Before We Begin
… and so I don’t wind up repeating myself (although I’m certain I will in a few places), before reading this article, please take a few moments and read my new article on Healthcare For All and my reasons for why that concept would never work here in the United States. That really would be the best place to start.
Have You Noticed?
It seems like 95% of all daytime TV advertising are from some pharmaceutical company or another. They appear to target demographics of who actually watch these shows. Decrepit old farts like myself— some watching reruns of old shows from days long past in an effort to reminisce about better times while others loyally sticking to their soaps having nothing better to do. If there are six commercials during a break in the show, you can bet your bottom dollar that at least four of them are medically related. Ask Your Doctor! As if we are better equipped to advise our doctors on prescription therapies better than they are. Or better yet, perhaps we ourselves might actually be suffering from the particular disease or “syndrome” the advertisement is referencing. Who knows, right? Better Ask Your Doctor.
On top of the amount of medical ads one is forced to view during these shows, there were two other things I noticed.
First was the ages of the actors in many of the commercials themselves. They sure seemed young. I would think to myself…. damn! I must be twenty to thirty years older than that individual and haven’t experienced anything remotely resembling the symptoms their hocking their medical fixes for. Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m one of the fortunate ones which now would be as good a time as any to say that, as in my three part series, I still have this block of wood I can knock on when discussing anything regarding health. In the past 45 years or so, I can honestly say I’ve had to see a doctor three or four times. (Knock on wood.) And as in the three part series, I will again add the following statement. The very last thing I want to do is disparage or make light of the medical situations I’m certain MANY American people and families are going through. This is NOT my intention. I do realize this.
The second thing I noticed was the scary part all prescription drug commercials appear legally obligated to include at their conclusions, were all the possible side affects should you make the decision to ingest them and from what I’ve seen, they aren’t pretty. Severe infections, suicidal thoughts and even death accompany many. Now I’ll be the first to admit that if these side affects were that prevalent, these drugs would never be allowed on the market. I get it— but I’d sure hate to be one of those small percentages who would suffer those consequences. Hence the suggestion… Ask Your Doctor. But the real question should be, why would I have to ask my doctor in the first place? Shouldn’t he already know the best course of action needed in most particular cases? And if not, one would imagine the Doc would make a referral to someone with more knowledge on the subject. I can only surmise that out of all the drugs out there available for a particular illness, Big Pharma want’s you to get your doctor to prescribe their drug instead of another, especially a generic which does the same thing yet costs a fraction of the price.
I read an article years ago stating that in many cases, the only difference between a new, much more expensive drug and a generic drug that’s been around for decades is that [they] change (or add) just one molecule then rebrand it as a brand new drug. I could be mistaken because of how long ago it was but I don’t believe I am. In fact, I may have also seen it stated in a documentary as well. Feel free to do a little research on your own and find out for yourself. Don’t take my word for it. In any event, if true, pretty clever guys over there at Big Pharma.
Are Americans That Sick?
Whether we are or aren’t, Big Pharma spends somewhere around 20 Billion each year to schmooze doctors into prescribing their brands and around 6 Billion a year on drug ads we see constantly on TV. So it’s no wonder that four out of six commercials seen on TV are ads doing their best to convince the public they may have one syndrome or another. Or at the very least, convince them to Ask Their Doctor. Therefore, they’re either tossing their advertising budgets down the drain or all those commercials are paying dividends because people actually are asking their doctors. The question remains, are Americans actually that sick or are we simply being convinced to believe we might be? And why one more pill to add to our daily regiment is their answer.
Another question to ask is how many of these prescribed drugs are used to alleviate side affects of other prescribed drugs. I have heard this is a fact in many cases. It’s enough to make one sick of it all.
Suicidal Thoughts
I wrote an article not too long ago as part of my Solutions Series. This article suggested solutions on School Shootings. Part of the article stated the following.
