Because of this tremendous influence, millions of Americans are taking potentially dangerous medications that they don’t need. To avoid being one of them, it’s important that you understand how this powerful industry operates.

Buying the Partnership of Doctors and Politicians

Starting with the first day of medical school, doctors are treated like royalty by the big drug companies. They are given all kinds of free products, and in some cases, are even given bonuses, vacations, and a number of other incentives. Pfizer, the world’s largest drug manufacturer, was recently fined a record breaking $2.4 billion for this type of behavior.

Doctors and drug companies claim that these activities have no influence on prescriptions, but if this were the case, the drug industry wouldn’t be spending billions of dollars to promote their products to doctors. Furthermore, research has shown that doctors are indeed influenced by these marketing efforts and drug companies know this because they track prescription records. Drug companies put such an emphasis on this type of promotion that the ratio of drug representatives to doctors is nearly 1 to 4.

Medical professionals aren’t the only people that the drug industry is befriending. They have deep political connections as well and contribute more money to political campaigns than any other industry. Perhaps this is why the FDA’s regulation of the drug industry is so lax.

Research that’s Biased and Deceitful

As unbelievable as it sounds, the FDA actually expects drug companies to research the safety of their own drugs. The drug industry takes advantage of this by selectively publishing favorable research, discarding unfavorable research, and even manipulating results. Because the drug industry also has a significant influence on medical journals, research is typically published without the data which makes it difficult to verify the conclusions that were drawn. Some medical journal publications are even ghostwritten and published under another name.

One of the most unsettling examples of this type of biased research is with the drug Vioxx which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) that was primarily intended to treat arthritis. Despite research indicating that Vioxx wasn’t any more effective than Aleve and had the added risk of cardiovascular side effects, Merck concealed this information and pushed the drug heavily. As a result, approximately 100,000 people suffered from heart attacks prior to the drug finally being pulled off the market.

Sneaky Marketing Tactics

The drug industry often claims that the high cost of their drugs is necessary to pay for the extensive amount of research that’s needed to create them, but this isn’t the truth. The drug industry actually spends twice as much on marketing as it does on research. During the year 2000, more money was spent on marketing Vioxx than Budweiser and Pepsi.

Drug companies are also clever about manipulating commercial rights. As long as they have a patent on a particular drug, they have exclusive rights to it and can charge a high price. Because the FDA only requires that new versions of an existing drug be tested against a placebo, there’s no need to prove that the new version provides any improvement, and as a result, it’s easy to obtain a new patent for an existing drug by changing it ever so slightly. More than three quarters of new drugs are a byproduct of this type of strategy and aren’t any different than what’s already on the market. To make matters worse, the limited amount of money that drug companies dedicate to research is often used to support this type of trickery.

AstraZeneca’s Nexium, a popular medication for acid reflux, is an excellent example of this. By the time that AstraZeneca’s patent on Prilosec was about to run out and they were at risk of losing $6 billion in revenue per year, they created and patented Nexium which is almost identical to Prilosec and isn’t any more effective. During this process, doctors were encouraged to prescribe Nexium instead of Prilosec even though Nexium is up to 7 times as expensive as Prilosec and no more effective.

Targeting Patients Directly

A relatively new marketing tactic for the drug industry, which has been quite effective, is to advertise directly to the general public through the influence of television. You’ve probably seen countless drug commercials that associate a wonderful scenario of happiness and health with a particular drug. They conclude by telling you to ask your doctor about the drug, and according to a number of doctors, many people are following orders. In fact, some people are belligerently demanding prescriptions for drugs that they saw on television without even knowing their purpose or risk. There have even been cases of women requesting Viagra and Cialis.

Unfortunately, the FDA doesn’t require drug commercials to be approved before they air, and when an issue arises regarding deceptive advertising, it takes an average of 4 to 6 months for them to respond which is much too late. Sadly, the FDA even defends drug commercials claiming that they educate the public and get people to their doctors. How’s that for influence?

Inventing and Selling Illness

The drug industry has a significant influence on research, medical journals, physicians, patients, and even our government. Drug representatives have physicians wanting to prescribe the latest medications, and television commercials have patients requesting them. It’s a very successful and profitable business model.

