We live in a country that is medicated through and through. According to a study done a few years back, 48% of all Americans took a prescription drug in a one month period. That's nearly half of the population or 150 million people! That was back in 2007/2008 so you can just imagine what those numbers would be like 5 years later. The report gives some other statistics as well which are in my mind just as frightening. 88.4% of Americans 60 and older took at least one prescription drug over a one month period and on the other end of the spectrum, 22.4% of children 12 and younger took at least one. What has happened that we have come to rely so heavily on prescription medications to get by? It seems that whenever you turn on the TV, there is another commercial for a new, fantastic medication to cure any one of a hundred diseases, or at least minimize the symptoms. The latest that I saw this morning, not on TV, but in an article in the NYTimes, was for a new weight loss medication that should be entering the market soon. Do we really have that many diseases where we need all these new medications? Or is it just the fact that the pharmaceutical companies are in it just for the money and whatever they concoct to remove symptoms of a particular illness, they market to the masses? I don't think that there is a single answer for the whole problem, but rather a number of factors that go in to making this medication epidemic as bad as it is. I think that the three biggest factors that play into this issue are 1) pharmaceutical companies, 2) doctors prescribing more, and 3) people searching for a quick fix. The interplay between these three factors has ramped up in recent years to create a whirlwind of prescription medications being made, prescribed, and taken by people.
The first factor is pretty obvious. Pharmaceutical companies are only out there to make as much money as possible. They are businesses like any other and the whole purpose of a business is to increase profits. It just so happens that these pharmaceutical companies happen to make drugs to treat illnesses. Then you factor in the doctors, half of which have their pockets filled with pharmaceutical money to push a certain medication or shall I say "suggest" using a particular medication. Enter in the unwitting populace, whose lives are being made easier and easier through technology, and you have a recipe for a country that is over medicated. I bet that half of the prescriptions being taken by people out there have such a minimal effect that if a person taking such a medication were to simply alter their lifestyle a little, they would have no need for their meds. But life is so much easier when you don't have to work and can simply pop a pill to solve your bodily woes, right? Obviously, for many people, it is the easier way, but is it better in the long run? I would say no. I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who has panic attacks (and sadly I have multiple friends who suffer from panic attacks) who absolutely loves his medication. I forget exactly what he takes, but he claims it is like a miracle drug, pop a pill and forget about caring for 12 hours. No matter what happens, life just slides on by according to him. Frankly, I wouldn't want life to just slide on past me. I wouldn't want to have my empathy and awareness subdued by a pill just so I can remain calm. Its not like he tried anything else either, he just wanted the easy fix so he could get on with his life. But what kind of life are you leading when you are drugged up? Granted, not everyone takes a prescription for panic attacks. There are so many diseases out there for which there are medications that I couldn't even start to name them.
I guess what really got me this morning was that our "obesity epidemic" in the United States coupled with an increase of people calling obesity a "disease", doctors and patients alike are clamoring for new and more effective weight loss drugs. How does one exactly catch the obesity disease? I would like for someone to explain to me how not to catch this so I can remain thin. Oh wait, I forgot, all it takes is some exercise and proper diet. How could I be so stupid. That right there for you is people seeking the easy way out. They know that being overweight or obese is detrimental to their health, but they don't actually want to work at losing the weight, they simply want to pop a pill to eliminate the weight without effort. So yes, I am being a little harsh here, but seriously, how many more prescriptions can we find to "cure" our ailments. Next thing you know, there will be a pill to cure stupidity, a pill to eliminate anger, or maybe even a pill to help you drive better. Sadly, as I was thinking of what they could make a pill to cure, many of my ideas already had a pill assigned to them. I realize that in our crazy lives, it is sometimes easier to simply pop a pill and forget about things, but what exactly do the pills do? Do they eliminate the disease or illness? No, not a single pill out there actually cures anything. All that prescription medications do is eliminate symptoms of an illness. From high blood pressure, which if you went off meds would shoot right back up, to common cold medicine, they all simply cover up symptoms so you can feel better in the short term (or long term). More prescriptions is not the answer, getting back to living a healthy life without medications is. The way things are going however, we will probably reach a point in the next 20 years where 75% of the population takes a prescription medication. I hope not, but the evidence isn't pointing in the right direction. And just for the record, I have not taken a prescription or over the counter medication in the past 2 years (that includes advil).
The first factor is pretty obvious. Pharmaceutical companies are only out there to make as much money as possible. They are businesses like any other and the whole purpose of a business is to increase profits. It just so happens that these pharmaceutical companies happen to make drugs to treat illnesses. Then you factor in the doctors, half of which have their pockets filled with pharmaceutical money to push a certain medication or shall I say "suggest" using a particular medication. Enter in the unwitting populace, whose lives are being made easier and easier through technology, and you have a recipe for a country that is over medicated. I bet that half of the prescriptions being taken by people out there have such a minimal effect that if a person taking such a medication were to simply alter their lifestyle a little, they would have no need for their meds. But life is so much easier when you don't have to work and can simply pop a pill to solve your bodily woes, right? Obviously, for many people, it is the easier way, but is it better in the long run? I would say no. I have a friend (who shall remain nameless) who has panic attacks (and sadly I have multiple friends who suffer from panic attacks) who absolutely loves his medication. I forget exactly what he takes, but he claims it is like a miracle drug, pop a pill and forget about caring for 12 hours. No matter what happens, life just slides on by according to him. Frankly, I wouldn't want life to just slide on past me. I wouldn't want to have my empathy and awareness subdued by a pill just so I can remain calm. Its not like he tried anything else either, he just wanted the easy fix so he could get on with his life. But what kind of life are you leading when you are drugged up? Granted, not everyone takes a prescription for panic attacks. There are so many diseases out there for which there are medications that I couldn't even start to name them.
I guess what really got me this morning was that our "obesity epidemic" in the United States coupled with an increase of people calling obesity a "disease", doctors and patients alike are clamoring for new and more effective weight loss drugs. How does one exactly catch the obesity disease? I would like for someone to explain to me how not to catch this so I can remain thin. Oh wait, I forgot, all it takes is some exercise and proper diet. How could I be so stupid. That right there for you is people seeking the easy way out. They know that being overweight or obese is detrimental to their health, but they don't actually want to work at losing the weight, they simply want to pop a pill to eliminate the weight without effort. So yes, I am being a little harsh here, but seriously, how many more prescriptions can we find to "cure" our ailments. Next thing you know, there will be a pill to cure stupidity, a pill to eliminate anger, or maybe even a pill to help you drive better. Sadly, as I was thinking of what they could make a pill to cure, many of my ideas already had a pill assigned to them. I realize that in our crazy lives, it is sometimes easier to simply pop a pill and forget about things, but what exactly do the pills do? Do they eliminate the disease or illness? No, not a single pill out there actually cures anything. All that prescription medications do is eliminate symptoms of an illness. From high blood pressure, which if you went off meds would shoot right back up, to common cold medicine, they all simply cover up symptoms so you can feel better in the short term (or long term). More prescriptions is not the answer, getting back to living a healthy life without medications is. The way things are going however, we will probably reach a point in the next 20 years where 75% of the population takes a prescription medication. I hope not, but the evidence isn't pointing in the right direction. And just for the record, I have not taken a prescription or over the counter medication in the past 2 years (that includes advil).
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