I take a lot of pills every day; some are prescription, others are natural supplements. All are intended to keep me healthy, but I often question whether they do keep me well or serve as addictive placebos. Are we addicted, America?
I take natural supplements after careful personal study, but I often wonder if the medical profession as we know it in the United States is missing the boat when it comes to offering natural alternatives to what they prescribe. For instance, Valerian root has properties akin to Valium since its the root plant for the prescribed medication. Some will dispute the natural alternative’s value but it works for me and I can stop using it any time.
America, we are a nation of addicts. Forget about the cartels and illegal drugs flowing into our country. Think about our health care system instead. What typically happens when you visit a doctor in our Western society?
First, you are weighed, have your vitals checked (blood pressure, pulse, etc.), and answer questions about how you’re feeling. Then you wait.
Second, the doctor comes in, reviews the notes, and does a cursory check of your eyes, ears, nose, chest, lungs, reflexes, and probably asks you to bend over and cough. Then some advice about losing weight.
Third, the doctor may ask if you need any refills or…depending on what they have observed, will write you a prescription with little explanation of what the benefits or side effects might be. Out you go to pay the bill if you haven’t already coughed up the co-pay.
Some of us remember the old wives’ remedies that worked as effectively as the pills prescribed today. Cures like apple cider vinegar or castor oil. Nope! Can’t have that today; we trust what the doctor says we need, which is often an addictive medication like the crisis we face today over opioids. If you read the prescription label carefully, you may often find it tells you NOT to stop taking it without talking to your physician. Interesting.
Perhaps the cartel we need to worry about most is that linking the medical profession with the manufacturers of “legal” drugs and the insurance companies which support the writing of prescriptions with endorsements and television commercials encouraging us to “check with your doctor.”
The manufacturers make bundles of money, so they can afford to lobby politicians and get legislation enacted that favors their continued addiction of America’s citizens. Seems like rather shady business, but we have succumbed to it because it is legal and we are unsure of the consequences if we quit taking the prescribed medication.’
Is there a solution? Perhaps a widely-read expose on the problem, or transparency on the part of the cartel members but neither are likely. The media like their advertising revenues.
How many prescriptions do you take daily? Do you really need them?
