Try as you may, it's simply impossible to forget the song "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis. Oh yeah, and The News (how dare I forget his back-up band). Though the video came out when I was a neophyte in the new world of MTV, I do distinctly recall the part where he buries his face into a sink filled with ice cold water.
Very 80s, cocaine-era appropriate. But, given the amount of prescription drugs that pharmaceutical companies push these days, I almost feel as though that song should be playing in the background of every drug commercial you see (you know, the ones that always end with the fast-talking pitch man rattling off every horrible side-effect the drug may have). Don't get me wrong, I think the advancements in modern medicine — including pharmaceutical drugs — have been beneficial in some regard. Be that as it may, however, there have also been a number of missteps made by these drug companies.
Why am I bothering to say all this? Well, I just came across a success story related to Pfizer's new cholesterol reducing drug Atorvastatin. In sum, LDL (bad) cholesterol was reduced in test subjects who took this drug for several years. What's wrong with that? Nothing, of course. That's great news,in fact. But, at the risk of sounding like that guy from the infomercials who claims that EVERYTHING can be cured with a natural remedy, an equal amount of success may have been reached with a few dietary choices.
Examples of said dietary choices: Walnuts, Avocados, Whole Grain Oatmeal, Almonds, Fish, and Olive Oil.
Sure, it's much easier to pop a pill than it is consume a diet with any or all of these foods on a regular basis,but the danger you run with the pill are those nasty side effects I mentioned earlier. Dry throat, bloody nose,diarrhea, dizziness, nausea — it runs the gamut. Also, let us not forget that companies (yes, even Pfizer) have championed drugs in the past, only to have them turn out to do far more harm than good.
Examples of such a drug: How about the one mentioned earlier — yup, none other than cocaine. If you bother to check, you'll find that none other than Pfizer, Inc. (through its subsidiary Parke-Davis) sold and marketed cocaine for medical purposes. And,never one to leave a customer unsatisfied, Pfizer even threw in a cocaine injection kit.
Granted, this was almost a century ago, but it has to at least make you wonder what people 100 years from now will think of drugs like Atorvastatin.
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As a society, we’re always looking for the quick fix to our problems, especially when it comes to our health. Instead, we need to focus on healing ourselves and therefore eliminating the need for a drug or a pill.
“but the danger you run with the pill are those nasty side effects I mentioned earlier. Dry throat, bloody nose,diarrhea, dizziness, nausea — it runs the gamut.”
Sadly too many people would prefer those side effects over sweating, increase in endorphins, mild discomfort from lactic acid build up, delayed onset muscle soreness, temporary reduction in appetite, loss of anywhere from 20 -60 minutes of television viewing, and having to moderate the intake of trans fats and junk food, plus all the benefits you get from exercise.