Bad Pharma

[burner]

Read 'Bad Pharma' by Ben Goldacre. If you had any doubts that Cannabis is a safer, more effective medicine than some synthetic pharmaceuticals produced by drug companies, this book will alleviate those within the first few pages.

An excellent freakin read, and I'm still a wee bit freaked out!

[merl1n]

I couldn't agree more Burner. Pharmas are bad.

And that ain't from a book, but first hand experience

Many pharma substances are poisons at reduced doses

 

A medication commonly used for heart patients is called Warfarin

Warfarin was used as a rat poison. Not used so much now for rodents, they got even stronger shit to use now.

 

Lithium which is used in batteries

Lithium is also commonly used psych medication used for bipolar disorders.

 

Scary shit some of it.

 

Merl1n

[burner]

Aye Merlin, some of the shit is toxic, but for some reason, they measure out an amount, they call it a therapeutic dose and it's suddenly acceptable, and beneficial!?, for humans to consume! Maybe in a one off dose?, but regular use in the form of a prescription, that's another matter.....

However, this book focuses mainly on the Pharmaceutical Industry, the lies, mis-information, and the truth behind alot of test results, how only two out of seven positive results are required for FDA approval, how information is withheld from Physicians who prescribe these drugs, based on what sales reps for these companies tell them, heaps of freaky shit.

As mentioned, it was written by Ben Goldacre, I should have said Dr Ben Goldacre, practising in England? He is also the author of Bad Science, which I am yet to read, and although he is critical of the Pharma industry, the book also demonstrates possible ways to fix these problems, but i'll leave you all to enjoy the read for yourselves.

And Merlin, I hope your doing well, best wishes to you and your kin.

[merl1n]

Thanks Burner, yea I'm getting there, wherever there is. Like I say to the wife "nothing a bullet wouldn't fix". If you kept an animal in this state you'd be charged with a crime, but a human, that's different. Any way.

 

Big business ( especially big Pharma) + Big money = BIG LIES. I have sat in many a dr's surgery and seen the company drug reps come in and drop off 'Freebies' (sorry, 'Information packs') for the Dr's who prescribe a particular company's wares. Now in most industries kickbacks and bribes are illegal but if you label these as 'gifts' it's OK. These companies are not allowed to hand out cash payments but any other form of remuneration is deemed appropriate. Everything from International holidays to 'drug information seminars' to expensive ballpoint pens and if the company's name or logo is written on the pen, then its a tax write-off. Many of the drug reps are paid on a commission basis, so the more drugs they can get a dr to prescribe the more money they make and the bigger the gift, the more the dr will prescribe. Everybody wins, other than the actual patient who becomes the geniua pig for the drug companies.

 

These companies develop substances to manage a condition. I personally have been dosed up on all sorts of shit. Now I say 'shit' cos some of the side effects of these substances are often worse than the condition they are trying to treat. I do a Google search on all of the meds I'm prescribed, prior to taking them, so I know what I'm in for. Often you'll find a paragraph of what the substance is for the management of. But at the bottom there is a list of adverse effects. Often a whole page of adverse effects. Or the company will develop another substance to deal with the side effects. One of these concoctions I'm on now has an adverse effect of "Loss of consciousness and possibility of DEATH". Now that's a pretty concrete adverse effect. There ain't no recovery from that one.

 

Here in Oz we are lucky that we have Medicare. The govt (Medicare) sets a price for certain drugs. The huge drug companies don't like this at all as it limits their profits. Not so long ago there was big discussions about a free trade agreement with the mighty US of A. These drug companies cried foul over Medicare and the subsidies given to patients and the limits these companies could charge for their wares. The then govt stood their ground on Medicare and the rest of the world are in envy of our healthcare system. Now Mr Obama wants to setup a similar system in the US and look at what is happening. Big Business has shutdown the American Govt to stop this going ahead. The big drug companies can see their profits are going to be hit and have all their lobbyists jumping up and down ....'Its unfair"....."it's anti competitive"....'restriction of liberty'.... as if their business models aren't all of these. It will be interesting to see what the Libs do about 'Fair trade' and Medicare. Libs are all about the $$$, not the people, so lets see........... Watch this space.

 

Merl1n