The Next Topic Du Jour?
Rising health care and prescription drug costs have become an issue of increased concern for many Americans, and are increasingly falling under scrutiny by a skeptical public. This is the subject of at least two documentaries set to be released this year.
True to his anti-corporate leanings, Michael Moore is set to release a new film entitled "Sicko", which is sure to draw attention if only due to the controversial nature of its producer.
Another documentary, newly released, is Big Bucks, Big Pharma, which "pulls back the curtain on the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry to expose the insidious ways that illness is used, manipulated, and in some instances created, for capital gain..."
another clip from the same video
It's interesting to note that in the advertising clips show in the first segment, the actors are being vexed and worried about various modern-day dilemmas such as remembering phone numbers, the many appointments they have to keep, etc.
Let's put two and two together. Could many of these "maladies" really be the result of living in a stressful, information-overloaded society that is now quite different from the way people used to live? Or, could it be that the label of "malady" is given to any failure to conform to the expectations of the modern day lifestyle, and then pushed as a reason to sell (often addicting) prescription drugs?
"Attention Deficit Disorder" is a classic example. How many children have been misdiagnosed with this "disorder" when they're really behaving the way kids naturally behave -- active, curious, and prone to get bored if the teacher doesn't know how to make the lessons more interesting?
Furthermore, the effects of a mismatched environment on the mental health of other species has been well-documented. Stress, isolation, boredom and confinement may cause zoo animals to develop neurotic behaviors. Could similar situations create similar conditions for the most intelligent species of all?
Dr. John Abramson talks about how doctors tend to overprescribe medications for their patients.
Big Pharma, Bad Science -- (The Nation article)
Big Pharma Snared By Net (Guardian UK article)
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