As if the existing amount of influence weren’t enough, drug companies create even more by making the common challenges of every day life seem like a disorder that requires medication. When a drug company receives approval to promote an existing drug for the treatment of a new condition, it makes the drug eligible for a patent extension. As such, drug companies have a tremendous incentive to find new conditions to treat with existing drugs, and when they can’t, they invent them.

For example, the drug Sarafem is really Prozac with a different name and a different color capsule. It’s patented, approved, and promoted for the treatment of “Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder” which is defined as the sadness, irritability, tension, and moodiness that might occur prior to menstruation. Even though this drug isn’t any more effective at treating these symptoms than generic Prozac, it’s up to three times as expensive.

Another common tactic is to change the definition of existing diseases. For example, changes to blood pressure and cholesterol level guidelines could qualify millions of new people for prescription medication literally overnight. When this happens, it’s not uncommon for the supporters of such changes to have financial ties to the drug companies that would benefit most.

It’s About Much More than Drug Costs

The fact that drug companies are charging high prices for drugs that aren’t any more effective than generics serves as a revealing example of what the drug industry cares about most, but cheaper generic drugs aren’t necessarily the answer to the many health care issues that we face today.

One of the major problems with modern medicine is the symptom chasing mentality that neglects to address the root cause of most health problems. Unfortunately, the significant influence of the drug industry has encouraged the majority of medical professionals to embrace this philosophy, and as a result, they’re only relieving their patient’s symptoms without actually resolving their problems. In many cases, the problems become worse despite the patient being relieved of discomfort.

Prescription medications are a tremendous help for many people who suffer from horrible conditions that are completely out of their control. However, the majority of people who take prescription medications don’t fall into this category. What more people need to realize is that optimal health is the true foundation of the happy and healthy scenarios that are portrayed by drug commercials and that following the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle is often much more effective than taking a pill. Furthermore, these commercials never tell you that adverse reactions to properly prescribed drugs are the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. They cause 100,000 deaths and 1.5 million hospitalizations each year.

As easy as it may seem to blame the drug industry for all this, it’s really not their responsibility to look after anyone’s wellbeing. Although their behavior is despicable in my opinion, it’s the responsibility of the government to not allow corporate interests to develop such a strong influence, and it’s the responsibility of the general public to seek knowledge and make informed decisions.

What You Can Do

A nonprofit organization called No Free Lunch has been established to encourage medical professionals to practice based on unbiased scientific information and to not accept money, gifts, or any form of hospitality from drug companies. To find a medical professional who has made this pledge, visit NoFreeLunch.org. Depending on what kind of assistance you need, it might be even better to seek the assistance of a naturopath. You can do so by visiting The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

In most cases, I believe that prescription medications should be a last resort. However, if you do decide that a prescription medication is the best choice for you, consider subscribing to Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs or visit Worst Pills, Best Pills to assess the safety of the drugs that you’re considering.

An Excellent and Free Documentary

Most of the information in this article is based on a documentary called Big Bucks, Big Pharma – Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs. If you’re not fully convinced of the drug industry’s deceptive ways and the fact that your health is not their top priority, then I highly recommend that you take the time to watch this video in it’s entirety.

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.

The best doctors and specialists are those who are open minded and are willing to do and try whatever is necessary and reasonable to provide their patients with the best care possible. Unfortunately, the prestige and dogma that so commonly characterize the medical profession tend to discourage this type of mentality.

The Story of a True Doctor

After completing the first two years of medical school and finding the experience to be “militaristic”, Dr. Burton Berkson decided to pursue something different which led him to earn a masters degree and a PhD in microbiology and became a professor.

Having several family members who were suffering from various illnesses, Dr. Berkson was displeased with how they were being treated by the medical community. He was told by a number of his family’s doctors that as a biologist he wasn’t qualified to question their treatment choices and should mind his business.

Despite his frustration with the medical community, Dr. Berkson decided to complete the residency portion of medical school that he needed to earn his degree. The first university that he approached about doing this told him that because he thinks like a biologist, he would have to retake the first two years of medical school to be reprogrammed to think like a doctor. This was the same type of militaristic philosophy that originally encouraged Dr. Berkson to leave medical school years ago, but it didn’t discourage him and he found another university that would allow him to complete his residency.

Saving Lives Doesn’t Matter

During Dr. Berkson’s residency, it was noticed that none of the patients under his observation had died. This was very unusual because most residents would typically have observed 15 to 20 deaths by this point. As such, a supervisor assigned two new patients to Dr. Berkson and told him that they were diagnosed with terminal liver disease and would surely die within two weeks. He was ordered to observe their deaths and present his notes afterward.

