Pharmaceuticals, Politics, Propaganda, & Profit

I hadn't really realized the accumulated influence of pharmaceuticals on our culture until the past ten or fifteen years. Doctors, politicians, pharmaceutical companies and the FDA are just pretty cozy. I find it interesting that the first generation to be immunized without question, is also the first generation to be "disabled" long before 65. Could be that doctors excuses provide an easy and early out and it could be that some of our preventions and cures have produced other issues. I know, when I began to really struggle with MS, I had some questions about vaccinations that had been given to me, as a child. Now, my mother didn't think I should "bother" the doctor that had immunized me for measles when it was already in my chart that I had already had them, but that's another blog topic for myspace.com.
We know that recently, doctors got involved in politics and succeeded in tort reform, so basically this 4P power continues to grow and strengthen, with minimal accountability. I wonder, if we weren't told about so many problems and so many so called prescriptions, would we have all these problems or would we move on in life? Since the powers that be are aware of the placebo affect, does the power of suggestion also play a part in illness? How many people are taking medications now, because the suggestion has continued to be placed before them. I was amazed when I was watching the news at someone's home a couple of years ago. I couldn't believe all the advertisements for excess stomach acid medications. Could there be a better time than through the news and the dinner hour to suggest the need for medication for digestion? I don't believe in going to doctors, it's against my religion, but obviously from an earlier statement in the blog, this is an epiphany I experienced as an adult. That being said, I think the most outstanding example I have of the 4P program is Bob and ED. Remember when Elizabeth Dole was running in the presidential primary and Bob Dole had retired from politics? He decided to become famous for a new pharmaceutical product. First, it made me wonder if grumpiness and gridlock were symptoms of ED. Next, I wondered if a frustrating 1996 was compounded by Elizabeth's early lead in the primaries. I remember when his ads began, her lead began to fail. Then I also considered the fact that President Clinton appeared to not suffer from ED and there had been 8 relatively peaceful years in American history. Solomon also reigned in peace time and he had quite a number of women in his life. I remember my stock broker mentioning the company that was making Viagra and showing the potential increase of stock value due to this new drug. I looked at the information and thought, 'I could be making money every time a frustrated man wanted to have sex . . . Wow, is that legal?' Well, I didn't invest, but it did get my attention and I have been watching the power of suggestion, not with the placebo effect, but with the pyramid of symptom management. As the pharmaceuticals and the propaganda are produced, the politicians seem to make sure everyone makes a profit. But do we really know the long range effect? How do we know, earlier drugs aren't causing the problems we are being told that we need to treat now? How did people used to live so long before we had all these solutions and safeguards?
And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural vigor diminished.