| Topic Name: |
Pharmaceuticals: 4th Leading Cause of Death in US |
| Message Name: |
A plea for rational thinking |
| Date Posted: |
05/12/1999 |
| Message: |
We all need to calm down and look at things a bit more rationally. Nothing is perfect, including both pharmaceutical and alternative therapies. There are always side effects to be concerned about for both of these types of treatments. Also, with unproven alternative therapies, they may have no effect, so that valuable time is lost.
One thing to be wary of is interpreting results from a single person or even a small sample of people. This is why it is so difficult and expensive to get new drugs approved in the US.
Also, a major problem lies with the way that medical care is administered these days. Often the doctor knows a limited amount about the drugs they are prescribing, and has a limited amount of time to spend with each patient. As a result, patients are sometimes not monitored as well as they could be for side effects and efficacy. (Insufficient knowledge of side effects and monitoring can also be an issue with alternative therapies). Furthermore, HMOs have strict control over what drugs are available, so that some patients may not be getting the best treatment available.
The fact is that prescription pharmaceuticals have truly saved many lives. Look at the success that the industry has had in the last few years treating HIV infection/AIDS. Howerver, prescription pharmaceuticals need to be used and monitored carefully. The same goes for alternative therapies.
Finally, what many people don't realize is that a large number of prescription pharmaceuticals are actually derived from herbal products! A good example of this is taxol, a potent anti-cancer agent. So, there is room for herbals and for prescription pharmaceuticals, but we all - pharmaceutical industry, alternative practitioners and patients - need to be aware of , educated about, and rational about the issues. This is why **good** science is needed so badly.
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