Phony Diseases

[dcrooksjr]

According to a set of essays published in the Public Library of Science Medicine, drug companies are systematically inventing non-existent diseases, or exaggerating minor ones, in order to sell more of their products.
The practice turns healthy people into patients, and places many of them at risk of medically induced harm.
Minor, normal problems, such as the symptoms of menopause, have been "medicalized" into treatable illnesses, and risk factors like high cholesterol are being treated as diseases in their own right. Conditions including female sexual dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and "restless legs syndrome" have all been exaggerated and promoted by companies hoping to sell drugs.
Even ordinary shyness is often defined by drug companies as a social anxiety disorder to be treated with antidepressants.Richard Ley, of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, pointed out that some countries, including Britain, have legal safeguards against drug industry "disease mongering." Most of the criticisms, he argued, apply primarily to countries like the United States, where drugs can be advertised directly to patients.

original sources:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/...030189&ct=1
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/h...ticle704221.ece
http://www.mercola.com/2006/apr/27/are_you...ny_diseases.htm

Yet another reason why I dis-trust the drug companies. They care about one thing and one thing only, the Bottom Line. They could give a damn about my health, so long as they have my money. I don't take their poisons so at least they don't have my dollar.

[Sonthert]

Yeah, I agree. Just for fun, assuming that the Presidents of the United States have the best medical care possible, look at the average age of the death of US presidents...its going down...even discounting assassinations.

I thought allowing drug companies to advertise was a bad idea. It makes the media companies have some sway with the drug manufacturers. Of course, now that media has more advertisers, good luck outlawing it again. I was commenting the other day that the advertisements for Viagra are becoming increasingly obnoxious...maybe you don't really want to have sex with her...have you thought of that?

Remember the drug plant that Clinton had bombed in Sudan? The only one there...kinda makes buying from the international community a reality...huh? Edited September 5, 2007 by Sonthert

[blacklabelqlewis]

the commercials for medicine that dont even say what it treats are the worst. thats like advertising a restaurant and not saying what kind of food they have. its also sad to think that almost nothing will ever be cured because the treatment makes the companies so much money.

i heard somewhere that some drug companies give doctors "bonuses" for selling more of their medicine, causing some medicine to be prescribed more loosely, often to people who dont really need it. prolly not all doctors, but still, thats pretty unnecessary.

[SafeSearchOff]

are you seriously trying to tell me that ADD and ADHD arent real conditions*? its not a disease, its a condition, as far as i consider it, diseases are caught and transferrable.

yeah, restless leg syndrome is complete bullshit. but people brains being hyperactive or functioning differently - definately not fake. not to mention alot of people are trying to find more natural ways to treat ADD and ADHD, doesnt seem like a big scam to me.

[Sonthert]

Yeah, how are they conditions? Its like saying "Left-handedness" is a condition. Just because a minority of people have it doesn't make it a problem that needs solving so they can be like the majority.

Oddly, I just started reading an article about ADHD by a doctor who is of the opinion that the treatments for them are unnecessary and risk the health of the patient...especially adolescents who are just developing. One of the main prescriptions for these "conditions" is amphetamines and methyl-something or other which affect the brain the same way as cocaine. I have fraternity brother who was taking Adderol (Amphetamines) for ADHD and he's descended into Meth abuse and more recently, cocaine use. Would he be an addict now if he hadn't been prescribed the medications? I can't say, but I think the chances would have been lower.

[SafeSearchOff]

i'm not saying that ADD and ADHD should have prescribed meds, but they definately are conditions.

[MechAnt]

In my opinion, 90% for ADD or ADHD cases are bull. Sure there are exceptions because some people really do have it but a great majority of the time, its not the case. How do you spell ADD? L-A-Z-Y. Kids are just too lazy to do their shit so uptight parents think that there is something wrong w/ them as is the case most of the time here in America. The only reason pharmaceuticals and healthcare flourishes all while we bitch about it is because spend our money on treatment rather than prevention which would save us billions upon billions of dollars. We brought this upon ourselves.

[SafeSearchOff]

i agree, most cases of ADD and ADHD dont actually exist. the kid is just a hyper kid, or the kid just can't read as well as others. its not ADD. but there ARE real cases where people really are super hyperactive and just cant pay attention for more than a short span at a time.

[MechAnt]

As with restless leg syndrome, a great majority of those cases are whatever but in the cases where it's true, it is actually a telltale sign of Parkinson's disease creeping on.

