Drugs and their side effects

Have you seen those commercials where there is a new drug that's supposed to cure something but had a huge number of side effects that seem worse than the problem? I never understood the point of a drug that could cause more problems that it solved...

One I saw recently was for a skin rash. I don't know exactly what that rash was, or what it may have been caused by, but this new drug that will clear it right up. But the side effects of the drug sounded like it was going to basically shut off your immune system. What a great idea! Why would you need the ability to heal your own body and fight off infection. No worries, your body just fights off colds and viruses and so many other things. Oh my goodness, why in the world would you want to minimize your immune system ? Hello, cancer is fought off by your immune system. In fact that was one of the "side effects"... some people got cancer not to mention more susceptible to common illnesses.

The drug in this case was called Humira. I looked up the possible side effects of this drug and the list is really really... really long. You know, all these drugs that offer an instant cure come with baggage and causes problems, like side effects. "They all do", they all have some problem that they can cause and many of them are life threatening. We need to stop looking for the magic pill to solve all our problems, especially when some of those things can be solved without drugs.

I feel that there are two basic problems facing Americans today.

1) What we eat... You know the saying, we are what we eat? I think that if we were to get back to eating well and less processed foods, we would feel and look better. People, learn to cook again... stop eating out of boxes, cans, and from fast food places. Start spending more time in the produce department and less on the snack food isle. The amount of nutrition in the foods most Americans eat is pretty minimal. If its been dried, canned or even over cooked, it has little to nothing alive or nutritious left in it. Living enzymes in your food is a part of what keeps you healthy. Keep drinking all that milk, or what I affectionately call cow juice, and eating all that lovely meat in excessive proportions. There are so many nutrients in it after all.

2) How much we eat... Who's side is the food industry on? Guess what, it's not your's. They are in business for one reason... to make money. The food industry needs to sell their products. Snack makers are constantly looking to find that "bliss" point. The perfect amount of sugar, salt, and or fat that will keep you coming back for more. We crave those 3 things naturally, it's animal instinct. When food was scarce, those things were what kept us alive. Now we have food in spades thanks to our ability to make these foods and the low cost of sugar and other sweeteners. Ever wonder why there's more sugar in soda today than 20 years ago? The same soda that I remember having 110 calories in the 1990's now has 150. Funny, I don't remember it needing to be sweeter. Now I hear that soda makers are pledging to make their drinks with less sugar. I wonder if it'll fall below the original amount that I remember? Don't even get me started on the BPA in the plastic that lines nearly all food cans and all soda cans. Is it for your health, no... it's there to keep the food tasting fresh and yummy, mmm gimme more!

Who's side are the drug companies on? The share holders of course. Again, it's all about making money. They know and count on the public's desire for a pill to cure their ails. It's far easier to take a pill or have surgery to look good and feel better. Who does the surgeries, who does the bypasses and the liposuction, who prescribes the wonder drugs? Doctors... and who do they work for? We want to think that they work for hospitals that seem like they're an institution trying to do good. But I'm not so sure, I think that doctors and hospitals unknowingly work for the drug companies and schools that train them to prescribe drugs. It looks and feels like "helping", but is it?

We have a higher percentage of unhealthy people in America than in nearly all other countries. There are only a couple that out do us, and they eat unhealthier than we do. Preventable diseases are higher here in the same proportions. Most, but not all of those diseases are caused from being over weight and not getting the nutrients our bodies need. It's not a coincidence it's right in front of you, and you put it in your mouth. I know it's not easy, we all crave the same things, but good health starts with what you eat, not a drug to make you feel better, or as I like to say... "numb".