Half the pharmaceutical sales force consists of alpha males, and I have been remiss in not displaying them in this blog. They are clearly very effective, since many doctors are women, and almost all the front office personnel who are supposed to keep drug reps at bay are females.
We posted about a New York Times article a while back which connected cheerleading and Big Pharma. Here is a blog post that found a few examples via eDrugSearch.com
Are there any readers out there interested in taking up this challenge? Let us know. We would love to document your progress.
Joel Fuhrman MD has cured hundreds of people of diabetes using diet and lifestyle. The American Diabetic Association wanted him to write about his work -- but then objected because their sponsor, Eli Lilly drug company, might feel threatened by an MD promoting a cure which could destroy the market for their diabetes medications. This is an excerpt from Dr. Furhman's presentation at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo 2007.
To learn more, or to get a copy of Dr. Fuhrman's full talk on DVD, go to:
Making the case that Big Pharma is obsessed with sales—even at the risk of patients' health
Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs
By Melody Petersen Farrar, Straus & Giroux; 432 pp.; $26
Once upon a time, there was a drug executive who actually thought helping patients was more important than the bottom line. "We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits," said George W. Merck, president of the company that bears his father's name, in 1950. Merck (MRK) even gave away his company's patents for streptomycin in 1946 to make the lifesaving antibiotic more affordable.
Such public-spiritedness now seems like a fairy tale, as former New York Times reporter Melody Petersen documents in her compelling, if sometimes one-sided, new book, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs. While there still are plenty of industry executives and scientists who want what's best for patients, drug companies have largely flipped Merck's dictum, as Petersen shows using industry memos, transcripts of meetings, and other sources. Petersen writes that drug companies push medicines they know don't work. They invent "diseases," such as overactive bladder or compulsive shopping disorder, to wring high profits out of marginal medicines. They obfuscate the science by controlling the publication of clinical trial results and writing bogus journal articles. And they shovel millions of dollars to doctors to boost prescriptions. "Selling prescription drugs—rather than discovering them—has become the pharmaceutical industry's obsession," Petersen writes.
Here is a great read published in Fortune Magazine (December 27, 2004). The article is written by Geoffrey Colvin who explores our "schizophrenic: position on Big Pharma. Read it here.
Here are a few quotes:
• The drug culture in sports came further into the open as Jason Giambi of the Yankees admitted taking steroids, as steroid supplier Victor Conte called Major League Baseball's drug-testing program a "joke," and as San Francisco Giant Barry Bonds's denials became harder to believe. There's no disputing that we Americans seem perfectly okay with sports being rife with drugs at every level of competition. After all, the evidence is in plain sight. When a player gains 50 pounds of muscle in the off-season or suddenly becomes significantly, inexplicably better, do we have any doubt what happened? When we find, without looking very hard, that college and even high school athletes are using performance-enhancing drugs, why don't we crack down? Baseball may finally get serious about drugs, but for fans to profess shock at the revelations is just hypocritical.
• Procter & Gamble sought (and didn't get) an advisory panel recommendation for Intrinsa, a new drug to increase the sex drive of women. Tests showed it increased the number of "satisfying sexual experiences" per month by only one more than a placebo. Panel members worried that the drug's long-term effects were unknown, but they believed millions of women would take it if approved, despite its extremely modest effectiveness.
• Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline hired a new ad agency for Levitra; Pfizer made a similar move with Viagra in June. If anyone had told you ten years ago that one day soon we'd happily watch prime-time TV commercials for these drugs ("Grandma, what's erectile dysfunction?"), would you have believed him? More important, Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis have created a new class of prescription party medications, a factor in the growth of this $2-billion-a-year market.
Julian Whitaker, M.D. graduated from Dartmouth College and received his medical training at Emory University Medical School. He is a member of the American Medical Association and is board certified in anti-aging medicine. He is a tireless crusader against abuses by the FDA and a champion for medical freedom. Dr. Julian Whitaker talked about what he believes are abuses by pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, as well as alternative treatments for life threatening illnesses. May 6th, 2006 http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com... http://www.whitakerwellness.com/ http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2...
I had a horrible sinus headache today and faced the dilemma of taking Excedrin or try a natural remedy. After surfing around on the net, i settled on trying the Neti Pot. Read more about it here. It took a little work to get it to work right but it worked like a charm! Headache gone.
Oregano is high in antioxidant activity, due to a high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids.[4][5] Additionally, oregano has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes.[4] Both of these characteristics may be useful in both health and food preservation. In the Philippines, oregano (coleus aromaticus) is not commonly used for cooking but is rather considered as a primarily medicinal plant, useful for relieving children's coughs. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used oregano as an antiseptic as well as a cure for stomach and respiratory ailments. A Cretan oregano (O. dictamnus) is still used today in Greece to soothe a sore throat[6].
High Blood Pressure is known as the "silent killer" and has been the topic of discussion among FS members for a while. We regularly discuss our BP's like they are baseball stats at our meetings. We will start to monitor a FS member's BP as a new segment to this blog....later of course, he drank two cups of coffee already. We will try and do this on a daily basis.