As Dr. Berkson says, medical doctors are trained to follow orders and biologists are trained to pursue new ideas. Rather than merely watching these patients die, he made an effort to find a treatment that might help. He was given the suggestion to try intravenous alpha lipoic acid which had been shown to assist in the regeneration of the liver. Dr. Berkson followed the suggestion, and within two weeks, the two patients who should have been dead at this point were completely fine. Amazing, right?

Instead of being applauded, Dr. Berkson was reprimanded for not following orders and for making the hospital look foolish after the families of these patients had been told that death was certain. Dr. Berkson was told to never do such a thing again, and worst of all, there was no genuine interest in what he did to save the lives of these patients. I find it appalling for anyone to have such a blatant disregard for human life, especially a medical professional. Unfortunately, stories like Dr. Berkson’s are far too common.

What the Medical Profession Should Really Be About

Life is precious and our ability to experience it in an enjoyable and rewarding manner is greatly dependent on our health. As such, the medical profession has the responsibility of protecting the most significant and meaningful aspect of all humanity. Instead of handling this tremendous responsibility with the humility and care that it demands, too many modern medical professionals are close minded and have lost sight of the true purpose of their profession. They’d rather conform to a broken system and act as middlemen for the drug industry than risk tarnishing their reputation by using a less conventional approach to truly address the needs of their patients. After all, if saving a life is not recognized as an amazing achievement, then what is?

How this Affects You

I find it very unsettling to think of how many people’s lives are ruined by passively believing the medical professionals who tell them that they’ll surely die or that a dangerous treatment method is their only choice. There’s almost always another choice, but you’ll never benefit from it unless you believe that it exists and are willing to pursue it.

Even the medical professionals who prescribe dangerous medications on the slightest whim, reject anything that defies the dogmas of modern medicine, and give up hope on their patients far too easily still tend to have a genuine concern for the welfare of humanity. However, keeping a patient healthy requires a lot more than just good intentions. This is why it’s so important to educate yourself and take responsibility for what you choose to believe and the resulting decisions that you make.

Fortunately, there’s an increasing number of knowledgeable and open minded medical professionals who are genuinely passionate about the welfare of humanity and regard it as their top priority, but they’re a minority and can be hard to find. Even if you’re able to find someone like this, they won’t have all the answers, and as such, it’s still important for you to be prepared to make informed decisions. Otherwise, you’ll be left having to rely on blind faith.

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.

There’s a good chance that you or someone in your family will be pressured to receive the swine flu vaccine this fall. Are you prepared?

The Risks of Swine Flu Vaccination

I previously wrote about the potential dangers of swine flu vaccination and included videos from an old episode of 60 minutes discussing some tragic results from the 44 million swine flu vaccinations that were administered in 1976. The swine flu vaccine currently being tested is apparently very similar to the one used in 1976 and presents many of the same risks.

As Dr. Jennifer Ashton points out in this CBS News video about swine flu vaccination, all vaccines carry some level of risk and this must be weighed against the risks of the targeted illness. Both Dr. Jennifer Ashton and Barbara Loe Fisher, the president of the National Vaccine Information Center, agree that a large majority of swine flu cases are mild and do not justify the risk of vaccination. In general, there has been an unnecessary dramatization of the swine flu that has the potential to mislead and frighten many people into thinking that they need to be vaccinated.

According to Wayne Madsen, an investigative journalist, even scientists who were involved in the creation of the swine flu vaccine advise against taking it.

Mandatory Vaccination

Many people, including myself, consider mandatory vaccinations to be a violation of basic rights. However, the government sees it differently. Massachusetts has already passed legislation that allows for uninvited entry into private property, forced quarantine, and forced vaccination. Those who refuse to comply can receive up to a $1,000 per day fine and up to 30 days in prison. Perhaps other states will follow suit.

In the upcoming weeks, it’s very likely that many of us will be strongly encouraged to receive the swine flu vaccine, especially school children. Barbara Loe Fisher explains why giving the swine flu vaccine to school children is a bad idea.

Who is the Government Really Protecting?

