BTGuy -“I understand your point, but I also dont agree.
Certainly, even a casual listening to such alternative medical doctors as Dr Ronald Hoffman or Dr Ash, etc. reveals countless success stories of people who were able to even get off prescription drugs and avoid the secondary complications caused by nothing other than prescription drugs.”
I have met many people like you that have been brainwashed by the alternative medicine quacks. I’ve listened to those guys on the radio too. I’m not against certain types of alternative therapies, but the concept of their way is right and modern medicine is wrong is just a hoax! The place for alternative medicine is in addition too or where modern medicine has no cure or treatment, so there is nothing to lose. These guys are more phoney than the Pharm companies. They make it sound as their way of medicine is a new thing and it’s the best thing since sliced bread. I already posted that these therapies have been around for hundreds or thousands of years, and the only thing that changed the human being life span was the advent of modern medicine.
“The real point here is not the merits or drawbacks to prescription drugs. The point was that is seems so many people are on zoloft these days.”
So why does this bother you?
“I will add that prescriptions for all kinds of mood-altering pills are given out to basically healthy people. I would add that ritalin and prescribing numerous other drugs (even over the counter) for daily use for children is through the roof. I would add that statins, from what I hear, are given out like candy. I would add diet pills, not so harmless, are given out by doctors before asking patients to try diet and exercise as a recommendation first, etc..etc…etc.”
This I disagree with. Zoloft and mood -altering drugs are not given out to healthy people. These people suffer from mental illness. Same with Ritalin. Statins are given out to prevent Cardiovascular disease. And who says PCP’s don’t first tell their pts. to diet & exercise? Some pts. can’t and some don’t want to, then there becomes the need to manage them with medications.
Are you denying the fact that there is such a thing as mental illness?
“You believe the high rate of prescription drugs are based on a valid need, which coincidentally happens to be high, and there is no variable regarding marketing strategies between pharmaceutical salespeople that impact upon the physicians. I believe different.
Perhaps someone here is in pharmaceutical sales and can let us know if they feel they impact doctors along their regular sales routes, with certain drugs via sales pitches and incentives. Yes, incentives.”
I never said there is “no variable regarding marketing strategies between pharmaceutical salespeople that impact upon the physicians”.
Yes, there is such a thing as Pharm reps and they do give presents to docs -mainly food. So do you really think now the medical professionals start doing unethical things? Is this what you have been brainwashed to think?
In the rest of the world esp. politics, people buy others with cash (bribes), (they call it donations to political parties -they even allow certain types of money called “soft” money -whatever this means) this doesn’t happen in the medical field. The only thing that occurs with these soft presents is that when the practioner decides to write a script for the pt., he/she will pick the company that they like. 99.99% of practioners Will Not do anything Unethical such as writing a script to a pt. which the pt. doesn’t need!
I have a question to you -how come there are so many people in the Frum community that believe in Alternative medicine, much more than the rest of the nation?