1 of 4

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 4

such as herbs, acupuncture, chiropractic care, oxygen treatment for burns, electrical therapy, and many others. In 1995, only a handful of medical schools offered any education on "alternative medicine." Most of the information they receive centers on the idea that drugs and surgery are the only valid ways to treat disease. While herbal treatments such as St. John's wort and echinacea have been used safely and effectively in the EU and Asia for decades, US pharmaceutical companies sponsor "research" to discredit such remedies and dissuade doctors from using anything but patented, manufactured drugs.

After doctors graduate, some 96%, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last June, have relationships with pharmaceutical companies that influence their treatment decisions to at least some degree. Nor are consumers immune; since the advent of DTC (direct-to-consumer) drug advertising, big pharma has spent billions more hawking its wares to the patients themselves. It works; SourceWatch informs us that one study of 64 drugs found that for every $1 spent on DTC ads, a median spending increase of $2.20 on prescription drugs resulted.

It's all about the money. And here's how it works: no one makes any money until a patient gets sick and goes to his doctor or local hospital. To get paid, the doctor has to come up with a diagnosis that fits an existing ICD-9 or AMA code used by the patient's insurance company. No code, no money. Next, the doctor must choose a treatment that is reimbursed by insurance as well. Guess what the options are? Drugs and surgery. Even worse, many providers working for HMOs and insurance-owned health conglomerates must meet "productivity" standards that include quotas for surgeries and drug prescriptions. If the provider tells the patient to go home and take a hot bath with Epsom salts for his sore muscles, then use an ointment made with the herb Arnica Montana (which by the way has been clinically proven safe and effective), instead of writing a prescription for an oral analgesic, he not only won't get reimbursed, he could fail to meet "quality standards" or "productivity goals." Worse, he could get slapped with a malpractice suit for suggesting a non-standard treatment.

The first result is that prevention does not pay. While some preventive measures such as smoking cessation counseling are reimbursable by most insurance companies, our health care system is generally incapable of teaching people how

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Corruption in America's pharmaceutical industry?
We want to hear your view. Write now!