| Chris Rock's brilliant stand-up routine includes some | | | | harmful and expensive. The drug companies aren't |
| riffs on the ubiquitous television drug commercials that | | | | interested in saving your life; they're interested in taking |
| "keep naming symptoms till they get one" that the | | | | your money.As Critser points out and Rock implies, |
| viewer has. Even if the ads don't mention what it is the | | | | drug companies are driven by profits and have used |
| medicine is supposed to do: "You see a lady on a | | | | their power to influence many areas of medicine. |
| horse or a man in a tub, and they just keep naming | | | | What is most unfortunate is that this has resulted in |
| symptoms: 'Are you depressed?' 'Are you lonely?' 'Do | | | | many biased studies, which ultimately lead to |
| your teeth hurt?'" Even "'Do you go to bed at night and | | | | misleading information to the public. In addition, health |
| wake up in the morning?' They got that one!" he adds. | | | | costs are rising through the roof, and shortly we will be |
| "I got that. I'm sick. I need that pill!"The New York Times | | | | spending over $2 trillion a year for health care in the |
| quotes Chris Rock as part of its review of Greg | | | | United States! It is safe to estimate that over |
| Critser's new book, Generation RX. This book | | | | three-fourths of this money is wasted on short-term |
| examines how baby boomers and their offspring have | | | | fixes, primarily drugs and surgeries, which in no way |
| become the most medicated generations in history, | | | | address the long-term cause of the problem. Further, |
| taking pills that promise to "do everything from guarding | | | | the far-too-cozy relationship between government |
| us against our excesses of drink, food and tobacco, to | | | | agencies like the FDA and major drug companies lets |
| increasing our children's performance at school, to | | | | Big Pharma get away with practically anything they |
| jump-starting our own productivity at work, to | | | | want. This has much to do with why I'm so focused on |
| extending our very time on this mortal coil."Critser | | | | my vision of exposing the existing medical paradigm's |
| traces the massive growth of drugs claiming to do | | | | techniques, habits and messages that have put your |
| everything to the loosening and speeding up of the | | | | health and that of the American public in grave |
| regulatory processes that used to keep the big | | | | danger.The key to caring for illnesses is to focus on |
| pharmaceutical companies in check. As an onslaught | | | | finding the underlying cause of the problem. It is |
| of money and lobbyists has made the government | | | | possible to maintain total health by avoiding |
| increasingly willing to do the bidding of drug companies, | | | | unnecessary drugs and by gaining a comprehensive |
| and doctors are similarly besieged with advertising, the | | | | understanding of good nutrition and proper lifestyle |
| barriers between Big Pharma and the public have | | | | choices. Here are some general guidelines to achieving |
| grown thin and porous. New York Times September | | | | good health (without the use of harmful drugs) that |
| 30, 2005 Registration Required Dr. Mercola's | | | | seem to hold true for all people:Eliminate sugar and |
| Comment:Chris Rock's routine is right on the money. It's | | | | grains Eat unprocessed, high-quality foods, organic if |
| great that the social critics like Rock and the | | | | possible, right for your metabolic type Eat your food as |
| muckrakers like Critser are exposing the truth about | | | | close to raw as possible Have omega-3 fish oil |
| what's going on in the drug industry. Sometimes it's so | | | | Exercise regularly This article is reprinted from |
| ridiculous you just have to laugh.But it's also a serious | | | | Mercola.com, the world's #1 most visited and trusted |
| issue. For those of you who regularly read my | | | | natural/alternative health website. For a limited time |
| newsletter, you know that I strongly advise AGAINST | | | | only, you can take the FREE "Metabolic Type Test" to |
| using drugs when possible. And, though drugs are | | | | help you learn the right foods for your particular body |
| sometimes appropriate and at times can save a | | | | type so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just |
| person's life, most of the time they are unnecessary, | | | | go to right now to take this quick test! |