Skip to main content

It's not called for-profit health care for no reason

I've been told on occasion by a doctor friend of mine, after one of my posts about how poorly or depressed I'm feeling, that I should take an anti-depressant. As most of you [should] know, I have always staunchly refused to do so, but not because I didn't think they worked. It's because I felt it wasn't necessary, could do more harm than good, and I could deal with such feelings better without them.

And after watching last nights 60 Minutes, I feel vindicated in my approach. There now appears to be some evidence not only supporting my belief, but also casting doubts on the efficacy of anti-depressant drugs.

But why this should come as a surprise to anyone is beyond me.

I have constantly been preaching on the ineffectiveness of vitamins and supplements, and how you can't boost your immune system. I've always believed it is simply a scam perpetrated by the vitamin and supplement industry to separate you from your hard earned money. Everything you need to maintain proper health and nutrition is available in it's natural state.

So why should drugs be any different?

In a 'for-profit' health care system, with so much money involved, and so much time to bring new drugs to market, there will always be the incentive to skew results in the pharmaceutical industry's favor, highlighting the good results, and sweeping the bad results under the carpet.

So it's not surprising the pharmaceutical industry is fighting tooth and nail to dispel the [compelling] research of Dr. Kirsch, after all this is an $11.3 billion industry, and could put a serious crimp in the profits of the pharmaceutical industry. But regardless of the final outcome, this should be a wake up call, and a learning lesson to everyone.

BE SKEPTICAL OF EVERYTHING! (And not just in the health care arena.) Don't be fooled by special interests, who appear authentic and concerned, but are truly only looking out for their best interests, and their bottom lines.
Labels:

Comments

Kim said…
I took an antidepressant once to quit smoking. It was called Zyban and it was awful for me. My doctor said it was because I wasn't depressed but I thought it made me stupid. I hated it. I've never taken one since. I will however, take a Xanax if I feel stressed. I'm not anti-pill, just anti-antidepressant (for me) and anti-antibiotic (for my kids). I can only think of one time per child when they NEEDED an antibiotic in 22 years, so I just took the prescription and threw it away when I got home. It wasn't worth arguing with the doctor about.
8:59 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more