"Reckless Medicine" -- Discover magazine article

[JGeropoulas]

You might want to grab a current issue of Discover magazine from the news-stand, and review their excellent article entitled, “Reckless Medicine.” It’s full of data confirming American health-care has been seriously “infected” by deception and greed:

"Research shows, if patients understand the lack of evidence for effectiveness, and the risks of treatments, they would make different decisions than their doctors."
 
“Less than half the surgeries, drugs, and tests that doctors recommend have been proven effective”!
 
“87%  of drug researchers and writers receive funding from the pharmaceutical industry.”
 
“More than 770,000 Americans are injured or die each year from drug side-effects.”
 
“Two drug reps were praised in a company memo for being ‘quite brilliant’ for sending their physicians
 sight-seeing during a presentation about low-cost safer alternatives to their product”
 
“Giving patients care they don’t need, and not giving them care they do need, accounts for 30% the U.S. spends annually on healthcare”
 
Only 1% of the National Institutes Of Health’s budget goes to research for comparing drug effectiveness, while 99% goes to pharmaceutical companies for development of new drugs!  
 
“Most doctors are trained to memorize data, not analyze scientific data…or to think critically”
 
— Dean of University of California at Davis Medical School

[Hithere]

This is an important article, and not readily available on the net exept here (so far);

 _http://discover.coverleaf.com/discovermagazine/201011/m2/Page.action?lm=1285950004000&pg=67.

There is not nearly enough focus on this angle on the medical profession, and it is a BIG problem. In my country, 8% of the beds in hospital are occupied by patients admitted because of side effects of prescribed drugs.
The pharmaceuticals invest big in having charming representatives when they present their new product; always friendly, drilled in presenting their product in the most favourable way, even if this means downplaying evidence of another drug being more effective.
You have to be alert to arrest them during the sales pitch in order to get them to admit that they are twisting the facts. They never get embarrased when this occurs, and are obviously drilled for this eventuality.
The most probable explanation for the allocation of resources towards having manipulative/charming representatives selling their product, is of course that it works.
In my country there are now regulations against how much the pharmaceuticals are allowed to spend on doctors in order to sell their product, but still they try to invite to seminars and be the long lost friend you never met before.

This causes a LOT of unnecessary prescriptions based on poor evidence presented by yer charming big pharma representative, and is a problem that doesn' get nearly enough attention in the media.

[aleana]

In my country there are now regulations against how much the pharmaceuticals are allowed to spend on doctors in order to sell their product, but still they try to invite to seminars and be the long lost friend you never met before.

This causes a LOT of unnecessary prescriptions based on poor evidence presented by yer charming big pharma representative, and is a problem that doesn' get nearly enough attention in the media.

I know someone who is an RN in a non-profit cancer hospital.  They are now taking steps to prevent drug reps from having as much access to the doctors and nurses.  As an example, the reps used to treat all the RN’s to lavish dinners at expensive restaurants as a “teaching seminar”. That has been stopped by the hospital - but I suspect that is just a small concession and no doubt the reps are busy finding other ways to maintain their toehold.

The really disheartening thing is the complete lack of knowledge about diet and nutrition that my friend has - and this is someone who has a direct affect on patient outcomes!!  I do discuss supplements and diet/nutrition with her when it seems appropriate - but it sometimes seems pointless. Although - who knows, maybe something I say will make a difference somewhere - ya never know!!   Maybe these kinds of discussions with friends can make some small dent in the medical ignorance - gotta try anyway!!

[manitoban]

The really disheartening thing is the complete lack of knowledge about diet and nutrition that my friend has - and this is someone who has a direct affect on patient outcomes!!  I do discuss supplements and diet/nutrition with her when it seems appropriate - but it sometimes seems pointless. Although - who knows, maybe something I say will make a difference somewhere - ya never know!!   Maybe these kinds of discussions with friends can make some small dent in the medical ignorance - gotta try anyway!!

Yeah, it really is disheartening.  I've had similar experiences with people in the medical profession and they generally have absolutely no knowledge of the effect of diet on health.  And what's worse, because they are so called experts, people are more inclined to listen to them.  One that I know insists on her son drinking gallons of milk every day because she believes that milk is the healthiest food around.  Not surprising the boy has developed asthma, allergies and so on. 

I do think you are right, even though they may not listen, we can drop info here and there when we get a chance, and at the very least we are  planting a seed that might some day bear fruit. 

[Thor]

I agree that it is like banging your head against a brick wall. It doesn't matter how much I quote some of the research that IS available. People will rather listen to a doctor than to someone on the lunatic fringe like me.

However, what I have found is that if something works people are willing to listen. I have a chronic lower back problem that has prevented me from working for the past three-and-a-half years since surgery. With the things I have learned on this forum I have had some improvement and I have very high hopes for further improvement when I switch to the elimination diet next week. If, two months from now, I can show that I am rid of my back problems, that's when people start to listen.

It's really frustrating that people will not listen to reason but if they know someone that has been "miraculously cured" it's a great conversational topic.

I would love to read the actual article, but unfortunately on the link above it is only available to subscribers  If anyone finds it in the public domain, please post a link.

[Hithere]

I would love to read the actual article, but unfortunately on the link above it is only available to subscribers  If anyone finds it in the public domain, please post a link.

That's strange, I don't have a subription and it shows up on my PC.

[Thor]

I would love to read the actual article, but unfortunately on the link above it is only available to subscribers  If anyone finds it in the public domain, please post a link.

That's strange, I don't have a subription and it shows up on my PC.

I have no idea what possessed my browser last night. Today, I tried to access the article once more and this time there was no problem. Can't wait to read it 

[Laura]

However, what I have found is that if something works people are willing to listen. I have a chronic lower back problem that has prevented me from working for the past three-and-a-half years since surgery. With the things I have learned on this forum I have had some improvement and I have very high hopes for further improvement when I switch to the elimination diet next week. If, two months from now, I can show that I am rid of my back problems, that's when people start to listen.

It's really frustrating that people will not listen to reason but if they know someone that has been "miraculously cured" it's a great conversational topic.

Sometimes they don't even believe that!  But I sure know what you mean.  I can say that I have been in pain almost every single day of my life since I was nine years old up until August 2008 when I began detoxing and using the FAR infrared sauna blanket.  One area of pain was my back.  I was in two pretty awful auto accidents, and had a couple other back injury accidents including a toss from a horse, a skating accident, and one that's rather embarrassing but which made me have to sit on a donut for over a year.  The back pain was intractable.  I couldn't stand for more that a few minutes.  Now, I go literally weeks at a time without a twinge, and when I do get a twinge it is because I've overdone something or eaten something, and I can fix it right up with tape and DMSO. 

So, believe me, I know. To be pain free has been a revelation.