Mental Health: Ask Your Doctor
When it comes to school shooters, there’s always one question that’s asked and very rarely answered. What’s the question? Have any of these shooters ever been prescribed SSRI’s or any other drug having any behavioral side effects including depression and most importantly— suicidal thoughts. I would be willing to bet money that in many cases regarding school shooters or any mass shootings, these shooters were in fact, prescribed behavior modifying drugs. Now, I’m not 100% sure if this following solution would be legal but I’m sure it could be voluntarily implemented. [end of excerpt]
Whether it’s mass killings, suicide, suicide by Cop or suicide while taking as many they can along with them, you have to ask the question. How large a role do prescription drugs play? If the side affects from many of these drugs include suicidal thoughts, well, let’s just say I’d think really hard before I’d agree to taking them along with making damn sure I was monitored in some way while under their influence. Think that happens? Of course not. It’s one thing taking prescription drugs with possible negative side affects that only affect the individual taking them, whereas side affects from different drugs can potentially affect others as well.
Furthermore— I have always found it interesting how loosely people throw the phrase “He [she] had mental health issues” in news stories about people being arrested for violent crimes. What the hell does that even mean? One could argue that news stories about a group of teens trashing a McDonalds or convenience store for no apparent reason is a prime example of mental health issues. And what is the very first thing one thinks of when they hear the term mental health issues? They think of meds. These people should have been or should be taking meds to solve their mental health issues. That seems to be the solution to all of society’s woes. More meds. Especially over the last thirty years or so when even public schools wanted to medicate children to enforce a certain type of classroom behavior. Here, just give your kids Ritalin and all will be well with the world. And more recently, with the obvious promotion of gender dysphoria in certain public schools, along with so-called gender affirming healthcare using more drugs doing who-knows-what to young minds by individuals who they themselves bought into this insanity just a few years earlier turning into groomers of weak-minded children leading to permanent life altering surgeries should be a major concern to all parents.
Are these in fact mental issues or society’s new tolerance of incredibly bad behavior? Personally, I believe it’s the latter with two very old sayings coming to mind. Give them and inch and they’ll take a mile and it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Cost/Risk
Pop a pill, it’s just so easy— isn’t it? Over weight? Pop a pill. Feeling a little depressed and down in the mouth? Simple, take this pill. Don’t want to get up in the middle of the night having to pee? Pop a pill. Have one of those new syndromes Big Pharma uses acronyms for because it looks more cool? Ask your Doctor and make sure to recommend their drug to him because of the commercial you saw and while your medicine cabinet runneth over with one prescription after another, feel safe in the knowledge that big pharma has your back with pretty much anything regarding your health and well being. Physically or mentally. Forget about the cost, you have medical insurance… right? Medicare? Medicaid? Don’t worry about it, they’ll figure out some way to get paid. And while you’re at it, please sign up for their free auto refill and delivery. They might even give you a small discount for doing so.
Heaven forbid you taking responsibility for your own physical and mental well being. Too much work to consider the life choices you make and either making appropriate changes or living with the likely consequences. Nahhhh, easier to pop a pill and move on.
I can only imagine the astronomical amount of money Americans spend each year on prescription drugs whereas me myself has probably spent less than two-hundred dollars in the last 45 years combined and that includes over-the-counter medications. (Knock on wood). I get this from my father who used to say whenever he got ill… it got in there on it’s own— it can leave on it’s own. And for the most part, he is correct.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m about as far away from a health food fanatic as one could get. I would not call my eating habits the healthiest either. I can’t remember the last time I went to a gym on a regular basis but with all that, I can say with confidence that I’m in pretty decent shape for a man my age. On top of which (while not proud to say it) I’ve been a smoker for most of my life and the only reasons I’ve had to see a doctor was for bronchitis which required antibiotics. Outside of the very rare occasion of getting the flu which kept me in bed for a few days, that’s been about it. (Knock on wood.) For me, going to a doctor was only used as a last resort. I know, I make myself sound like someone who pays absolutely no attention to his own well-being and that would be false. I’m just your (what I’d like to believe) average guy who tries not to go overboard on anything. What’s the old saying? Everything in moderation. That’s me!
But the one thing I make a point of not doing is going out of my way to find out if there is or might be anything medically wrong with me. I don’t (nor ever have) done the yearly check-ups. I don’t do all the tests, blood-work or anything else for that matter. If there’s a problem, my body does a pretty good job of letting me know. I then do a little research and do what I believe is best for me. If all else fails, then perhaps it’s time to see a doctor.
