Inconsiderate Neighbor?

[cowboydoc]

Re: Balance

Dan and Glueguy,
You guys are absolutely right and I couldn't agree with you more. There are too many drugs and half the time you end up chasing your tail with a symptom that's caused by another drug, etc. It's plain ridiculous. I am against it. It has been theorized in research that up to 80% of the cause of disease, ie. cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are lifestyle related. But people would rather take a pill than to change their lifestyle. I'm all for lifestyle change first and if that doesn't work or the patient is unwilling then prescription second. You also have to look at each patient as an individual and what is right for them. High or low of this or that has to be weighed against the patient as a whole and then a decision made. How true your statement GlueGuy that the answer lies somewhere in the middle!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Balance

Richard,
Have you been carefully listening to the drug-ads on TV lately?
It's a riot,... since some agency(FDA?) has them listing the possible side-effects at the end of their ads.

You can tell by the carefully-chosen-to-sound-innocuous wording that the companies are hoping that the viewers will NOT really hear what they are being told.

I love it! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Those big-bucks execs have to be squirming while they admit that those "Have you asked your Dr.about...?" drugs-of-the-week do as much (or more!) TO you, as they do FOR you.

Too bad that so many people are willing and eager to turn over the responsibility for their health to someone else.

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Balance

LH,
You know what's even worse now is that they just call on the phone and say I know have this can you just call this prescription in for me. I ask them how they know this and they tell me that they saw it on tv. I explain to them that they would have to come in and have an exam and based on the exam we would decide the best course of care. That usually doesn't go over well as they already know what they have just give them the drug! Or I have people come in and they say they don't really want an exam or anything could I please just write this prescription for them. Those guys cause as much problem as they solve. I for one am glad that the FDA finally made them list those side effects. People really need to realize that these drugs don't come without a price. My best advice still is a healthy lifestyle. Definitely instances where medication is needed but it's out of control in this country.

 

[ERNIEB]

Re: Balance

Interesting discussion. People today seem to be obsessed with a "healthy" lifestyle. What it really boils down to is they want to live longer. Or in other words, they fear dying. The media and advertisers are cashing in on this fear.
The drug commercials previously mentioned are but one example. Dannon ran an ad showing 100 plus year old villagers who supposedly ate yogurt daily. Of course, in the clip the yogurt the villagers were eating was Dannon. The message is clear.
Many people who purchase organic foods, actually think that it is more nutrious. Nonsense. No study has ever backed this up, and the organic growers have never made this claim. The idea came from so called "news stories", and people just accept it as fact.
Just yesterday, I heard a local politico state "second hand smoke is far more dangerous because it does not go through the filter" I'm not all that smart, but I would guess that the majority of second hand smoke not only has gone through the filter, it was also filtered in someones lungs, hence the term "second hand". People hear this kind of comment, and just accept it, never even question it.
I'm not in a hurry to die, and I'd like to live to a ripe old age myself, but the fact remains death is a part of life. As a species I think we live much longer than nature intended anyway. I try to enjoy what life I do have. If that means having a thick, juicy T-bone, and a cold beer, then thats what I'm going to have.

Ernie
"I shall never surrender or retreat" William Barret Travis

 

[dmccarty]

Re: Balance

Boy Oh Boy!

We started with the Rude Neighbor and now we are on HealthCare and Commercials! LOL! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

My grandparents generation really seem to be the in pill popping generation. I see it in my grandparents as well as my wife's family. They have a problem and the answer is to pop a pill. Heck I have been fighting a cough/cold/broncitis for a month and I'm finally giving up and getting to the doctor today. I thought I had it beaten but it came back this week. Maybe I've gone to the other extreme! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Speaking of drug adverts. Has anyone caught the male erectile disfunction commercial? Its a real hoot. Its the one with the man running around the house cleaning and setting up a romantic dinner. The hook for the wife is not only the fixing of the erectile disfunction, but the man takes a pill and he is cleaning up and being romantic! WOW! What a drug! I bet most women would buy it by the case! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

The REAL funny part is the brochure that is quickly shown in various parts of the comercial. Its only shown for a split second a few times during the commercial so you really have to pay attention. The brochure has a bunch of words in a small font, followed by ONE word in a BIG font, ending in words that are back in a small font.

What is the ONE word in the LARGE font in the erectile disfunction drug brochure?

UP

LOL! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

It cracks me up everytime I see the advert. Talk about subliminal!

Later....
Dan McCarty

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Balance

Ernie and Dan,
What I see more Ernie is that people DON'T want to take responsibility for their health. They want a magic pill to make everything better. There is no cure for being overweight except exercise and sensible eating but over 10 billion a year is spent on fad diets that don't work in the long run. Same with high blood pressure, diabetes, of which most can be controlled with exercise and diet. The single most powerful pill on this planet is a sensible diet and exercise. It will do more for you than anything else will. Take celebrex. This was supposed to be the cure for arthritis. My gosh it's not a cure for arthritis it's just an anti-inflammatory. Basically you're taking extra strenght ibuprofen that isn't as hard on your stomach. As far as the advertising you are both right it simply plays upon the fears of individuals. Shoot my grandfather is 87 years old. Won't take a pill literally to save his life if he had to. He's a meat and potatoes man if I ever saw one. The man gets up everyday walks 2 miles, takes a shot of whiskey and is out to run his ranch. Comes home takes a shot of whiskey and has his meat and potatoes. Lives pretty healthy, exercises, and keeps busy. I'm a firm believer that those three things will keep a person living about as long as they want. There's a time and place for medicine for sure but it has to moderated with a healthy lifestyle.

 

[scruffy]

Re: Balance

dmccarty, cowboydoc, while I agree with the pill poppin in society, and people's overall lack of excercise, there ARE cases where extenuating circumstances prevent the excercise, thus aiding the onset of diabetes, or other maladies. I would hesitate to point fingers until you've "Walked a mile in their shoes"!
dmccarty, you should definately get that cough, etc checked out. I put up with a cough/sinus problems for a month+, finally went in and saw the 'Doc', next day was blood tests, ct scans, xray (chest) and the next week was starting chemo-therapy for stage IIA Lymphoma! Don't delay! Be sure that it IS some minor ailment!

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Balance

Scruffy,
ABSOLUTELY!!! If you'll read my posts I say that there is a time and place for it. Situations like you say are exactly a reason why we have medicine. I would certainly invite you to spend a day in my practice and see what I am talking about. When medicine is needed I prescribe it right away. When it's not I try to give people healthful alternatives that are really going to do something for their lives. The problem is people watch an advertisement on a drug. They think this is the next greatest thing for them. They come in demanding the drug. They don't want an alternative they want that drug. Then if you do prescribe it for them and it doesn't work you're a quack. Anyway I don't think that Myself, Dan or anyone else meant that for people that need medication it shouldn't be readily available, just that it's abused.

I feel bad about your lymphoma but with today's treatments it can be treated successfully. Best of luck with your chemo treatments and I apologize if my posts offended you.

Sincerely,

 

[Thomas]

Re: Balance

Not to interrupt the topic...did you ever receive your John Deere video yet,for I'm still waiting for mine. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Balance

Tom,
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif, I think we already butchered the topic here pretty good! No I didn't recieve mine yet and was just wondering that yesterday if anyone else had recieved theirs.