Cold? Prescription printed. Flu? Prescription printed. Anxiety? Prescription printed? Weight struggles? Prescription printed. Assisted death? Euthanasia prescribed. If you don’t suffer from any of the above, there are preventative vaccinations to keep you in tip-top condition! Are we all on the spectrum of addiction or dependency?
And breathe. It unsettles you to know so much is at your disposal, if approved by your medical practitioner (physician). A sense of freedom, all the while controlled. It can almost trigger the start of paranoia settling in, due to a third-party marketing itself as the answer to any troubling health woes. If you know the option’s there where is the incentive to take responsibility for your own health and life?
Another reason is Dr Google. Google has made healthcare, diagnosis and treatment options / availability more accessible than ever. If you’ve revised your own symptoms/conditions/treatment, unless the doctor has good reason to refuse they’re likely to approve your request as a 10 minute appointment is a minuscule fraction of the time the patient’s had researching. Now, there are many pros when it comes to this, the patient has more control and transparency regarding their own healthcare, which in turn could materialise as leverage. Risks of googling symptoms is that a mild headache could be a sign of a brain tumour. 0-100 real quick! The accessibility isn’t recommended and could be dangerous.
Now, we all know certain doctors may inherit a certain predisposition which can only be described as a god complex. My way or the highway. Play by my rules as I could make your life very difficult. Comparable to a pact, doctors have a tendency to clique together as though they’re a cult, invitation only, identifiable by the letters MBBS and MD. This can be impossible to break through, unless you seek independent evaluation. But of course, with that comes a hefty price tag, possibly a small price to pay for accurate depiction of your healthcare, unbiased.
GP’s (general practitioners) can at times have their own agenda beneficial to their… back pockets. More often than not pharmaceutical companies supply doctors with monetary gifts in the form of service fees, flights, hotels, meals, expenses – worth billions of pounds worldwide; so who really does have our best interests at heart? Hm, Google may not be human or have a medical degree, but rest assured, at least you know a range of independent sources aren’t on the same payroll.
Pharmacists can now prescribe more medications than ever in the UK, which on one hand is great, but if you own your pharmacy or have a share in one, there is indeed a conflict of interest. You could opt not to prescribe unnecessarily, potentially for the patients welfare, or you could perceive them as clientele who could spend elsewhere, so why not accept the business? After all, they’re a customer and patient wrapped up in one. Unethical, but not illegal. Right place, right time!
Now don’t get me wrong, healthcare has most definitely advanced in a vast range of fields such as cancer research and will continue to do so. AI technologies being introduced to imagining and data such as cancer screening can only be beneficial to earlier detection and even prevention in some cases. Which is why it’s important to have a trustworthy, dependable and honourable relationship with your GP, often people forget the vital role they have in your life. If you don’t have that, try to find one you have faith in, as that’s optimally useful and beneficial in the long run.
Ultimately, wonder drugs do not exist. Medicine has advanced; the market value is worth trillions. Reliance on medicine becoming habitual, is imperative to the growth of their balance sheet. Your BMI is the equivalent to GBP.
Lastly, do your own due diligence, if you don’t prioritise yourself – who will?
What do you think? Have we become brainwashed into believing medication can cure almost anything? How is your relationship with your doctor and/or pharmacist? Do you trust them? Do you research your own healthcare? Comment below!
Beauty File 
I disagree. I think there are wonder drugs out there. As a child I didn’t have access to inhalers for my asthma and suffered terribly, hacking and coughing. Today, I have allergy medication that mitigates my reaction to pollens and other allergens and inhalers to use both to keep my lungs clear and shorten a coughing episode when I need it. Being unable to breathe is a horrible sensation. As for other medications, especially those to mitigate the pain from arthritis, I haven’t found anything that actually works yet. Hip replacement surgery is scheduled for spring. That sounds like a medical miracle to me.
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Quite possibly and I’m happy you’ve found some incredibly useful medication which helps your quality of life! The reason why I don’t believe in the term “wonder drug” or “miracle drug”, is because all drugs have side effects and secondly, it could be based off of interpretation. I’ve tried out a variety of medications like immunosuppression and other tablets sometimes off-label via specialists – so if something went wrong, I wouldn’t be able to hold the pharmaceutical company liable; I’ve also experienced a variety of medications which include allergy relief due to a wide range of conditions I’ve suffered from and they really do change my life. They reduce problematic symptoms but all the while, I know potential risks and harm it may do to my body, over a period of time. Doctors have repeatedly reminded me of treatment options available to me such as thalidomide or more immunosuppression therapy and I’ve personally chosen the path with least medical intervention for my immune system. It helps me keep track of what my body is trying to tell me. For diseases with abnormal cell growth that’s a different story and people should always choose what they feel is best along with professional medical advice.
But I’ve learnt if you accept all “miracle drugs” out there, you’d be a pin cushion and experimental lab rat, due to the medical field not being an exact science. It’s a trial and error theory, doctors state that themselves. They’re continuously doing research especially on their patients, what works and what seemingly doesn’t.
The problem, if “wonder drugs” are left to case by case interpretation, it’s difficult to decipher whether a patient has built a reliance to it. If I found the perfect drug and let the doctor know it’s made such a difference xyz, it’s almost impossible to tell if an addiction may arise or not. Our bodies naturally get used to certain chemicals and drugs, so efficacy can begin to lessen, when can we or medical professionals notice if it’s still beneficial or not? It’s interpretation, which is our own opinion arising from our mind.
