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Health and Wellness

The Pharmaceutical Industry: America's Real Epidemic

America's real epidemic is the pharmaceutical industry, not the creepy 40-year-old man selling weed on the corner.

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The Pharmaceutical Industry: America's Real Epidemic
SBS Dateline / YouTube

Everyone has been in a situation where they need medical attention and are at the mercy of a doctor to find the quickest fix possible for an injury, sickness, or ailment.

How many of you have ever broken a bone or had to go to the hospital…and all they ended up doing was giving you pain medication and sending you on your way?

How many of you have heard, "Oh just rest and take one of these every 3-5 hours for pain as needed. Have fun gettin’ high kids!"

Well, maybe not the last part, but almost all of us have been in that position where doctors assume that giving someone a pill to help ease the symptoms is the best policy instead of trying to find alternative ways to fix the problem.

"YES! THEY WILL KEEP COMING BACK…AND COMING BACK! MUWAHAHAHAHA!"

OK, so I totally didn’t mean to cut into a world domination piece right there, but…WAIT A MINUTE! World domination piece? Like this?

Pinky: What are we going to do tonight Brain?
Brain: The same thing we do every night Pinky…TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
it’s pinky and the brain, pinky and the brain. they got involved with pharmaceuticals and now they’re insane. they’re filthy rich and greedy, they prey on injuries of the needy. they’re pinky, they’re pinky and the BRAIN BRAIN BRAIN BRAIN BRAIN
….and this message has been brought to you by The Partnership For A Drug Free America.

But getting back to the point at hand, do you ever wonder why the medical field is always so focused on just giving you medication to TREAT THE SYMPTOMS and then sending you on your way? It boils down largely to the fact that even if there are supposed "cures" for the several lethal diseases in the world, that is not the medical field's purpose.

The medical field is a business just like any another, and if it runs as such, the main proponent of business is to persuade the customers to return on a fairly regular basis. It's the same as any other business would do, whether it's Walmart, Midas, Uber, the Cincinnati Reds organization, or even Mercy Hospital.

So, what's the best way to ensure that your customers return on a fairly regular basis, keep them just healthy enough to live comfortably and not die, yet ensure they are sick enough to where they will continue coming back and receiving even more treatments and more drugs?

I am not saying by any means that this is completely indicative of everyone in the medical field; the sad part is, I believe many of those in the machine do not even realize what their internal active role is and how they contribute to the "drug and capitalist culture." But those working behind the scenes to make this all work, most of them do know what their role is and how each of those working under them contributes to this goal. This is why the people on top have become multi-billionaires, much to the expense of those working underneath them, and maybe more importantly their customers—I mean, patients.

Clearly, we won't stop being sick until we stop making ourselves sick, and yet the powers that be lobby Washington and pump millions of dollars into the system in order to subsidize healthcare in America. But why do these powers that be do such a thing? It's real simple: Their goal is to ensure that the focus is not on those factors that they cannot monetize like unhealthy food or bad lifestyle choices, but on the healthcare of those individuals who have been kept sick and "need" their services. Ya know, those people who are "kind of alive" but have one or more of these supposed chronic conditions that specifically require Prozac, Alprazolam, Percocet, Ambien, Ativan, Hydrocodone, Gabapentin, Adderall, or any of the other drugs that are marketed to their customers like action figures in a Toys R Us.

Speaking of, A Partnership For A Drug Free America? Give me a break. They aren’t a coalition against drugs, they are are a coalition against the drugs that are their competition.

AND IN YOUR NEXT WRESTLING MATCH, A TEST OF WITS AND OVERALL SUSTAINABILITY: Pharmaceutical Companies vs. The Compton Drug Gang…and the special guest referee is none other than the United States DEA. Wow, wonder who will win that match.

Do you ever think that maybe the pharmaceutical drugs that are pumped into us from the time we are born aren’t really needed? For instance, did anyone ever have restless legs syndrome until a pill came out for it?

Martha: Oh hello Mrs. Jamison! Would you want to come out for the bake sale tomorrow night over at the Coopers?
Mrs. Jamison: Oh I would love too, Martha! But Mike is still dealin’ with that pesky restless legs syndrome!
Martha: Oh well that’s too bad. Well, give him my best!
Mrs. Jamison: Oh I will. Thank you! His legs are just so…so…RESTLESS. AWHHHHH NO! I FORGOT TO GIVE HIM HIS SIX MEDICATIONS TONIGHT! OH LORD!
*runs into house*
Mrs. Jamison: MIKE! MIKE! YOU FORGOT TO TAKE YOUR ELBOW ITCH MEDICINE TONIGHT TOO!

It’s almost as if they are coming out with the pills and medication for the disease before the disease even exists. Oh, them marketing fiends! Always trying to find out about the hot new products before they are available! Wait a minute! Don’t other companies do that too? Wasn’t Apple like that as well?

I hope we can invest in that new drug that Phizer is coming out with. I don’t know much about it, but it’s supposed to treat something called, eyesfeelweirditis. Sounds terrible.

Yeah. Maybe it is all about money, huh? And really when you look at the drugs that actually do kill more people than anything else, you would probably think of cocaine, crack, marijuana, or even heroin. But that’s not the case. Heroin does kill thousands of people every year, but what are the drugs that are slipping under the radar?

You guessed it: the prescription drugs.

The Centers for Disease Control found that in 2015, there were close to 18,000 PRESCRIPTION opioid deaths, compared to the still staggering 12,989 deaths related to heroin. But the comparison is still alarming when we virtually hear nothing of the prescription drug overdoses compared to the "illegal drugs" sold by the creepy 40-year-old man on the corner.

But why is that? Maybe because Dr. Logan is prescribing the "legal drugs" that are pushed and serviced by the pharmaceutical lobbyists in Washington even though those drugs are statistically killing more people.

It is also alarming to think that many of those "heroin" deaths can largely be attributed to many individuals who STARTED with "the legal drugs," as statistics show that an individual on prescription drugs is 40 times more likely to abuse heroin. But hey, isn't marijuana the gateway drug?

The drug dealers definitely have blood on their hands and are responsible for a lot of deaths. But really, did you ever think that maybe the pharmaceutical companies do too…they might just be better at covering it up? I am in no way saying that the “illegal” drugs are good for you... but really, are the “legal” drugs that much better?

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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