[garykainz]

we're all a bunch of hypochondriacs, thanks to the drug companies.

every time a commercial comes on, someone's GOT to have that disease.

the commercials for medicine that dont even say what it treats are the worst

and yet they are the most common (in my opinion). its usually someone in a field or a beach, playing with a dog to symbolized "what your life could be if you take our drug".

its like, hey, i actually want to get that disease! that disease comes with a hot chick and a puppy!

[ZenSilk]

I was actually diagnosed woth ADHD a while ago. The only thing i actually notice is my inability to finish a set task (I.E. driver's ed handbbok) and on every single test i;ve ever taken, i read a question, but i lose concentration on what i am reading on that question, so i read it again, and the same thing happens once more, so i read it over once more, and this continues on for a while. And no matter how hard i try to concentrate, i CANNOT read a test question completely.

But i am a very accomplished reader, and have no problem finishing a book quickly. The medication i took for a while actually did do something, in terms of keeping me on task.

AND.. restless leg syndrome. I asked my doctor about it, and he said that it was probably just the way i am sleeping, and i have poor circulation. SO i put a pillow inbetween my kness so they did not touch, and i have been a happy camper ever since. (Without the pillow my legs fall asleep and become extremely painful when i try to move them. Poking needles, extreme aches..) But medication was never an option. .

I think ADHD is a problem, i can vouch for that. And the medication did help out.

[SafeSearchOff]

we're all a bunch of hypochondriacs, thanks to the drug companies.

every time a commercial comes on, someone's GOT to have that disease.

the commercials for medicine that dont even say what it treats are the worst

and yet they are the most common (in my opinion). its usually someone in a field or a beach, playing with a dog to symbolized "what your life could be if you take our drug".

its like, hey, i actually want to get that disease! that disease comes with a hot chick and a puppy!

i once saw a commercial, it was just a feed of like a street with mad people in new york and it goes
"80% OF AMERICANS HAVE ANAL HEMROIDS.  WITH OUR NEW FAST AND EASY CREAM YOU CAN ELIMINATE THESE IN JUST A FEW DAYS"

i was like... wtf? 80%?

also, whats with the heartburn commercials and always having people doing yoga? its like "before this drug, i had massive heart burn.  now, i found a commune of people who all use the same drug, dress up in purple spandex, and do yoga on a rocky island..."

marketing schemes today...
Newport CANCER!

[dcrooksjr]

On ADD and ADHD their is a study out their with the theory that a lot of ADD and ADHD cases are due to the paitents diet and not some thing else.
Their is a Doctor I saw on the news a while back that treats his ADD and ADHD paients with diet first. I can't remember his name though.

[joseph*]

A disease does not have to be transmissible. Mental Illness counts as a disease. I would suggest consulting Websters about that. Secondly, one could argue that ADD and ADHD are over diagnosed, but that doesn't make it not a real disease. I would sugest people check out the peer reviewed literature on the subject. There are many fine peer reviewed psychology and psychiatry journals available. Also, check out the DSM-IV, it is produced by the American Psychiatric Association and is the reference used by the professional mental health community for diagnosing mental illnesses.

[SafeSearchOff]

I agree. I believe the statistic is that for every 4 boys diagnosed there is just 1 girl. Add is misread. Boys are from babies trained to be extra active. Always running. Even at the dinner table most boys are fidgety because they want to be active. Running around the house playing ball with friends/dad etc. Then they get put in a chair for a few hours and are expected to stay still and do as they're told. Obviously they fidgety and have a hard time paying attention. Immediately teachers and parents are like zomg add! Its bull, doesn't mean it doesn't exist though.

[nofrendo]

This is exactly why I will never, ever take pills. You never know what ill effects it could have in the long term, as these drugs aren't tested anywhere near as thoroughly as they should be.

The ill effects from hookah, on the other hand, can be entirely predicted by myself and other smokers. And if it turns out that hookah isn't as bad for you as smoking cigarettes, then hey, party.... bonus

[Johnny_D]

I've been reading this thread with much interest.

Especially reference to ADD/ADHD. You do not hear much of it in this country at all. But is that because the drug companies are not so prevelant? You sure as hell do not get to choose what drug's -or- brand you take in the uk.

It's all down to what the doctor prescribes and what the pharmacy dispenses. Choice is not an option.

We certainly don't have adverts for prozac and the like!

Just my 2p.

JD

[SafeSearchOff]

oh, 1 thing i excluded from my previous post, remembered because of JD.
america holds 75% of the population diagnosed with ADD.

and JD - we don't have much of a choice when it comes to prescription either >.< our doctors arent like "would you like to pop some oxycodin or vikadin?"

