Drug culture and modern medicine...

Last week in our Xtend-15sec-News we conveyed some statistics released by the US Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. The statistics confirmed what most people are aware of and that is the current health system is failing. To recap on the key points again here they are:

Between 1984 and 1996 the prevalence of:

• Stroke increased one percent.
• Diabetes increased two percent.
• Arthritis increased three percent.
• Heart disease increased five percent.
• Cancer increased seven percent.

This article prompted a long term customer of ours with the US Foreign service to write a rather interesting email to me. She is posted in an overseas US embassy and visits home in the US on a regular basis. I have copied her email to me below followed by my reply. Please read it because I am sure you will find it interesting and can relate to it.

Here goes...

Warren,

I am home visiting my family for the summer. It is very sad here in Philadelphia. Most of the population is obese. Many people I speak with are suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. Daily, I learn of friends in my age group (46) who are dying or have passed away due to cancer and other terminal illnesses. I feel we are too young to be letting go of life so soon. But, then again, I see the masses of elderly who roam the halls of my mother's new senior complex who look forlorn and abandoned, without hope. They are on a host of medication, spending their days going from doctor to doctor and from pharmacist to pharmacist.

There was a recent expose on TV about the outrageous prices these senior citizens are paying for the multitude of prescriptions they are obliged to purchase on their less than sufficient medical plans, for arthritis and other chronic ailments that plague them. I feel so badly for them and wonder about their quality of life. Everyone is focused on living longer, but I wonder why if this is what they have to look forward to. Most cannot remember my name although I see them every morning and have for the past week and address them by their names. They wander aimlessly seeking purpose and direction, trying to give their last days meaning.

There are many programs available to them, but they do not have the energy or attention span required to participate. This really saddens me and has me concerned about the lifestyle that my mother is leading, and also about my own. I'm glad that I have found your vitamins in time to support my own physical, emotional and intellectual needs, but I worry for the millions of elderly who are joining the ranks of these senior citizens each day. I don't believe they are taking in the nutrients they need or getting the exercise the body requires or the mental stimulation.

As they park themselves before TV sets, I can sense their minds turning to mush before my eyes. This, to me, is a serious crisis. I do not want to see my mother, who is one of the youngest people in this building turn into one of these near vegetables whose sole purpose in life is to sustain the medical and pharmaceutical industries. I thought this was supposed to be the "golden years" when we get to enjoy our lives. What I am witnessing is "gilded" cages in a complex that could easily double as a hospital given half the chance.

Your thoughts?

My reply...

What can I say! You have summed up the situation very nicely. It is indeed sad! You asked for my thoughts about this. I'll give them.

In my opinion this situation has come about through a combination of misinformation and greed. The greed is coming from both pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturers. They are also the major source of the misinformation as they have a direct influence on the 'official' information released by governments...and the resources to influence the media and air their VNR's (video news releases) which are presented as normal news items in the nightly news.

I accept that pharmaceutical companies have their place in the overall health arena and from time to time they develop products that have uses and indeed have saved many lives particularly in moments of a health crisis or some other emergency.

Nonetheless the pharmaceutical companies have been largely responsible over the last few decades in contributing to the development of a culture in which individuals have gradually abdicated personal responsibility for their own health due to a 'feeling' in the back of their mind that the wonders of science will 'save the day' when needed.

This culture has been accomplished in many subtle ways starting right at the core by the funding direct or indirectly of medical schools by pharmaceutical companies and influencing the training of future physicians who are now 'geared' not to treat the cause but rather treat the symptoms of an ailment with prescription drugs. This strategy will never work (but it sure is profitable!) because the overwhelming majority of drugs are designed to block specific enzymes and mask the symptoms of an underlying ailment. All they generally do is delay the day of reckoning... AND create new side effects in the patients.

Blood pressure medication is a glaring example of this. Hypertension is present for a reason and serves as a warning of an underlying problem. Using drugs to mask the symptoms only leads to the cause which is cardiovascular disease being ignored.

As patents expire for drugs, new and more sophisticated ones are developed whether they are needed or not...to ensure profit margins are maintained. All of these drugs have negative side effects.

Because of the 'culture' that has developed many physicians have become an extension of the drug companies and deal with patients problems by writing out prescriptions based on the 'rule' book. Whereas many physicians instinctively know that using natural alternative is a better way they simply don't have the training and don't have the technical support for these natural products because the profits margins are not there for natural product companies to 'educate' Doctors.

Added to this is the risk of being sued for malpractice if anything goes wrong and the treatment prescribed is not in the 'approved' book which is primarily written by the pharmaceutical companies.

So...the endless circle of prescribing drugs for symptoms, followed by drugs to deal with side effects of drugs continues with no let up...

This is why we have the situation that you have so clearly described.

What is the solution? The answer to this is simple but idealistic and will never happen in reality. In a sentence...correct diet with no processed foods, exercise and supplementation to help support the brain and body.

I know that over the last couple of years you have had a lot of benefit from our supplements particularly Total Balance...but wait until you receive the new generation product. (I understand it is in transit to you) Not only does it do everything the earlier Total Balance does but it also targets the brain as well as the key organs. You will feel the difference! If these folk that you were referring to gave their brains a boost with the nutrients that we have in this product then they would be much more motivated to eat better and exercise easy because their sense of well being would improve and with it a reduction of cravings for 'junk' or sugar laden foods.

But, sadly this is only going to happen with a small percentage of people because they will never get to learn about what they need to do, so long as the current culture continues...and I can't see that changing. In fact, I see it getting worse...

In so far as your Mum is concerned I would suggest getting her on to the new generation Total Balance (The Unisex version is OK because of her advanced years) and also adding 2 - 3,000mgs of a quality molecularly distilled fish oil as well. Try to have her take a brisk walk every day and encourage her to avoid processed foods.

In so far as the other folks are concerned lets hope that they have caring daughters like your Mum has and they can encourage them to improve their twilight years.

<END>

Back to you (our reader)...

Don't be like most people and become a victim of the system. Be proactive when it comes to your health. It's ironic that so many people are so preoccupied with their busy daily lives and making money for the future that they put their own health needs on the 'back burner' thinking that they can deal with it after they get their other priorities sorted out.

Sometimes this approach works but more often than not it doesn't, because it is left too late and the damage is done. At that point all the money in the world will not restore your health. A small investment in health now makes more sense than any financial investment ever will…even financially! For example, I never spend a cent on health insurance or doctors visits. I am not advocating that you toss out your health insurance but I am saying that the indirect costs in losing your health has enormous financial implications in both direct costs and loss of earnings…not to mention the quality of life.

We have been working hard for the last year on a new generation of Total Balance which will give people the opportunity to lay a solid foundation for the health of their brain and body. Prof DrMunem who is in charge of all our research and develops our formulas has spent thousands of hours on this new product.

The net result is a more affordable version with a potency level several fold more than the old generation (and that was the best available at that time). It is not possible to duplicate the benefits from this product unless you were to spend many hundreds of dollars per month. You can however get all the benefits which you will feel for a fraction of that.

We finished our first production run less than a week ago and already my family and I are feeling the effects. Check out the details by clicking here.

Until the next issue.

In good health,