Here are three secrets the drug companies capitalize on:
1. The FDA does not test drugs
The FDA is the governmental agency that reviews food and drugs for public consumption and safety. Notice that I said "review" not test. The responsibility for drug testing lies with the drug company itself (the company selling the product and profiting from its use). The results are then reviewed by the FDA to determine if the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks. Thousands of these drugs that have been determined to be "safe" have been recalled due to adverse reactions and serious health implications. This brings into question the efficacy of the FDA and pharmaceutical companies, but that is a whole different topic entirely.
However, our society is not innocent. We want instant gratification and that is what medication gives us. The only reason many of the drug companies are at the top of the Fortune 500 is because they have fulfilled this niche with their medications. Please understand that we will never improve our health as individuals and as a nation with that mindset. Big Pharma companies will continue to capitalize until we change our thinking. Sickness takes time to develop and so does health and healing. Take the time to build your health!
2. Drugs are for Disease Management not Health Restoration
If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), you can obtain any number of medications that can bring your blood pressure into a normal range. However, if you do nothing to change the cause of your high blood pressure (i.e. poor nutrition, lack of exercise, high stress, spinal subluxations), then the medication becomes a management for hypertension and does nothing to restore health. That is a great business model for the pharmaceutical companies, because the more diseases you manage with medication, the more money they make. They don't make money if you find out how to get healthy and stay healthy, because healthy people do not take medication.
3. Drugs lead to more drugs
This statement isn't rocket science. All you have to do is turn on the TV and listen to all the side effects of all the advertised medications. (By the way, did you know that the US and New Zealand are the only two nations in the world that allow advertising for medication.) If you take a medication and experience side effects, do you think the drug company may have another medications to help suppress those side effects? It would be bad business if they didn't. Now your one medication, turns into 2, 4, and 8. Before you know it, you are one of the statistics - 50% of people over age 65 that take more than 5 medications daily.
Saving Lives vs Healthy Living
Please understand that there are thousands of medications and medical procedures that save lives every day. However, there are also hundreds of thousands of people that die every year due to the adverse reactions of their medications. There is a difference between saving a life and restoring health. Medicine specializes in saving lives, but there are many other professions outside of medicine that seek to restore health. Chiropractic is one of those professions.
As I tell all my patients, NEVER go off any medication without discussing it with your prescribing physician. However, I also explain to all my patients that you will never be as healthy as you could be while managing a disease with medication. The pharmaceutical companies have made billions of dollars saving lives and managing diseases with their products, but ultimately our health is our own responsibility. The pharmaceutical companies will continue to capitalize on their ingenious business plan until we start taking our health responsibilities seriously.
Abundant blessings,
Dr. Dan
Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Find more information at his website. Follow him on facebook and twitter.