Currently, one FS member has high blood pressure and is trying to lower it naturally. He is working on this with his doctor to avoid meds. If you have high blood pressure consider these natural lifestle changes (familydoctor.org - and always partner with your doc) 1. Don't smoke cigarettes or use any tobacco product. 2. Lose weight if you're overweight. 3. Exercise reguarly. 4. Eat a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables and is low in fat. 5. Limit your sodium, alcohol and caffeine intake. 6. Try relaxation techniques or biofeedback.
According to recent estimates, about one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't know they have it. In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked.
Get the facts on high blood pressure and how to live a heart-healthier life. Find out how you can reduce your risks for heart attack and stroke with proper monitoring by a health care provider and simple lifestyle changes, even if you have high blood pressure.
There was an argument yesterday on a morning show (I think CBS) about the alleged rise in Viagra-use amoung males because of "performance anxiety." According to the story there is a "new woman" archetype out there and she is hungry for more then the metropolitan males can deliver.
If you have an email account you probably get several emails a day from pharma. Love the typographic work on this one....They probably do this to beat spam filters. Didn't work.
A member of FS, who will go nameless, had been feeling tired all the time. He also was guilty of not moving around very much-too much typing on the couch. Remedy you ask? He bought a bike and rides daily and feels so much more energized and fit. There are probably other good things happening as well. If you are feeling tired, get off your ass and do something everyday!
or you can take Provigil...pharma's answer to exercise.
We are going to attempt posting one natural remedy per week. We will see how that goes...Today meet Aloe Vera. Read the post we found on how stuff works.
Aloe Vera: Herbal Remedies by Jennifer Brett, N.D.
Benefits of Aloe VeraAlmost everyone is aware of the healing virtues of aloe vera. This well-known medicinal plant is used around the world to treat skin ailments, burns, and in many other herbal remedies.
We have been kicking around ideas for along time. How many of you would be interested in learning how to make a backyard "medicine cabinet" garden (lack of a better title)? Shoot us an email if you live in the LA area and are interested. We are working with a master herbalist on this and they are very willing to teach us the nuts and bolts about both urban gardening and the abc's of herbal medicine. Let us know if you want to participate.
As of 2005, $758 million was spent on lobbying Washington since 1998 by big Pharma. More than any other industry. There are 2 pharmaceutical lobbyists for every one member of Congress. Twice as much money is spent on Marketing than on R&D by the biggest pharmaceutical companies.
How India became the global hot spot for drug trials. Big pharmas have a billion people vying to be part of clinical trials of untested drugs. Areas known only for snakes and heat now have good hospitals after the government passed a law allowing the drug testing and advertised its "treatment naive" patients.
The billions of dollars thrown at global health problems by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are changing the game in drug discovery, posing big challenges to the world's top drugmakers, according to a report on Tuesday.
via MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT From Tuesday's Globe and Mail June 10, 2008 at 9:59 AM EDT
Having low levels of vitamin D is associated with a doubling of the risk of heart attacks in men and an even greater risk of dying from the cardiac condition, according to a new study.
The findings, published yesterday in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, may help shed light on why many people with no known risk factors - such as high blood pressure or smoking - inexplicably develop heart attacks. It also suggests it may be possible to reduce the incidence of the often fatal condition by popping an inexpensive pill that is widely available in pharmacies and supplement stores.
"It's an important finding," says Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, one of the researchers.
(NaturalNews) Senators who received substantial donations from pharmaceutical companies were instrumental in making a new drug bill more industry-friendly, according to studies by nonprofit groups and remarks by some of the senators themselves.
Photo by Mary R. Vogt This looks like a great event. You should attend if you live in the area. We were just there, very beautiful area and the CCH has great programing. August 11, 2008 Healing Plants: Growing a Backyard Medicine Cabinet VENUE Chautauqua Community House 900 Baseline Rd. Boulder, CO 80302 303-440-7666
PharmedOut is an independent, publicly funded project that empowers physicians to identify and counter inappropriate pharmaceutical promotion practices. Visit it them here: http://www.pharmedout.org
Nov. 9, 2007 - Risk is the watchword for health care investors amid massive restructurings, takeover speculation and heightened scrutiny. Just 10 years ago... the pharmaceuticals industry was the belle o...
Big Bucks, Big Pharma pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry to expose the insidious ways that illness is used, manipulated, and in some instances created, for capital gain. Focusing on the industry's marketing practices, media scholars and health professionals help viewers understand the ways in which direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising glamorizes and normalizes the use of prescription medication, and works in tandem with promotion to doctors. Combined, these industry practices shape how both patients and doctors understand and relate to disease and treatment. Ultimately, Big Bucks, Big Pharma challenges us to ask important questions about the consequences of relying on a for-profit industry for our health and well-being.
Featuring interviews with Dr. Marcia Angell (Dept. of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Former Editor New England Journal of Medicine), Dr. Bob Goodman (Columbia University Medical Center; Founder, No Free Lunch), Gene Carbona (Former Pharmaceutical Industry Insider and Current Executive Director of Sales, The Medical Letter), Katharine Greider (Journalist; Author, The Big Fix: How the Pharmaceutical Industry Rips Off American Consumers,), Dr. Elizabeth Preston (Dept. of Communication, Westfield State College), and Dr. Larry Sasich (Public Citizen Health Research Group).
"Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter, author and educator. The founder of Medicine Hunter Inc., Chris has conducted medicinal research in over 20 countries including India, China, Siberia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Vanuatu South Pacific, Lebanon, Syria, Ghana, Austria, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, Morocco and the US. Chris is Explorer in Residence at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he teaches ethnobotany through the department of Plant & Soil Sciences. Chris also conducts botanical educational programs for the natural products trade.
Chris is the host of Medicine Trail, a series of television specials on medicinal plants shot on location around the world. The first two programs, shot in Peru and Malaysia, are currently in international distribution. More Medicine Trail specials are scheduled.
Chris has worked with numerous companies to develop and popularize traditional plant-based food and medicinal products into market successes. These successes include kava, maca, horny goat weed, catuaba, tamanu oil, herbal beverages and dozens of other plants.
Chris is the author of fourteen books, including Hot Plants, The Five Tibetans, Psyche Delicacies, Tales from the Medicine Trail and Kava, Medicine Hunting in Paradise. Chris also writes articles on plant medicines for several publications.
Chris lectures extensively on holistic health and botanical medicines, throughout the United States and abroad. He held the diplomatic post of Honorary Consul to the United States for the Republic Of Vanuatu from 1997 through 2000. Chris has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parade, Boston Herald, Vogue, Psychology Today, Natural Health and Men’s Health, and hosted his own health-oriented talk radio programs in the Boston area for five years. An avid body surfer and adventure traveler, Chris lives and works in Massachusetts with his wife Zoe Helene, their dog Boo and cat Beastie. Chris and Zoe travel the globe on Medicine Hunter expeditions, and work together to promote plant medicines, environmental protection and cultural preservation.
Chris has appeared as a guest expert on over several hundred radio and television programs including news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, BBC and NPR. As a guest he has spoken about medicine hunting, traditional botanical medicines, nutraceuticals, environmental and cultural preservation and other related topics.
Chris has appeared on over 1500 radio programs and more than 500 TV programs worldwide. CNN calls Chris “The Indiana Jones of natural medicine.”
Healthier Living and Learning The National Healthy Schools Programme is an exciting long term initiative that helps young people and their schools to be healthy. We are making a difference to the health and achievement of young people in thousands of schools across England. Healthy Schools help children and young people to reach their potential by building on a solid foundation of health to do better in learning and in life.
The Programme isn’t just about physical health, it’s about good health and happiness inside and out. And it’s not just about pupils either; a Healthy School involves the whole school community – from parents to governors to school staff – in improving their health and their happiness and getting the most out of life.
Children in Healthy Schools tell us that they feel healthier, happier and safer. Their parents tell us that they feel more involved in their child’s health and learning and often feel better themselves. Schools tell us that the Healthy Schools programme has brought sustained improvement in behaviour, standards of work and school management. What difference will it make to your school?
One of the world's top herbal authorities advises us on how to get the most out of natural remedies ranging from aloe vera and ginger to slippery elm and elderberry.
It took 99 years, but Minnesota has finally given official recognition to the practice of naturopathic medicine, which relies on the body's powers to heal itself. Under a new state law, naturopaths -- who use everything from herbal remedies to biofeedback -- will be allowed to register with the state and call themselves doctors without fear of running afoul of the medical establishment. You might think that would be a cause for celebration throughout Minnesota's alternative-health community.
People who take exercise are biologically younger - by up to nine years - than those who don’t.This striking finding may explain why exercise reduces the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and other degenerative diseases. It actually suggests that active adults have cells that are measurably...
Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves Into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs By Melody Petersen Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Ex-Pharma Sales Reps Speaks Out - Pharma Not in Business of Health, Healing, Cures, Wellness. Gwen Olsen spent fifteen years as a pharmaceutical sales rep working for such healthcare giants as Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Abbott Laboratories. She enjoyed a successful, fast-p...
Next time you hear a story about how a major medical journal is reporting a treatment breakthrough, you might stop and think for a moment about what lies behind the report.
Little Pharma is an inter-disciplinary investigation of alternative medicine as a viable antidote to some of the Big Pharma pathologies. Please join our discussion.
Little Pharma is an umbrella inter-disciplinary investigation that explores and promotes various “alternative” medicines and lifestyles as viable antidotes to some of the Big Pharma pathologies. Projects include web and printed matter, exhibitions, workshops, roundtable meetings, lectures, and interventions. Little Pharma is included in the Rhizome Artbase collection. The blog is the first phase of this project. We are looking for people to help with this project-all ideas welcome. Please join us.
Finishing School is an interdisciplinary artist collective that explores contemporary social, political, and environmental issues. Their projects conflate praxis, play, and activism and seek to engage audiences through various participatory models. Finishing School was established in 2001 and is based in Los Angeles. Email them at contact_fs [at] yahoo [dot] com
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