Not sure if this will surprise you or not. I was actually rather taken aback.
Almost HALF of Americans are on some sort of prescription drug.
Right now. This very minute!
This includes children by the way, it’s not just adults.
Americans are truly a drugged up nation yet thorough examination of the situation reveals that most prescription drugs only work for 30% of the people for which they are originally intended!
The most popular drug prescribed by doctors is by far antidepressants although these drugs work no better than a placebo. Even “talk therapy” was found to work 20% more effectively than antidepressants in clinical trials.
Why are half of doctors (by their own admission) routinely prescribing drugs they know won’t work and despite the fact that 85% of new drugs hitting the market have been found through research to provide little to no benefit to their patients?
Psychiatrists, for example, earn twice as much when they prescribe drugs instead of therapy for their patients.
It’s easy to point the finger at Big Pharma and corporate greed in general as the cause of America’s drug woes. The fact is that many doctors are complicit and just as guilty. If doctors refused to go along with the drug companies’ shenanigans, the game would be over tomorrow.
Big Pharma has your doc’s back though. $7 Billion was paid out by the pharmaceutical industry between 2007 and 2010 for lawsuits where doctors were actually paid to prescribe drugs for unapproved uses.
Insist on the 10 Year Rule
The best way to protect yourself from falling victim to unnecessary prescription use is to question when a doctor writes you a script rather than dutifully filling it without a second thought which is what most people do.
Do you really need this drug? Would wiser lifestyle choices result in a better outcome long term? Would herbs or natural therapies produce the same improvements without any risk of toxic side effects?
If you do feel that you need the drug for whatever reason, be sure to research it yourself and determine whether it is really as effective as marketed. A good rule of thumb is to insist that your doctor only prescribe you a drug that has been on the market for at least 10 years. This is the rule my father used when prescribing for his patients and he never felt like he was being overcautious in his approach.
By using the 10 year rule, he knew it was highly unlikely his patients would turn out to be guinea pigs for the drug companies and that the drugs his patients did take under his guidance would most likely work as he anticipated given that they had been on the market for awhile.
What is your doctor’s drug prescribing philosophy? It might be worth your while to ask a few questions and find out.
You just might be surprised.
Hint: If they don’t have one, run!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I have been prescribed so many pills that I got very sick. I went to the ER and the doctor found that I was prescribed too many pills. I stopped them and went to my doctor and she only told me to take two of them. I am an herbalist, I did my home remedies and my blood pressure and cholesterol went down. Thyroids are normal and have lost weight. I am now working on diabetes, and hearing problems caused by a sinus infection and other ailments. I had to find an ear, nose and throat clinic because doctor did not know of any.
Dear Concern Troll,
Are YOU aware that the image posted above is what we call a stock photo that is available for purchase by anyone who wants to use it and that the photo was SET UP/STAGED? i.e. that’s NOT a real person’s name/prescription, it’s just made to look that way for the photo.
Doctors or no longer doctors they are upscale drug pushers.
Right, we need to do more research and do something about it
I am so angry at all of my Doctors. They have neglected their Duty of Care and my health has suffered as a result. A lot of this has been avoidable if only the doctor had made a suggestion
.
I started getting a sore throat a year ago. This just got worse with time. I saw doctor after doctor and received pill after pill. Even when I saw the specialist they simply prescribed Anti-biotics, nasal sprays, anti-inflammatory medications, anti depressants (lexapro 10mg every time) and many more.
Never once did someone ask me what I was eating, how often I exercised or about any of the stresses potentially impacting on my health. They only asked if I smoked or drank. (Which is just about the worst thing you can do – it’s all made by the government and packed full of toxic chemicals)
I figured it out on my own without any degree.
My throat started hurting all the time, the pain was beginning to be unbearable and it was consuming my every waking moment.
It was the gift of a blender and a small quote saying I needed to get rid of something I didn’t want to let go of.
So I cut back on the processed, additive and preservative filled drinks and snacks I had been over-indulging in and started eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables.
I blended them all up as well to make it easier to eat all that healthy stuff. And I made sure I got enough sleep, rested and worked out a little each day. I stopped smoking that one cigarette a day and removed the small amount of alcohol I was consuming. And I scrapped the anti-depressants that were zombifying me.
The first sip of my fruit smoothie was the first one I’d had in weeks without being in pain, and still today it’s the only drink I can drink freely without any pain sneaking up on me.
These blended up fruits and veg may have just saved my life.
The pain is just about gone and it’s only been a week.
I am so angry that no one ever bothered to ask me these questions or even in an off hand comment recommend to eat a little healthier.
And it’s all so they can make more money.
My health, my life; it means little to nothing to them and you’ll all be a lot healthier (and happier) 🙂 when you stop relying on them and their drugs and start making basic lifestyle changes.
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