Majority of medication are prescribed for short-term usage rather than long-term depending on the severity of the patient’s condition.
If not, we’d have a drug-dependent society. Some countries already have that problem. They’re promoting injections left, right and centre for weight loss. Even for people who aren’t obese but wish to have a flatter stomach for example. Alongside legislation of assisted dying in certain countries. Why is medical intervention becoming alarmingly acceptable? It’s quite frightening. It’s a money-making industry especially if consumers are buying into it without asking the question, why?
Hip replacement definitely is a miracle! The surgeon will change your life for the better which I’m so happy to hear!
I’m so sorry to hear about your heath woes and sending you my best wishes and a speedy recovery next year!
Thankyouu so much for sharing your wise, honest insight, Susanne! Hope you’re having a lovely day!🤗🤍
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I think we (in the states) are a drugged nation. There are constant ads on TV about drugs for this and that, and to sell the drugs they use music from decades past and make what I think are scenes of people having great fun with family or whatever they may be doing.
It’s so ridiculous and people have had enough of these companies pushing their drugs on us. Big Pharma are the biggest drug pushers on the planet. Unfortunately, my health dictates that I must consume Big Pharma’s drugs…
Sorry for the rant, Antonia.
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Unfortunately, many countries have an underlying dependency on drugs, whether that be prescription or illegal substances. It makes a lot of money for the economy which is a major reason why it’s overlooked.
There are many benefits to the accessibility of medication we have today for a variety of diseases or illnesses, but with that, they’re are downsides and risks. Especially dependent on the prescriber and having your best interests at heart. That can be difficult when over 50% of doctors have contracts with pharmaceutical companies. It can make you cautious and somewhat dubious about your healthcare and ensuring you have a positive, trustworthy relationship with your doctor is crucial.
I always enjoy a good rant, so never apologise, especially in relation to such an important topic.
Thankyouu ever so much for sharing your honest viewpoint, John!
Hope you’ve had a great day!😃🤍
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Excellent thoughts, Antonia. Your NHS is very different from our pay system, I think the States should dump our system and adopt the system that the UK and Canada have. I can afford almost $900 dollars a month for my health insurance, but that doesn’t mean that I want to! It’s so sickening. 🫣😡
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$900 a month is pure extortion! They definitely need to make a few changes by the sounds of it. Such expenditure for existing is ludicrous!
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It’s ludicrous, Antonia! 😡
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I’m currently having problems finding a doctor at the moment.
So many I’ve tried are not taking new patients.
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And it’s especially annoying when they forget to update their websites so I don’t waste my time calling them.
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They need to put their patients first and make appointments more accessible.
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Oh no that’s terrible, I hope you find a GP soon as it’s a necessity even for a quick check-up!🙏🤍
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I finally heard back from a medical clinic yesterday.
I had gone to them first as they were only 2 blocks from where I live.
I guess a new doctor has joined the clinic and will start seeing new patients.
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Yay! That’s such terrific news, so happy to hear your healthcare is looking up😊. Consider it an early Christmas gift – especially in the day and age we’re in!🤦♀️
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I think it’s about 50/50?….it just seems most people should know what to avoid to stay healthy, and a lot will try a lot of things to cure a few ailments..but I think there’s to many going the other way…in a city here in Canada, Calgary…where instead of taking their child for medical help, decided to go the natural way….the poor kid had meningitis and died…..I trust the medical profession, and my GP knows how I feel about taking anything, and will only prescribe if there’s no other way….
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50/50 is probably the best way as it’s a meeting in the middle by not putting more emphasis on one or the other.
I think when it comes to children, you should take the GP’s advice as a child is unable to make an informed decision and it could potentially be dangerous if parents take their child’s healthcare into their own hands. Authorities are automatically involved when it comes to children as there are safeguarding laws and procedures if a parent undermines medical advice and that negatively impacts the child, it directly leads to the parent in question which in turn, could have detrimental consequences.
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of a child to meningitis, there are no words when that happens anywhere but especially in your immediate area😞. It’s so important to seek medical advice sooner rather than later, especially when it’s pertaining to children. It’s the parent or caregivers responsibility to seek help as soon as possible no matter how minor the ailment as you never know.🙏
Thankyou for sharing such an important message, Warren🙏🤍
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The advances in technology and drug development are wonderful, but it is sad to see the greed of big pharma pushing drugs on TV all day long. We lock up the street pushers and promote the big pharma pushers!
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It’s incomprehensible. We’re silent throughout the loudest wake-up call. Already far too many have become reliant to prescription drugs and zombie-like. Acknowledging the reality is now equivalent of going cold-turkey for the majority of the population, sadly!
I still have hope though🤞.
At the very least, question the kool-aid!
Thankyouu so much for sharing your insight!😊🤍
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You are very welcome. We may not be able to change things ourselves, but we can always call attention to and challenge the status quo!
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I second that!🤍
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I think the answer to both sides of your question is “yes.” I wish the government would subsidize more research into curing lesser known diseases. Corporations are profit motivated so focus on competing over who has the best treatments for the most common diseases, which is why there are so many treatments for the common cold in supermarkets.
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This! It’s comparable to a rat race – locating the best, most cost-effective treatments for common illnesses. Whereas lesser-known conditions may have no known cure due to a lack of funding to support much-needed research. Pharmaceutical companies monopolising healthcare can be problematic and potentially dangerous due to priorities in favour of the profitability rather than the greater good for a vast array of diseases.
Balance and fairness is a thing of the past.
Thankyouu so much for sharing such accuracy!😊🤍
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