Written by Joe Suppes

As I continued to scour the news and research last week I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of negative news I saw about prescription medications.  I was highlighting many of the articles I found on twitter and when I looked back over the week I was surprised to see all the negative articles about prescription meds.  I even found that I was really having a negative spirit about the whole medical field the last couple of days.

I don’t want to become cynical so I had to check myself and see what do I really believe about health and where does the medical system fit.  Matt is always telling me that whatever we focus on expands.  The negative effects of medication had taken up much of my view over the last week.  It had started out as a head issue but it was starting to creep into my heart.  Since I need to guard my heart it was time to truly evaluate what I believe about the current medical system and where medications fit.

I have realized over the past couple years that I can’t blame the medical system for my bad health.  I have more recently come to believe that in the same turn I can’t ultimately trust them with my health.  We have built the medical system on capitalism and, for better or worse, it is designed to make money for the people that provide us with medical care.  Building a medical system on capitalism has its benefits like providing monetary motivation for advances in medicine.

But is this the right motivation when health is on the line.  Does the money influence advancement more than the motivation to see people healthier?  I’ve noticed that the money that goes into advertising prescription drugs has increased our focus on prescription drugs, and in turn this has expanded the view of these drugs in medicine.  At times it can seem like the only thing that gets attention in the medical field is medications.

I think this is why sometimes I focus so much on the side effects of medications, because at times these seem to be under-emphasized.  I guess just because meds have occupied almost the complete view of the medical system doesn’t mean I should let them expand to completely take over my view.  Especially as I think about the the role that drugs play in truly being healthier they should severely shrink in my view.

Well I guess until our country stops direct to consumer marketing of drugs and the saturation of the medical system by drug companies I will continue to keep people informed.  I will work this week on focusing on that which improves our health as opposed to that which is robbing our health.  After all, in my view I want health to expand and disease to shrink.

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