Doctors and Prescription Drugs

In Canada, and in all of North America in fact, large pharmaceutical companies dictate the way our Medicare system works. These large pharmaceutical corporations heavily influence doctors, in many cases. Large drug companies have been known to bribe physicians to prescribe their drugs. Pharmaceutical companies offer doctors perks and incentives to prescribe their products. We have evolved into a system where, in a lot of cases, our medical system wants patients to take drugs and more drugs to alleviate and relieve symptoms of disease but not tackle the root of the problem to prevent and cure diseases at times.

Ten years ago I was very sick myself with Crohns disease. I had a specialist who only was concerned with prescribing drugs and doing studies on which drugs were more effective for treating different symptoms of the disease. I was getting sicker every week and he was prescribing different drugs to try. At one time I was even taking steroids. I asked him what effect diet, exercise and stress would have on Crohns disease and he quickly changed the subject. He didn’t have the time nor did he want to discuss anything that wasn’t drug therapy. I was very sick at the end of this ordeal and almost paid with my life. I ended up getting surgery to remove a portion of my lower bowel. I even had to fight to get surgery on time to save my life. I did slowly get somewhat better even though I still have a mild case of Crohns.

I have found out over time how preventive medicine is the best way to fight off disease. I have found out the hard way how toxic the typical North American diet is these days. We seem to take the band-aid approach to our healthcare. We don’t want to change our destructive habits but just have our hand out waiting for our next prescription from the doctor to help us feel better and control the disease. It seems to be a win, win situation for the patient, the doctor and of course the pharmaceutical companies. Let’s face it, in some cases pharmaceutical companies are not always interested in having a complete cure of some diseases. They would lose money if certain diseases were completely eradicated. The most profitable scenario for them is to have a sick society and keep on prescribing drugs. North Americans are hooked on painkillers, anti-depressants and many other various medications meaning billions of dollars per year for pharmaceutical companies. A new report by the The Canadian Institute for Health Information estimates drug spending in Canada reached $27-billion in 2007 — up from $25-billion the year before. Spending on prescription drugs accounted for $22.5-billion, or 84 per cent of drug spending in 2007. New Brunswick spent the most per capita on drugs last year, while the Northwest Territories spent the least.

I am a believer in the holistic approach to medicine and preventing and curing diseases by a healthy lifestyle like a proper diet, exercise and reducing stress. I am not against prescription drugs when used wisely, however a drastic approach to how we prevent and treat diseases is needed if we wish to save our Medicare system as we know it.