The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that drug overdoses killed 33,000 people in 2005, second only to car accidents in the category of accidental deaths. In 1999, the number was 20,000, and in 1990, 10,000 died.
As this excellent commentary in Better Body Journal points out, the huge increase in people dying is not because of a heroin or crack epidemic. These deaths are largely due to prescription drugs.
Consider that 46 percent of Americans take at least one prescription pill daily. Are these drugs really solving all your problems? If so, then why is the pharmaceutical industry growing every single year, with some of the biggest profit margins of any industry?
Big Pharma spent $12.7 billion promoting its products in 1998. The amount has vastly increased since that time. Do you ever get the feeling that you’re being sold many of these drugs just to make you think that you’re sick with something?
A good portion of the drugs that make up the multi-billion dollar industry of pharmaceuticals are simply doing nothing, if not making us worse. For example, a recent study suggests that anti-depressants only work for the severely depressed. If you’re not in that category, then you might as well be taking a sugar pill.
In most cases, Americans are taking more drugs than they need. How about stopping the problems before they start? Take a step back and look at your life. Do you actually have problems, or do you only think you have problems because of a drug commercial?
Sources:
Better Body Journal May 16, 2008
Better Body Journal May 17, 2008
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