Drug companies are notorious for being deceptive, and in many cases, have lobbied the government to support their efforts. As Dr. Mercola points out, the government protects vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits related to adverse vaccination reactions. Although this has the benefit of enticing hesitant drug companies to manufacture vaccines, it greatly reduces the incentive for these companies to take the proper safety precautions. This lack of liability is even more of a concern with the prospect of the government pressuring us to be vaccinated.

As Barbara Loe Fisher points out about the problems caused by the gardasil and swine flu vaccines, the safety regulations are not being appropriately observed or enforced. According to Barbara, even the FDA and CDC admit that adverse reactions to such vaccines aren’t reported properly.

What You Can Do

The most important thing you can do to help protect yourself from swine flu or any other illness is to support your immune system by living a healthy lifestyle. You can get started right now by taking my free course 7 Simple Steps to a Leaner, Happier, and Healthier You.

It’s also important that you maintain adequate levels of vitamin D. Some experts believe that the sharp increase in illness during the winter months is a result of vitamin D deficiency. As such, getting adequate sun exposure during the summer, and if necessary, supplementing with vitamin D could have a significant impact on your ability to fight off illness.

In addition to protecting your health, it’s also important that you protect your rights. I encourage you to educate yourself through resources such as the National Vaccine Information Center and make it known to your local politicians how you feel about mandatory vaccinations. You can also sign this petition sponsored by the Health Freedom Foundation to inform state and federal legislatures that you are opposed to mandatory vaccinations.

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.

There’s no doubt that health insurance is important. We all want the comfort of knowing that we can rely on quality health care during times of need without incurring a lifetime of debt. Unfortunately, the rapidly growing cost of health care has risen out of reach for many people, and as a result, has created a significant challenge for the US government that is likely to affect us all.

Why Health Care is Expensive

Heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes, which are preventable in many cases, are just a few of the health problems that have become quite common and are leading to significant medical costs. A single patient could easily incur tens of thousands of dollars in direct medical expenses for some of these conditions.

According to the American Cancer Society, the direct medical costs for cancer treatment in 2008 totaled to more than $90 billion, and according to the American Heart Association, direct medical expenses in 2008 for treatment of heart disease totaled to just over $170 billion. This is what your expensive health care premiums are paying for each month.

Why Should I Have to Pay?

Part of Obama’s proposed health care reform will prevent health insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone who’s willing and able to pay. However, to offset the added cost that insurance companies will incur as a result, everyone who can afford to will be required to have health insurance. In other words, if you don’t want to contribute to paying the inevitable medical expenses incurred by people who live unhealthy lives with reckless abandon, tough luck!

Don’t get me wrong, I care very much about the welfare of others, but that doesn’t mean I should be forced to help pay their medical bills. I appreciate the fact that some tragic health conditions are unavoidable, but this isn’t always the case. Many of today’s most common and expensive health problems, including heart disease and cancer, are closely associated with lifestyle and are often preventable. As such, why should people who are conscientious about their health be held accountable for those who aren’t?

A Lesson from the Past

According to statistics from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the death rate from heart disease increased 53% between 1900 and 2006. This increase represents 35% of the total cost of heart disease care in 2008 which amounts to just over $100 billion. Based on mortality data from Vitality Statistics of the United States reports, the death rate from cancer increased by 195% between 1900 and 2005. This increase represents 66% of the total cost of cancer treatment in 2008 which amounts to more than $60 billion.

If we could reduce the rates of cancer and heart disease to what they were in 1900, it could save $160 billion per year, and that doesn’t even include the many other preventable diseases that are common today. Instead, the government wants to force insurance companies and wealthy tax payers to compensate for the high health care costs caused by a national epidemic of unhealthy habits. Although I don’t belong to either of these groups, I still think this is the wrong approach.

Why Health Care Reform is Not the Answer

More people need to wake up to the fact that many of today’s health problems are preventable and that prevention means much more than early testing.

Think about what has changed since 1900. We eat much more processed food and much less whole food, we’re regularly exposed to thousands of chemicals that didn’t even exist back then, we’re much more busy and stressed, we get much less sleep, and we’ve developed an unhealthy fear of sun exposure. Each of these factors contribute to the development of poor health and disease, but we have complete control over every single one of them. Based on how significantly our lifestyle habits have changed over the past century, it should be no surprise that we have an epidemic of poor health, and in turn, significant health care problems. However, trying to fix health care without fixing the causes of poor health is not an effective solution.

