by NM

Created on: November 10, 2008

Turn on the T.V., and chances are you will see at least one prescription drug commercial. Flip through the pages of a magazine and, yet again, you'll probably see an advertisement for another "cure".

Migraines? Take this. But, please take heed, you may notice an increase in irritability, restlessness, nausea, sensitivity to light, and muscle fatigue. While known to reduce the occurrence of migraines, most participants reported an increase in tension headaches. Use of this drug may increase your chance of stroke, heart attack, and hemorrhaging. Please talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, or plan on becoming pregnant, or if an uncontrollable rash develops.

Doesn't it seem the side affects and risks often outweigh the benefits?

Over the last decade, the promotion of prescription drugs has done nothing but increase. It's big business. Whatever your ailment, there's a magic pill. However, this constant barrage of supposed cure-alls and fix-its has done nothing but increase the sentiment that drugs are the quick answer that, if you have a problem or an ailment, you need to go to your doctor to get meds (or get them somehow!). And, what's worse, these drug companies are offering doctors benefits for prescribing their product.

I mean, look at that woman on T.V. She looked miserable what, with those pounding migraine headaches. And now look at her, she's skipping through a field and smiling and laughing with her children. I think I get migraines, too. I want to skip and laugh, too.

No, no, old wives' remedies won't do. Change my lifestyle or habits? Are you kidding? I want a quick cure.

It's the mindset of the society we live in. Rushing around, multi-tasking, constantly adding to our plates and, as a result, increasing our stress and decreasing our well-being. No time to rest and pay attention to lifestyle, no. But, I can take this pill, and I'll be okay.

So, the drug companies have many hook, line, and sinkerwith their promises and claims. That's a start. Couple that with the drug itself a foreign substance distributed throughout our bodiesand you have a recipe for addiction.

Our bodies are quite amazing, actually, and have the capabilities to heal themselves naturally. Once we introduce these drugs, there is no telling what effects they can have on our individual chemistry.

What we really need is to go back to basics. Stop our dependence on prescription drugs, or even over-the-counter drugs, for that matter. There are alternative practices that can benefit and promote our health. We can heal ourselves. An increasing number of people are seeing this, as we notice the larger acceptance of Eastern medicine into our Western culture. The most important thing to do is to educate consumers not let the advertisements educate them.

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