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The Media are no help in Health

Why Do We Ignore The Obvious?By Walt Edwards It's an interesting subject to ponder while we are daily being bombarded by the media (newspaper, television, magazines, etc.) with their sales pitches or what they are pushing. It could be politics, products or services. The obvious would be the paid advertisements, but the more subtle message comes in the story being expressed by the various Media representatives or the biases research being paid for by some company or corporation that wants us to believe their product is superior to others on the market. Americans give millions of public and private dollars to organizations that seek cures for serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other serious ailments. We have no idea how the funds are being spent and if the most competent research group is allotted the contract to conduct the research. A conflict of interest may effect the research results. In addition, a sizable portion of the money is wasted in advertising, administration and mailing for additional donations for what ever cause is involved. A significant portion of our taxes fund highway patrol officers, firefighters, safety inspectors and others devoted to protect us citizens. Billions of dollars have been spent over the past decade fighting the war against illegal drugs with little to no success. Many years ago, we also lost the battle to outlaw the addictive drug ALCOHOL which costs us millions in medical, family abuse, time lost on the job, accidents and lives lost. We ignore or we are reluctant to face a significant threat to our health and well being -- the real drug problem in this country. Prescription drug related deaths in this country which are over 200,000 lost lives per year. These numbers make legal drugs the third leading cause of death in America. Only heart disease and cancer claim more lives. It is ignored by the government and the news media. A professional athlete died, this year, while playing a baseball game. They found a bottle of supplements containing ephedra in his locker. The news media took up the cause of the danger of using the herb ephedra. The fact that his blood contain no ephedra, that he had high blood pressure and liver problems, the label of the bottle warned NOT TO TAKE if suffering from HBP or liver problems, plus he was wearing a sweat suit in the hot sun. The state of California has recently ordered the removal of ephedra for sale. A suspicious minded person might think the pharmaceutical industry had something to do with it. The multi-billion dollar drug companies have penetrated our society to such a degree that we've come to depend on drugs as the answer for everything that ails us. Through out a physicians early training is the magic bullet concept to treat the patients symptoms. The research generated by the pharmaceutical industry lists those drugs to be used. If the doctor doesn't use the recommended drug he can be charged with illegal treatment. The magic bullet concept also appeals to the public. It relieves them of the responsibility for their own health and provides immediate solution for their problem. More than three billion prescriptions were written in the U.S. in 1999. In 1998, Americans between the ages of 65 and 75 received an average of 11 prescriptions; those over 75 received an average of 13. There are NO studies to demonstrate what occurs when several drugs are mixed, and NO one, and I mean NO one can predict what will happen in the long run. There are thousands of these drug and treatment catastrophes that happen each day and the public is never informed. You can choose to do nothing or take responsibility for your own health, be prepared to ask questions, be aware of your treatment, be concerned if your doctor is reluctant answer your questions, ask if there any alternative treatment drugs and be sure to do your own drug investigation for side effects or any conflict with other drugs you may be taking. Did You Know... Half of the 100 million prescriptions written for antibiotics each year are unnecessary, and contrary to popular belief, prescription drug ads on television are not pre-approved by the FDA. [MORE] Thought For The Day... Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy. Where there is Self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience and renewed strength. Where there is fear, I wish you love and courage. Last, but not least, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a healthy Happy New Year!