How Big Pharma Ruins Medicine

The large pharmaceutical companies–Big Pharma–control medicine in the U.S. And they stand between us and good medical care.

Let’s be blunt about it. Big Pharma is all about money. First, last and always, it’s about the money. They dress it up with talk about the frontiers of science, conquering disease, improving life, etc., but it’s not about any of these things. It’s about money.

Big Pharma rakes in big, big bucks. And they lavish it around to buy the assurance that a large stream of big bucks will continue to flow through the pipeline.

First, Big Pharma, with help from politicians, has totally corrupted the Food and Drug Administration. Lackies to Big Pharma, the FDA has next to zero interest in John Q. Public–that is, you and me. And they depend on our lack of knowledge to conceal their depredations.

Second, Big Pharma controls medical schools with endowments, plush jobs for go-along administrators, etc. Med schools teach what Big Pharma wants taught.

For instance, med schools teach that Armour thyroid, the natural, desiccated thyroid medication that has proved its worth for more than 100 years is unreliable, and any doctor who prescribes it is obviously out of touch with science. This nonsense turns truth on its head, but it’s taught as gospel. And med school professors continue on to laud Synthroid as the thyroid medication of choice. Now that facts are that Synthroid is unreliable, has no science to back it up and no record of success.

But med students, bless their hearts, think they’re being taught the truth. And it takes some serious intervention to dislodge that misinformation.

One doctor, David Brownstein, MD, did everything med school taught him to do as he treated his dying father. And his father got worse. In desperation, Dr. Brownstein looked beyond what he had been taught–and found truth. His father went on to live for many more happy years. Most doctors, though, don’t have such a strong motivation, so they continue as true believers..

But why stop with med schools? Maintaining a medical license requires continuing education, so Big Pharma provides it–in exotic, luxurious locations. Taught by prestigious names in the medical field–bought and paid for by Big Pharma, of course–who repeat the pro-Big Pharma lessons of med school. All at no cost to the cosseted, fawned-upon doctors who lap it up. No tacky university lecture halls for them, thank you very much.

And still the beat goes on! Big Pharma has armies of sales reps–called by many high-sounding titles. Heaven forfend they carry the crass sounding “sales” as part of their moniker. They provide a constant presence in doctors’ offices–to cement the med school mantra: “Big Pharma is your friend.”

They deliver lunch for the doctor, at no cost, of course. Leave behind pens, pencils, prescription pads, laptop computers, office software systems, sample drugs and on and on. Anything to keep the gravy train going.

Here’s where it all comes down. A doctor committed to Big Pharma cannot be simultaneously committed to you. Look for signs of Big Pharma’s influence. Some are obvious. A closed-circuit TV in a doctor’s office is prima facie evidence they’re hook, line and sinker committed to Big Pharma. Run for your life.

In the olden days, people who sold themselves for money and perks were called a variety of demeaning, negative names, but that’s how medicine works these days. “Harlots Are Us,” if you’ll permit a Biblical reference.

And things continue downhill.

One push for Big Pharma nowadays is stacking State Medical Boards with their bought-and-paid-for hacks so doctors have no choice but to do Big Pharma’s bidding. At least, if they want to keep their medical license, they don’t.

Another is working with the World Health Organization to make it illegal around the world to buy natural remedies–vitamins, minerals, etc. With alternative medicine growing by leaps and bounds as people fed up with the nostrums of standard medicine join its ranks, Big Pharma plans to destroy the whole shebang.

We are in a war. Not of our choosing, to be sure, but a war none-the-less.

Don’t lose by default. We need health tea parties. On-line activity. Letters to politicians. Involvement in the various community organizations. In sum, since it seems to be the only way to create change nowadays, we need to make noise.

The life you save may be your own.

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