the Gross National Product of all sub-Saharan African countries. While I'll grant you that this area is arguably the poorest in the world, the fact that 5 companies are bigger than some 32 countries is staggering!
  
• Robert Jarvik isn't a doctor! Lipitor's number one spokesman (also the inventor of the artificial heart) leads people to believe he's a doctor in the ad which means he knows what he's talking about. Nice...
• New drugs are just recycled or modified drugs of the past. Two thirds of all drugs approved by the FDA are identical or simple modifications of drugs released earlier.
  
• Merck & Co has no problem destroying people who dare to speak against them. Dr. Eric Topol showed that the painkiller Vioxx actually increased herat disease in patients, and was kicked off the Board of Governors of his clinic in Cleveland.

Anyway, I know I'm beating a dead horse. But I really hate Big Pharm. My most recent favorite ad? It's for some nasal decongestant with side effects "bleeding from the nose and nasal cavities, sinus infections and possible eye damage. Make sure to have you eyes checked out regularly."

Sure I'd much rather have bleeding sinuses and blindness than a frakking stuffy nose.

W....T....F....

Asthmatic irony

A few nights ago watching TV, I chuckled at yet another pharmaceutical ad. It was for some asthma medicine, I have no idea which one. I suppose even if I did, I would say I didn't remember for fear of the Pharma Cartel sending a "representative" to either sue me or break my fingers.

Anyway, this ad's "small print" was that it contained a drug that has been known to cause "asthmatic death".

The hell? Talk about the cure being worse than the disease...

Drugged out

A few mights ago I started (and finished) a book recommended to me by my mother. It's called The Pandora Prescription, by James Sheridan. It's a book that supposedly went through a lot of banning troubles before it was published. I say supposedly because there's a lot of talk that the "banning" was merely a publicity stunt. While I can see this, it doesn't diminish the facts the book presents. I was told that the book was originally a non-fiction book that no one would publish. In order to get publishing, the author rewrote it as a fictional story. What I find interesting as that googling the book pulls a lot of sites that have been suspended or removed. However, this is possibly part of the "publicity stunt".

The book is about a medical conspiracy that's been happening for over 50 years. A compound called Laetrile was developed in the mid-1950s that showed promise of being an effective treatment for cancer. Laetrile is a processed version of a substance found in fruit seeds, namely apricots. This leads the pharmaceutical companies to cover it up, since no one can patent a fruit seed, and no money can be made from it.

The book is interesting (which led me to read it in one night), but not well written. The facts that are presented are very thought provoking, which is the main point of this post. It's painfully obvious though, that the book was meant to be non-fictional. The characters and writing are extremely forced. It's also apparent that the publishing house is in desperate need of a editor that knows English as their primary language. Many times I'd have to reread a sentence because it didn't make sense, only to realize a couple of key words were missing. There were misspellings, spaces missing between words and improper punctuation. If this was truly meant as a fictional adventure, I'd have burned the book. However, all of these "mistakes" lend more credibility to the facts presented. Again, it was obviously meant to be a different book.

And now for my rant. The cancer industry employs more people than that have or die from cancer. It's a multi billion dollar industry. It's no wonder that they would want a "magic bullet" cure covered up. The pharmaceutical industry is the leading powerhouse behind most cancer "research". Which seems like a conflict of interest to me, if cancer is cured, that's a huge chunk of most pharmaceutical companies income. What CEO would lose sleep over a few million deaths if it meant a higher profit margin for themselves and their stockholders? Not many.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a true conspiracy nut. I do, however, think it's naive to take the government at it's word. The FDA and AMA are constantly under fire for shady practices, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least that they're heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies. When was the last time you watched TV (without Tivo Dr H) and didn't see an ad for some miracle drug or another? Cholesterol drugs have been shown for a while to cause more damage than they help, yet there are half a dozen different cholesterol drugs marketed to us every night.

The bottom line is that while I can't say that I believe everything that this book presents, I believe a lot of it. Just like the oil companies, the pharmaceutical cartel doesn't care about fixing us. It's about selling a drug that covers up the symptoms, that also happen to cause other "side effects" that can be "fixed" with more drugs. BRILLIANT!

End of rant, thank you for your time...