The Truth About Pharmaceuticals
When are they more harmful than helpful?
Most of us harbor some healthy skepticism toward pharmaceutical medications. At the very least, many of us have experienced unpleasant side effects that were maybe downplayed when we talked to our doctors. Still, many of us end up in the position where we rely on some combination of our doctor’s informed opinion and what pharmaceutical advertising wants us to believe.
We’ve all seen vague, uplifting TV commercials showing a down-and-out person transforming with the help of a new drug. “Ask your doctor if XYZ is right for you,” the commercials beckon, followed by a fast talker rushing through the potential side effects.
But do these drugs really live up to their promises? There’s evidence that some studies may be performed with a company’s financial interests in mind. A 1998 study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that 96% of peer reviewed articles had financial ties to the drug they were studying (Stelfox, 1998). And that was over 20 years ago!
How much of what we see on TV can we believe? Sometimes, we’re so sick that the side effects are worth the overall benefit. But most commercials for pharmaceuticals pack so much information about the potential dangers of their product into a rapid explantation that it’s hard to say if this is the case. You’ve certainly caught a narrator mentioning “certain fatal events.”
Wait, what? Fatal events? People have died while taking this medication? Advertisers may be required to disclose fatal events, but it’s hard as consumers (often with no medical training) to tell if it’s one fatality only loosely related to a medication or a thousand deaths, entirely due to the drug. We just don’t have the time, energy, or skill to research each claim, especially when we’re already sick.
Every pharmaceutical medication forces the body to do things it may otherwise not choose to do. This is why there are negative side effects associated with every medication. But natural products are different. They don’t force the body to do anything it wouldn’t do on its own. Natural products can work with the body’s natural processes to enhance the body’s own abilities and defenses. That’s why natural products are so much safer than synthetic pharmaceutical medications.
Treating the root cause rather than the symptom can help patients get off this never ending cycle of trading one condition for the other. If you’re sick of (or sick from) trying and failing with this approach, we’ve put together a guide to help you start treating yourself better. To get your copy, just click here.