If the government is going to impose health care requirements on us and increase the amount of tax money spent, I’d much rather see these resources invested into education. Simply convincing people to eat more traditional whole foods and fewer processed foods would be an excellent start and could make a significant difference. Instead, we’ll most likely have to continue paying high health care premiums and continue listening to the politicians battle needlessly about secondary issues.

If you’d like more information, here’s a convenient overview of health care reform from the N.Y. Times.

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.

Based on a court ordered X-ray showing that Daniel’s tumor had regained it’s initial size since diagnosis, Daniel was ordered to resume chemotherapy treatment. The court also ordered the involvement of child protection services based on a judgment of parental negligence. The arrest warrant for the mother was filed after her and Daniel had fled into hiding and missed their next court appearance.

A Grim Prognosis

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a form of cancer that has a high survival rate when recognized early and treated with chemotherapy. While Daniel’s doctors gave him a 90% chance of survival with chemotherapy treatment, they give him only a 5% chance without it. Despite this bleak prognosis, Daniel and his mother are adamantly opposed to any additional chemotherapy treatments. Daniel made his opinion quite clear by saying that he’d fight, kick and punch to avoid it.

Allowing a 13 year old boy to make such a significant and life altering decision for himself is a highly subjective and controversial matter. In Daniel’s case, the situation is even more complicated based on the allegation that he has a learning disability and can’t read. Based on these factors, the court assumed Daniel to be incapable of understanding the severity of his condition and the necessity of chemotherapy to treat it.

The Dark Side of Chemotherapy

There’s no doubt that Daniel’s situation is a challenging moral dilemma. Not surprisingly, many people have been quick to pass harsh judgment on the mother without considering why chemotherapy might not be desirable. Chemotherapy is a very toxic treatment that destroys healthy cells along with the cancer cells. In fact, it can be fatal and is sometimes the cause of new cancer growth.

A weakened immune system is one of the primary factors that allows cancer cells to reproduce uncontrollably and become problematic. Chemotherapy does nothing to address this and often makes the immune system even weaker. Many people who understand this choose to address the cause of their cancer rather than it’s effects. They do everything in their power, primarily through natural treatment and a much healthier lifestyle, to strengthen their immune system and decrease the load on it. This gives their body the best chance to heal itself and take care of the cancer on it’s own as it should have been able to do in the first place.

Many people who’ve chosen a holistic and natural treatment approach to cancer, sometimes after unsuccessful chemotherapy treatment, have been able to resume a completely normal and healthy life despite being told that they had little to no chance of survival.

Is The Court Smart Enough to Decide For Us?

Chemotherapy is certainly not the only way to treat cancer, and there’s a lot of evidence suggesting that it’s not the best way either. Based on the dangers that are inherent to chemotherapy, I can understand the actions that Daniel and his mother have taken, especially with the possibility that the 5% chance for survival is biased in some way.

Given the dangers associated with chemotherapy and the many variables that could make a statistical prognosis inaccurate, it’s hard to say if this a case of the court truly protecting someone from their own ignorance, or if the court itself is ignorant and is causing this family unnecessary pain and suffering. Regardless of the answer, the stress of this court ruling will likely suppress Daniel’s immune system and make it much more difficult for him to fight his cancer.

The Hypocrisy of Mandatory Chemotherapy

Cancer was a rare disease just a century ago and is now a leading cause of death. During this time span, we’ve dramatically changed the way we live and it’s obviously had a significant effect on our health. Despite this painfully obvious fact, most cancer research is based on advancing the diagnostic equipment and chemotherapy that do nothing to address it’s cause. Little effort is made to understand how the significant changes of the past century correlate to the high incidence of cancer that exists today. Unfortunately, most research is driven by it’s potential for profit and disease prevention just isn’t lucrative enough for many large corporations to take interest in it.

We live in a society where an unprecedented number of people are freely choosing to dig their own grave with unhealthy habits. In fact, they’re encouraged to do so by advertisements from the big corporations that profit from this behavior. We’re encouraged by the media to let our children live a lifestyle that promotes disease, but at the same time, we’re losing the right to protect them from dangerous medical treatments.

Does Big Industry Have a Role in This?

