Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Ugly Facts on Medical Lobbyists

I know...I'm breaking my own hiatus...but I just couldn't help it.  The following alert from Mercola is too important for me to ignore; it's the kind of thing I feel compelled to share.  I will not elaborate on it, nor will I copy it in entirety here.  I ask you to go to the link, read the article and watch the clips for yourself.  And please share this with others.

Medical Lobbyists Stealing Your Freedom



[Once again, I want to say that I am not in exact agreement with everything Mercola says and does. But overall, I think he provides an important service to the public by way of his health information and alerts. I appreciate his zeal and his concern for sharing and warning as much as he does, so I can overlook some of his more conventional views and somewhat pushy selling strategies.]



My aversion for the conventional medical system and our political system is kindled by the information shared in Mercola's latest post.


A few highlights (quoted from Mercola's article):

"The pharmaceutical industry is the BIGGEST political lobby in the US. There should be no doubt about the power the drug industry wields in shaping the U.S. health care system, and political lobbying is one of the primary reasons why the drug companies are controlling nearly the entire the health industry. 
*** 
In just one decade, from 1998 to 2008, the pharmaceutical industry alone spent $1.5 BILLION on lobbying for legislative favors and tax breaks.

Is it any wonder that so few of our laws make sense anymore?

The pharmaceutical industry's power and influence over government, the field of conventional medicine, and your mind through massive marketing efforts, is in a class of its own. It's just that most people don't realize the staggering magnitude of their financial influence, and therefore are blinded and deceived by the manipulated perception that the industry is "helping mankind."  (emphasis mine...I could not say it better myself.)

*** 
Lobbyists often craft purposefully nebulous language to change the US code to specific ends of industry, and these amendments are then snuck into various bills, which no one read before passing.

...the revolving door between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and various drug companies and other industries...has done untold damage to public health and health freedom. It is very common for high-ranking FDA officials to get lucrative consulting positions with the drug companies after they quit.  (emphasis mine)
The converse is also very common. Federal officials can get paid millions by the drug companies before they make the switch over to the FDA..."


Enough said...and yet, somehow, it's not enough...there is so much more in this realm that it makes one's head spin.  But for now, this is enough.  I'm going back on break to cogitate and tackle some heretofore neglected essentials.  I leave you with an appeal:  get riled and motivated to effect change in our culture.  Sowing seeds of doubt about the "powers that be" and encouraging questions regarding the status quo are a great place to begin.


EDIT:
I missed this one...my husband pointed out (with a grimace) the irony of the last few seconds of the 60 minutes video.  "Brought to you by Lipitor."  It just never ends...even the journalists (I use that term very loosely) are beholden to the drug companies.