Now some may see the way I look at life medically as tempting fate. I disagree. I do my best to take a common sense approach and even if money were no object, I seriously doubt I would change much other than possibly fixing a broken tooth or some other inconsequential aspect. I make the choice to live with these things including all the little aches and pains everyone experiences with growing older. It’s all part of life itself. We can either live with it or spend gobs of time and money going from one doctor to another for yet another opinion and more meds. And as long as a particular medical inconvenience doesn’t affect my quality of life at the age I happen to be, so much the better. I can live with it. But I can tell you this. The last thing I would do is run off to a clinic and take every medical test available. No thanks.
But when it seems like 80% of all commercials seen on TV are medically related, it gives the appearance that America as a whole is in pretty sorry shape. Not just physically, but mentally as well. You wouldn’t be seeing all those commercials if they weren’t working which suggests only two conclusions. Either Americans actually are that sick or they live in constant fear they will be.
Medical science have made tremendous strides in the treatment of diseases. I believe most of us can agree on that. But this is not what this article is about. This is about Big Pharma dissecting the human being into tiny little pieces, finding something that could possibly go wrong (in their minds) with each piece and convince the Public that they have a fix for it. While at the very same time a subtle warning given that the fix could turn out to be much worse.
With the advent of Covid-19 and the vaccines, the American Public has become increasingly aware that medical science along with Big Pharma aren’t always what they purport themselves to be. Because of that, I believe the time is long overdue that we question if all the drugs we seem to be taking are actually necessary for our health. Has a large portion of what Big Pharma is trying to get Americans hooked on through their constant advertising become nothing more than snake-oil? Or is it because there’s no longer any money to be made in old tried and true generic drugs. And don’t forget— some of these drugs, once began, have to be taken for the rest of the patient’s life. And if all of this wonderful medical science is true, why is the average life expectancy in America declining? Although what concerns me more is not so much our physical health, but the mental health of young minds through indoctrination and mental grooming.
No one lives forever. We get it. Some are dealt worse hands than others but in spite of it all, what determines the quality of life we derive from those cards we’ve been dealt is for the most part, a personal choice we make. We can either live with it, fix it, or do the best we can within our means to make the best of a bad situation. And during the course of our lives, we try not to make really stupid decisions that can possibly hasten our departure like taking a selfie with a 400 pound tiger who unbeknownst to us, is having a bad day or taking a selfie six inches away from the edge of a cliff with an 800 foot vertical drop.
Fortunately for me, I come from what I like to call a drop dead family. Well, at least one side of it. Meaning, we tend not to linger in hospitals or hospices waiting to die. When we go, we go. Here one minute, gone the next. I’ve always told my son that if the day ever comes that I no longer recognize him, feel free to hit me over the head with a shovel. Quality of life, remember? If our golden years means we’re mindlessly bumping into walls while peeing in our pants? Or lying in a bed waiting for a nurse to change our diapers or spoon feeding us applesauce? No thanks.
So the next time you open your medicine cabinet to take your daily regiment of prescribed medications, the real questions you should be asking your Doctor are. Are all of them necessary for your medical/physical well being? Are they extending your life including the quality of your life and what happens should you make the decision not to continue taking them.
The answers might just surprise you.
Take a look at most any cable news shows and it becomes obvious that America is going to hell in a handbarrow and I fear this new generation of Gen Z’ers are going to get us there sooner than expected. Fortunately for me, I won’t be around when they do. We are becoming a society of fat, stupid, pot smoking, drug (prescription or otherwise) popping individuals who live on their smart-phones or gamer computers because they no longer have the life skills necessary to live and function in society. Where words like ambition, achievement, aspiration, endeavor, initiative are deemed racist and further examples of inequity. Where people would rather text each other than have an actual conversation. Where it becomes easier to masturbate to porn than learn how to have a healthy loving relationship with another. Where the first person we run to for the slightest ache or pain because of an ad we saw on TV is our Doctor.
When it’s easier to pop a pill, than take personal responsibility for how you live your life.
Perhaps one day— this kind of society will become the norm and if it does. I guarantee you.
It will be by design.
