The Daily Campus

medicines, vaccinations, hospitals, etc. . . .

Do you know what the number one cause of death is in the United States?

It's not lung cancer --

It's PREVENTABLE infections pick up from hospital surgeries and other operations!!!

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/08/6251/

The first one is not directly on point, but the second is more on point. It's comprehensive, but you'll have to check the footnotes yourself.

http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/Leading_Cause_of_Death_in_the_US.html

As I read your article, I got the distinct impression that you were probably a Pharmacy major. You sound just like someone who has been brainwashed by the pharmaceutical companies. I think you need to do more research in the area of natural medicine, aka naturopathic medicine. It is also based on science.

The healthcare system in the U.S. has been set up to give the pharm. corporations the advantage -- get sick and we'll develop the drugs to make you well. Just ask any senior citizen about their Rx costs. Most of them are taking OVER 10 medications. That means BIG $$ for the pharm. companies!
Did you know that the names of the latest syndromes and diseases are named by MARKETING FIRMS with the intention of making people think they have a particular ailment?! Did you know that doctors are given gifts (free vacations, free dinners, free tickets to major sports events, etc.) by the pharm. companies as incentive to promote prescribing a certain new drug -- with little regard as to whether it may, or not be the best one for that particular patient!! What's a little "quid pro quo" when it comes to the health of person vs. a free trip to the Bahamas? The pharm companies spend billions of $$ on marketing. Most people know what drug they want before they even get to their doctor's office, thanks to all the TV ads. And people wonder why drug costs are so expensive? Just ask some of those seniors choosing between food and their meds. If the pharm. companies spent less on marketing alone, they could lower the Rx costs to all consumers.

PREVENTION -- should be the focus of any new healthcare plan set forth by the next Administration. It should include natural medicine, which has its place along side mainstream medicine. Natural herbal supplements can be just as effective WITHOUT some of the dangerous side effects of a pharm. drug. It's not a guessing game, and no one should just take herbal supplements without having some background knowledge, or without consulting a naturopathic physician (ND). Most insurance plans include ND office visits, so there's no excuse for not considering them as part of your routine healthcare. They don't just treat symptoms, they treat the whole person -- they'll find out WHY a person keeps getting reoccurring headaches, instead of just handing them a prescription for painkillers.

To condemn natural medicine without knowing about its philosophy is being very short-sighted. It helps millions of people -- I'm living proof. Drugs are not a magic-bullet. They contribute to society's OTHER drug problem - prescription drugs, which can also complicate an illness -- take a drug for one ailment. The drug gives you a side effect of diabetes or depression or worse, so you have to take more drugs...and the "addiction" has taken hold. The patient is hooked on a never-ending Rx treadmill that will cost them thousands of dollars over their lifetime.

The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks the U.S.A. at # 37 on its list of heath systems. Maybe if we could get the corporations out of Washington, we might be able to move up the list to a more respectable ranking.