[LS1 FTW]

While I do agree that ADD/ADHD are WAY the hell overdiagnosed, I know ADD is definately real. One of my close friends literally has the attention span of a ferret on meth if he doesn't focus everything he has on what he's doing/listening to/watching. Its gotten a bit better as he's gotten older, but even now he has to make sure he's focusing when he's riding his motorcycle. He saw something shiny on the side of the road a couple months back and stopped looking at the car in front of him, and when he did look back up he was only a few feet from it, had to slam on the brakes, and pulled the back tire off the ground and fell over. Luckily we were only going 10-15mph or so in traffic.

[nicayotte]

I agree with ADD/HDAD being real, the problem with these conditions are they some people feel that there kids need to be calmed down so they run thme over to the family doctor and get these medications being prescribed, say there doctor won't prescribe them, well off to another doctor until they get them. Now here is something for thought, it is proven that these drugs increase weight gain in some people, maybe we have a reason for obesity increase in children?

[thetopproducer]

my old pyschology teacher agreed that 90% of the add, adhd cases are misdiagnosed. He also had add and adhd lol and he said it gave him an advantage in life because he had the edge over normal people. society has turned to pills to treat everything, which is kinda sad in my opinion

[.cOLt.45.]

thats why i thank my mom for not giving me pills every single time i got sick...I've only had anti-biotics once that i can remember and thats cause i had an ear infection. In my opinion kids these days need to be toughened up...
I never got any sugary cereal....Corn flakes with a spoon of sugar was good for me.
I never couldn't pay attention in class... If I did..I'd get whooped.
I never yelled at my mom for not buying me a toy... I thanked her when i did on the rare occassion when i got one because i knew it was a privalege not a right.

Parents these days are looking for all reasons to say "It isn't my childs fault, it's the teachers, the school system, a mental disorder."

[BrotherBuford]

I rarely take any kind of drugs outside of aspirin and antiacids, or if I have a bad headache I'll go with Goody's powders (acetominophen, caffeine, and aspirin powder). Even when I had a kidney stone I lived through the intense pain and just drank beer for the diuretic properties and took something to help me sleep until it passed after about 12 hours. I really hate going to doctors... haven't been to one in over 10 years.

[Sonthert]

I was actually diagnosed woth ADHD a while ago. The only thing i actually notice is my inability to finish a set task (I.E. driver's ed handbbok) and on every single test i;ve ever taken, i read a question, but i lose concentration on what i am reading on that question, so i read it again, and the same thing happens once more, so i read it over once more, and this continues on for a while. And no matter how hard i try to concentrate, i CANNOT read a test question completely.

But i am a very accomplished reader, and have no problem finishing a book quickly. The medication i took for a while actually did do something, in terms of keeping me on task.

AND.. restless leg syndrome. I asked my doctor about it, and he said that it was probably just the way i am sleeping, and i have poor circulation. SO i put a pillow inbetween my kness so they did not touch, and i have been a happy camper ever since. (Without the pillow my legs fall asleep and become extremely painful when i try to move them. Poking needles, extreme aches..) But medication was never an option. .

I think ADHD is a problem, i can vouch for that. And the medication did help out.

I had the problem a lot too. I would read a book and read the same paragraph over and over, thinking "I have to understand what this is saying" and miss it again. Never used medication. I'm fine. So, you don't get As...who cares? Why is it a problem because our brains don't work the way we want them to? We're not computers. We can't switch on and off what we want and don't want going on in there. We shouldn't even if science provides us a way. People need to understand and live with their own brains...not fight them and drug them when they don't do what they want to.

Also, caffeine and sugar intake has a lot to do with the problem I read. Why is it again smoking if you're under 18 is illegal but walking in to a Starfucks and having a quad mocha isn't? Edited October 7, 2007 by Sonthert

[sm5sfe]

I completely agree with this. In the city in which I grew up, and it was a wealthy one, a vast majority of the children were (and still are) diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) by local physiscians just so they (the doctors) can get money from the parents. My high school graduating class consisted of about 600 students, roughly 45-55% of which had been on medication for ADD or ADHD since elementary school. If when I have kids a doctor tells me my kid has ADD or ADHD I'm going to say "Ok, so he just needs to focus in class and stop day-dreaming. Simple as that." I will not allow my children to take medications because they have "ADD" or "ADHD" beecause I know its f*cking bullshit.