Why is the U.S. Spending More Than $1 Trillion for Drugs?
The global market for pharmaceuticals was worth more than $693 billion
in 2007. It is expected to increase to over $737 billion in 2008 and
will top $1.0 trillion in 2013.
The market is divided into branded prescription drugs, generic
prescription drugs and over-the-counter products. Branded prescription
drugs have the largest share of the market, with more than $525
billion in sales during 2007.
The second largest segment, generic prescription drugs, will
experience the highest growth rate over the next few years. It was
worth $78.5 billion in 2007 and will nearly double, to almost $152
billion, by the end of 2013.
Sources:
PharmaLive.com June 11, 2008
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Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Unfortunately most of the population has been brainwashed to take a
pill to feel better. I was reminded of this recently when I took a
treadmill EKG for an insurance physical. The staff was in utter
disbelief that I was not on any medications and questioned me several
times on that.
Do You Have a =93Drug Addict=94 Mindset?
There are times when drugs are necessary, but the bottom line is that
most of the time they aren=92t. Unfortunately, when you buy into the
mindset that you need a drug to =93fix=94 you, two things happen that
begin to feed on each other, creating a never-ending loop of
deteriorating health.
First, and most obviously, you subject your body to a potentially
toxic substance.
Second, and this is more on a subconscious level, it reinforces the
idea in your mind that your body cannot heal itself. Each time you
take a pill you=92re telling yourself that only these drugs can do
that.
Which, of course, is a lie designed to empty your pocketbooks into
drug company coffers.
Instead the drugs are invariably creating other problems, which will
lead to yet another prescription to counteract the side effects from
the first one, followed by another one, and another=85
This is clearly shown in the statistics of prescriptions per capita,
which has grown exponentially in the past 75 years. In 1929, the
average American received less than two prescriptions per year. By
2006, the average annual prescription rate per capita in the United
States was:
just over 4 prescriptions per child (age 0-18)
almost 11 prescriptions per adult (age 19-64), and
a whopping 28 prescriptions per senior, aged 65 and over!
This is an insult to the immense and innate healing power of your
body. There is just no way you would ever need that many drugs to stay
healthy. These numbers are a sad reminder of just how successfully
industry has turned our society into a =93pharmacracy=94 where every
twitch is deemed suitable for another prescription.
What=92s Your Drug of Choice?
I=92m guessing most of you reading this would not take drugs like heroin
or cocaine. After all, recreational drugs are responsible for an
estimated 10,000 to 20,000 U.S. deaths each year.
Well, an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year from
drugs that, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and properly
administered, according to an article in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA).
Two million more suffer serious side effects.
Taking this a step further, consider the medical error and mortality
rate of conventional medicine in this light:
1. The recorded error rate of ICU=92s is like the post office losing
more than 16,000 pieces of mail every hour of every day, or banks
deducting 32,000 checks from the wrong bank account every hour, 24/7
2. The recorded medical errors and deaths equate to six jumbo jets
falling out of the sky each day, 365 days a year
3. Since 2001, a recorded 490,000 people have died from properly
prescribed drugs in the United States, while 2,996 people died on U.S.
soil from terrorism, all in the 9/11 attacks; prescription drugs are
therefore 16,400 percent more dangerous than terrorism.
4. If deaths from over-the-counter drugs are also included, then drug
consumption leaps to being 32,000 percent more dangerous than
terrorism. And conventional medicine viewed as a whole is 104,700
percent deadlier than terrorism
With these kinds of odds, does it still make sense to take
prescription drugs for problems that lifestyle changes can often
resolve?
Most Drugs are Completely Unnecessary
As much as the drug companies want you to believe that it=92s normal to
take medicine every day, it=92s NOT. It is the rare exception that you
should ever need to take a drug.
Of course, you should work with your health care provider (preferably
a holistic-minded one) in determining which ones are really vital, but
I can tell you this: if you are suffering from any one of the
following common conditions, drugs are not the answer:
1. Arthritis
2. High cholesterol
3. Cognitive decline
4. Depression
5. Diabetes
6. High blood pressure
7. Osteo****osis
And that=92s just for starters.
Inching Closer to the Tipping Point
Help spread the word as far and wide as you can; relying on drugs will
never give you the healthy body and mind you desire. What will give
you optimal health is a bit of work on your part, to eat healthy, to
exercise, to relieve your stress -- all of the things I detail in my
Take Control of Your Health program.
And there is light on the horizon. For the first time in history the
drug cartel is slated to have negative growth in 2011. However, this
means you and your children are in for more aggressive pharmaceutical
advertising, as they=92re focusing more of their marketing efforts on
direct-to-consumer advertising.
So let=92s keep the momentum going and not let up for even a second. One
of the easiest things you can do is to regularly review this
newsletter to keep current on the latest deceptions and frauds the
drug companies are trying to get away with, and share it with all of
your friends and family so that they=92re aware of the issues too.
Related Articles:
How the American Medical Association Got Rich
America Spends More For Mediocre Health Care Than All Other Nations
How Many of These Ridiculous "Disorders" Do YOU Suffer From?
URL:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/03/why-is-t=
he-u-s-spending-more-than-1-trillion-for-drugs.aspx?source=3Dnl
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