One of the primary reasons that our medical system is focused on chasing symptoms instead of addressing and preventing the root causes of disease is the powerful influence of the drug industry. Chemotherapy can cost as much as $10,000 per month, and with the alarming rate at which people are developing cancer, there’s obviously a tremendous amount of money to be made. Unfortunately, this is why most modern research is focused on patentable medications rather than preventive measures or natural alternatives. It’s also likely to be why cancer is still such a significant problem and why we still don’t have a safer and more effective method of treatment than chemotherapy.

What Do You Think?

Should a parent and child have the right to refuse potentially harmful treatment regardless of the prognosis? Can we rely on a government that can’t control an epidemic of preventable diseases to know what’s best for our family?

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.

Be part of the revolution aimed at making our country a healthier place to live!

The Problem

With the major flaws in our medical system, the political corruption that influences them, and the corporate greed that emphasizes profit over well being, the odds of enjoying good health and preventing disease are stacked against us.

Our medical system is focused on chasing symptoms instead of preventing disease, and this is mostly a result of the pharmacuetical industry’s influence. The lobbying power that large corporations have over the government doesn’t help either. This is evident from examples like the FDA’s change of heart with stevia, their hasty approval of the disastrous drug Vioxx, and the USDA’s push to mandate NAIS.

Finally, health insurance is also affected by all of this influence and often deprives us of the freedom to make our own health care choices.

A Petition for Change

Mike Adams from NaturalNews.com has started a petition to change all of this. It aims to initiate the major reform that our country needs in regard to health consciousness. Once the petition gains 100,000 signatures, it will be delivered to every member of the House and Senate, and also the office of the President.

The following initiatives represent a few of the key areas that the petition targets.

• Rewarding people who take responsibility for their own health and live a healthy lifestyle.
• Fighting existing and future legislation that threatens or reduces access to dietary supplements, oppresses freedom of speech for health products and therapies, mandates dangerous vaccinations, or restricts your ability to seek out alternative forms of health care.
• Protecting the food supply from genetically modified foods, dangerous additives such as MSG and aspartame, outlawed pesticides, and investigating the questionable practices of factory farming.
• Restoring integrity in medical research by requiring that it be openly published, that any ties to profit seeking businesses are fully disclosed, and that any attempts to intentionally hide unfavorable data are regarded as criminal activity.
• Ending the domination of the pharmaceutical industry over health care. This includes the bonuses used to influence doctors, the funding used to influence medical schools, and the questionable advertising used to influence consumers.
• Promoting healthier children by eliminating vending machines and processed foods from schools, and restricting the influential advertising of unhealthy products.
• Outlawing the use of dangerous synthetic chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products.
• Investing more in disease prevention.
• Protecting the environment and water supply from toxic chemicals.

Take Action!

Stand up for your right for better health and freedom of choice by signing the petition today!

Visit HealthRevolutionPetition.org for more information.

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.

Many of the health books I’ve read were written by medical doctors with a fully qualified MD degree that chose to practice alternative and natural medicine. One opinion they all tend to have in common is that modern health care is seriously flawed and that the problem originates within medical schools.

Medical School or Drug School?

Many doctors openly admit that while in medical school, they received virtually no education on nutrition or lifestyle and very little on vitamins. Nutrition and lifestyle are two of the most significant aspects of good health and are frequently associated with many of today’s most prominent and deadly diseases. Why is it that medical schools don’t recognize this? Perhaps they do but choose to ignore it.

In contrast to the lack of training in nutrition and lifestyle, medical students spend countless hours studying pharmaceutical drugs. While they can’t tell you how to eat a healthy diet, they can quickly name a drug for just about any symptom you can think of. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, pharmaceutical companies provide significant funding to medical schools.

In short, the majority of today’s doctors have been thoroughly trained to chase symptoms instead of identifying the root cause of disease and promoting optimal health.

Cholesterol and high blood pressure are common examples. With very few exceptions, these conditions are nothing more than symptoms of underlying malfunction. Instead of identifying and addressing the malfunction that’s causing elevated cholesterol or blood pressure, most doctors simply prescribe medication to artificially lower them. This does nothing to address the root problem and allows it to persist and potentially worsen.

The Continued Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry

The influence that the pharmaceutical industry has on doctors doesn’t end with medical school. Most doctors are too busy to read the medical journals that will keep them up to date with the latest health care information. Pharmaceutical companies take full advantage of this opportunity by sending their representatives out to update doctors on the latest health issues and how their wonderful drugs address them.

