Restless legs syndrome?
As a young adult I personally avoided taking any medicines for fear of what they would do to my body's natural defense systems. Call me paranoid,or uninformed, but I've always had the intuition that my body could take care of itself if I treated it right and gave it what it needs. In recent years, Americans have been introduced to holistic medicine, acupuncture and other practices that show drugs aren't always the answer. I have a cousin who was somewhat rambunctious when he was a child. I overheard my parents talking about him being put on a drug to calm him down, the doctors told my uncle that he had ADHD. I'd never heard of this disease. I was curious, so I did a little research and found that some of the symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. That sounds like every red blooded American boy to me. And doctors prescribe ritalin to children as young as 3-5 years of age! What did they prescribe before ritalin? The drug was invented in 1954 by the Ciba pharmaceutical company and didn't come into prominent use until the 1990's, after ADHD became more generally accepted within the medical and mental health communities.
Something is wrong with the way we allow big pharmaceutical companies to do business in America. Doctors are often given trips to lavish locations, on the pharmaceutical dime, in order to be inculcated about the latest new drugs. In 2000 the pharmaceutical industry spent $13.2 billion on marketing in the U.S. alone. Political contributions from the pharmaceutical industry to politicians have most certainly skewed policy in their favor. How can it be that in either Canada or Mexico, American drugs are available at a lower price?
Clever marketing campaigns can influence consumers buying decisions when it comes to any variety of product such as fast food, cars, soft drinks, and medicine. The first time I saw a commercial for a drug that can be taken for Restless Leg Syndrome, I sincerely thought that I was watching one of those Saturday Night Live parody commercials. I realize that this is a real syndrome, and I'm not trying to make light of it or offend anyone who is afflicted by it, but by simply advertising and explaining the syndrome on television some people may be influenced to believe that they might have a condition. The same way that they can be influenced to buy a cheeseburger from Mc Donalds. The fact that our elected officials are unwilling to challenge the pharmaceutical industry, and the fact that none of the major media outlets are willing to investigate them, makes me believe that something is rotten in our system. There is simply way too much money to made off of Americans, and our third-party billing system, which helps to ensure that Americans can't really pay attention to how much their prescriptions or doctor visits are costing them.
Something is wrong with the way we allow big pharmaceutical companies to do business in America. Doctors are often given trips to lavish locations, on the pharmaceutical dime, in order to be inculcated about the latest new drugs. In 2000 the pharmaceutical industry spent $13.2 billion on marketing in the U.S. alone. Political contributions from the pharmaceutical industry to politicians have most certainly skewed policy in their favor. How can it be that in either Canada or Mexico, American drugs are available at a lower price?
Clever marketing campaigns can influence consumers buying decisions when it comes to any variety of product such as fast food, cars, soft drinks, and medicine. The first time I saw a commercial for a drug that can be taken for Restless Leg Syndrome, I sincerely thought that I was watching one of those Saturday Night Live parody commercials. I realize that this is a real syndrome, and I'm not trying to make light of it or offend anyone who is afflicted by it, but by simply advertising and explaining the syndrome on television some people may be influenced to believe that they might have a condition. The same way that they can be influenced to buy a cheeseburger from Mc Donalds. The fact that our elected officials are unwilling to challenge the pharmaceutical industry, and the fact that none of the major media outlets are willing to investigate them, makes me believe that something is rotten in our system. There is simply way too much money to made off of Americans, and our third-party billing system, which helps to ensure that Americans can't really pay attention to how much their prescriptions or doctor visits are costing them.
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