THE SEARCH FOR ETHICS IN MEDICINE
April 2004 Articles
When Increasing Shareholder Value Collides with the Public Good
*http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/the_search_for_ethics_in_medicine*
A Short Survival Guide for Dealing with Drugs:
As the ethics panel pointed out, U.S. judges ruling on Big Pharma cases agree that this industry is the cause for the corruption of medical science, education, and practice. So, whom do you trust and what can you believe? The simple rule of thumb is: look who paid for the study. But if sleuthing through journals is impossible when you have to make a quick decision, having just been handed a prescription, here are some suggestions on how to navigate the minefield of pharmacology:
1. Always consult the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties. The CPS is the annually updated compendium of all Health Canada-approved drugs sent to every pharmacy and doctor; it contains the chemistry, cautions, and dosages the manufacturer must by law provide ˜ always ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain these in ordinary language. Refusal is a contravention of the Canada Health Act, which requires informed consent.
2. Avoid taking a drug that is listed as potentially ‘hepatoxic’ (toxic to the liver) and requires regular liver function tests. Remember, the majority of liver transplants are done because the liver was killed by a drug ˜ not a disease.
3. Avoid drugs that interfere with any ‘cytochrome’ (portion of a cancer-protective gene), even if just ‘in combination with’ some other drug. Messing with genes is a shot in the dark that neither doctor or manufacturer understands ˜ what happens is usually irreversible.
4. Anything that reduces ‘dopamine,’ or any other neurotransmitters function, generally causes irreversible neurological harm, such as Tardive Dyskinesia.
5. A drug that lowers immune function (T-cell or B-cell production or activity), such as cortisone-based substances, chemotherapy drugs, and antibiotics have serious lasting effects. Research this on the Internet or in the library and look for alternatives. If unavoidable, you can limit negative effects and enhance the drug’s intended effectiveness by taking supportive nutrients in high, therapeutic doses. Negative interactions are mostly myths. Example: you supposedly can’t take pro-biotics, such as acidophilus, with antibiotics; in fact, taking them prevents Candida overgrowth. For known interactions consult the annually updated ‘Natural Medicines: Comprehensive Database,’ also on
www.NaturalDatabase.com
6. If ‘long-term effects are unknown’ check the Internet and find out more. This is a vitally important warning. Sometimes, such a drug may be helpful and unavoidable for a short period, but taken for more than a month may be bad news. Read the books below to find out how and why.
7. Anything that cautions use in lactating or pregnant women indicates a systemic effect (crossing the placenta and blood-brain barrier). Such drugs are potentially teratogenic (causing birth defects): they can cause irreversible damage before birth, or organ damage later.
8. Drug manufacturers are not obliged to inform about nutrient depletions caused by all synthetic drugs, so the CPS is no help. Check the compendium by pharmacists Pelten and LaValle listed below; if the drug is amust, protect your body by taking those nutrients it depletes. Example: all synthetic, blood thinners and lipid-lowering drugs require potassium, magnesium and Co-enzyme Q10 to avoid increasing the risk of heart failure.
9. Information must come from somebody other than the manufacturer, Health Canada, or patient groups funded by drug companies. Send the group (especially those working for lucrative illnesses such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis etc.) an e-mail and ask who funds them.
10. Three areas that require your total attention are hormones (e.g.menopause therapy for women, cortisone for asthma etc.), cardiovascular disease, and depression. Cholesterol (or lipid) lowering drugs, anti-depressants, and synthetic (as opposed to natural!) hormones are harmful ˜ in the highly informed opinion of mainstream medical researchers (see PharmaWatch (604) 687-6613, www.drugintel.com/drugs/statins and list below).
11. Always look for the generic brand (cheaper) or for older versions of the same drug (which are less toxic). The best source for alternatives to drugs is The Textbook of Nutritional Medicine (look for most recent edition from Third Line Press) and, orthomolecular medicine (www.orthomed.org).
12. The World Health Organization lists only some 350 drugs as essential. None are still patent-protected, and they constitute only 5% of Big Pharma’s offerings; the remaining 95% is therefore suspect and demands your most careful critical scrutiny (visit the international leader in exposing Big Pharma‚s product misinformation, Dr. Peter Mansfield, at www.mja.com.au).
The above article was abbreviated from Helke Ferrie‚s book Hippocrates in the Land of Oz; A Survival Guide for our Golden Age of Medicine, Kos, April 2004. Orders: Helke@inetsonic.com,www.kospublishing.com
Resources:
www.cbc.ca/news for Health Canada‚s 162,000 plus adverse reactions from 4,621 frequently used drugs; obtained by the CBC through legal action under
Freedom of Information legislationwww.canadiancoalitionforhealthfreedom.ca
Dr. James Lunney, MP ˆ Ottawa office: (613) 992-5243
orlunney0@parl.gc.ca
(support his bill to stop nutritional supplements from becoming prescription-only)
www.medicare.ca (Canadian Health Coalition)
J. Bakan, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, Viking, 2004 (the book on which the documentary is based)
J. Robinson, Prescription Games, McClelland & Stewart, 2001 (available through www.amazon.ca)
For full info on psychiatric drugs, get the consent form International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, Jan. 1998 available from its author David.Cohen@umontreal.ca
www.garynull.com most comprehensive source on mainstream science on vitamins, minerals, etc; alphabetically organized. Next time your doctor states: „There is no scientific evidence on vitamin C... download that section. On this site also:Death By Medicine by Dr. Carolyn Dean who assembled the scientific evidence on the death toll caused by drugs and unnecessary surgery
Dr. J.S. Cohen, Overdose: The Case Against the Drug Companies:
Prescription Dugs, Side Effects and Your Health, Tarcher/Putnam, 2001
Dr. D. Healy, Let Them Eat Prozac, Lorimer, 2003
R. Pelton & J. VaValle, The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs, Morton, 2000
Dr. F. Ravikovich, The Plot Against Asthma and Allergy Patients, Kos, 2003
Dr. A. Saul, Doctor Yourself: Natural Healing That Works, Basic Health Publications, 2003
Good luck!
Sarah
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