Sometimes, the pharmaceutical companies even provide doctors with bonuses for prescribing their drugs. Perhaps your monthly prescription refills are helping your doctor earn a free trip to Hawaii! Isn’t that nice?

Even if more doctors made an effort to read medical journals, unless they really went out of their way to look for good research, it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference since most research is influenced by the pharmaceutical industry anyway.

It’s Not the Doctors Who are Evil

Many doctors are genuinely good people that truly want to help others. But despite the honorable intentions they may have, they’re still a product of a broken system. While it’s easy to feel resentful toward a doctor that fails to improve your health and prescribes you dangerous medication that you don’t need, the blame really lies on the shoulders of the pharmaceutical industry and also the FDA for allowing it to happen.

Based on the many stories I’ve read, I firmly believe that most pharmaceutical companies are knowingly putting people’s health in danger in order to make profit. I also believe that the FDA is well aware of it and is even supporting it.

For example, consider the painkiller Vioxx that was manufactured by Merck and estimated to have killed up to 55,000 people through heart attack or stroke. There are allegations that Merck was well aware of the dangers associated with this drug and intentionally tried to hide them. And the FDA even admitted that this drug went through a lax approval process.

Regardless of my sentiment toward the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical drugs do play an important role in medicine. I’m sure there are also plenty of smaller pharmaceutical companies with good intentions and I bet pharmaceutical drugs save lives every single day. However, this certainly doesn’t justify the power that the pharmaceutical industry has over modern medicine. Nor does it mean that a steady diet of prescription drugs will promote good health.

Finding a Good Doctor

There are plenty of great doctors that have recognized the major flaws of modern medicine and have educated themselves on optimal health and addressing the root causes of disease. These doctors typically embrace the concept of “holistic medicine” which takes into consideration the wide variety of factors that can influence your health. Unlike the typical doctor, these doctors are often knowledgeable about diet, lifestyle, emotional perspective, and a wide variety of other factors that play a significant role in your health. Most importantly, they strive to prevent and reverse disease by promoting optimal health, addressing malfunction at the root level, and supporting the body’s innate ability to heal itself.

Some medical schools have degree programs based on natural and alternative forms of medicine. Doctors that earn this degree are called “naturopaths” and use the acronym of ND instead of MD. These doctors are far more knowledgeable about optimal health than the typical doctor and will emphasize natural treatments over prescription medications whenever possible.

However, finding a naturopathic doctor doesn’t guarantee that they’ll be truly dedicated to the holistic approach of pursuing optimal health. Many doctors that have embraced alternative and natural forms of medicine are still stuck in the symptom chasing mentality. While they may use herbs and supplements instead of prescription drugs, they still fail to identify and address malfunction at the root level.

To find naturopathic doctors in your area, go to the website of The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and click on the link labeled “Find an ND.”

Doctors Aren’t Always Necessary

Although many people get hung up on the acronyms following the name of a medical professional, you don’t always need a doctor to achieve excellent health. There are a number of organizations that train people with or without medical degrees to become extremely knowledgeable health practitioners.

Because this training tends to be focused more on optimal health than anything else, the help you receive from these practitioners is often more effective and useful than what you’d get from a typical doctor. Furthermore, unless you prefer the impersonal 5 minute doctor visit, you’ll typically get much more attention from these practitioners as well.

Although certified health practitioners are an excellent choice for improving your health, a licensed doctor is still the best and only choice for acute illness and emergencies. In fact, this is the one area where standard health care in America truly shines.

Be Your Own Doctor

Taking responsibility for ourselves is a basic requirement of good health that we all have to abide by. However, if you are in need of assistance and are tired of getting nowhere with the people you’re working with, another option is to take your responsibility a step further and educate yourself to the point of being able to resolve your health concerns on your own. This is exactly what I did.

I went through an entire year of frustration working with a medical doctor, a registered dietitian, an endocrinologist, a highly qualified fatigue and lyme disease specialist, and even a sleep specialist. After following an elaborate treatment protocol for most of this time, I felt only marginally better. I was concerned about how many supplements and prescription medications I was taking and was determined to find a better way.

Through extensive reading and several training programs, I gained the knowledge I needed to significantly improve my health. It was a lot of work, but I accomplished more than all the doctors and specialists combined! And now that I have the health and knowledge to show for it, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Written by Vin Miller for NaturalBias.com.