You’ve probably seen some of the numerous ads for prescription drugs on TV, touting the new wonder cure for every possible ailment under the sun. Drug manufacturers do what they can to trivialize the side-effects of prescription drugs, and their long lists have become a bit of a running joke for many of us watching. “Possible side effects include memory loss, dizziness, cough, nausea, blood thinning, headaches, anxiety, dry mouth …” and the list goes on. Sometimes there are up to 70 potential side-effects for a single prescription drug! And then there is the big one that, try as we may to ignore it, always catches our attention: “under rare circumstances, death.” For every drug there is a side-effect, and for every side-effect there is another drug. And with the amount of new drugs manufactured each year, it is seemingly impossible to know how they all interfere with each other.
This of course, places a lot of responsibility on doctors. More than their knowledge of drugs and side-effects, it draws attention to doctors’ ethics. As long as drug companies continue to reward doctors for prescribing their latest drugs to patients, doctors have more and more of a responsibility to keep their own integrity in check. The problem is, how many of them do? It would be very easy for a doctor to convince him or herself that their primary interest is in helping patients, yet ignore the fact that by prescribing these drugs they are perpetuating a big problem. So the responsibility, then, is also on us, the consumers. We need to ask ourselves, how many drugs do we really need from our doctors?
The majority of us wake-up to the issue when somebody high-profile is affected by it. One of the most high-profile cases, of course, was the death of Michael Jackson. All conspiracy theories aside, the fact is that even with the best treatment available, Michael Jackson had an inordinate amount of drugs in his body when he died. Deepak Chopra, a friend of Michael Jackson for 20 years, referred to this issue as the “cult of drug-pushing doctors, with their co-dependent relationships with addicted celebrities”, saying that he hoped Jackson’s death, attributed to an overdose of a prescription drug, would be a call to action.
We all need to start with ourselves. Some prescription drugs are miracles for many people, allowing them to enjoy life in ways that they were previously unable. There are drugs that allow, for instance, an asthmatic to breathe freely and enjoy life, or medicines that help with heart irregularities, joint diseases, depression, and many, many others. But as consumers, it is our responsibility to draw the line somewhere and begin to look at the root cause of our ailments, to look at your our psyches and identify dis-harmonies that may be contributing to physical problems. And there are alternative therapies that can have profoundly positive results, with no side effects at all. The more dependent on prescription drugs that we become as a society, the more important it is that we go back to basics.
What ails you, and what are you doing about it? Take a more holistic approach to your wellness, and in doing so you may help to address the problem of the “cult of drug-pushing doctors” that Deepak is referring to. As with everything, it begins with you.
– Derek O’Neill
Donna Marie
Fantastic! Everyone should read this!
barbara ansell
So true, and finding those disharmonies is often work, especially when they can exist in other realms where it might take a healer to recognize them. My daughter was prescribed anit-depression/ anxiety meds- that has black boxed one side effect as suicide – according to the medical proffession while this appears counter-intuitive, it is not. So many children are being prescribed these types of drugs – it is scary at best.
Candace Martin
Perfect timing to read this. Thanks, Derek! I’d just done the research on a drug recommended for me: side effects were memory loss (I’m a graduate student!), diabetes, the list goes on. I was just thinking of how to politely decline the offer, this article is terrific support! Perhaps the best prescription is the sunshine of a happy heart, taken in huge doses. 🙂 Combined with lots of love, of course.
Jennifer Carman
Wonderful! THANK YOU Derek! As an energetic healing facilitator and Naturopathic Doctor, I am always amazed at the reactions of others to taking a completely safe herbal remedy vs. the Rx with thousands of dangerous proven side effects. I also gave birth naturally at home, my son passed on a week later and doctors wanted to blame the natural birth…there’s much work to be done
Ariel Churnin
So true. This past year I have seen with my own eyes the ravages of over-prescription of drugs and the toll this takes on an individual’s health, their family and their community. The over-availability of prescription drugs makes it easy for kids and even adults to just “take a pill” to solve any problem, from anxiety to hyperactivity to weight-loss to insomnia. I hope that messages like this will help more people become aware of different choices when it comes to their personal health. Thanks for sharing, Derek!
Mary Jo
Thank you Derek for bring this topic up for discussion! One message I’m receiving from this article is the need for greater balance and awareness. Prescription drugs can also be very helpful when used with awareness. In my case, I tried many natural approaches including different types of herbs, acupuncture, energy healing, etc over a few years with some success. As a last resort, I went to prescription drugs, and have found they are allowing me the space to heal at a root level via self-work and a professional therapist. I am grateful every day for these prescription drugs, and I will be grateful every day when they are no longer needed. It’s correct that popping a pill won’t heal a person’s anger, anxiety or depression, but when used consciously and combined with inner work, a pill can create the space for self-healing. Yet I am glad I first tried every other avenue available.
Susie
Thanks for this Derek really appreciate. I and my family believe that my Mother passed due to prescription drugs. She was given the drug the methadone for back pain and became addicted to it. I later learned this is something that is very common for doctors to prescribe but highly addictive and the danger is that anyone trying to go off it on their own faces lethal results which is what I feel happened with my Mother. It is often prescribed to elderly people again and very common. My Mother had struggled with being easily addicted to things all her life as I have also found it was so common even back when she was a young adult to be prescribed tranquilizers and so on so easily. I also appreciate what Mary Jo said above here as there can be a very positive effect when prescribed responsibly. My Mother died just a few months before Michael Jackson and I remember going through the pain all over again, as many of us did in hearing about his cause of passing. Thought to share and hope you do a show on this very important topic as well. God Bless and thanks again. Susie