Bribery. Action Alert!
Separate reports have surfaced that demonstrate both doctors and politicians are on opioid-makers’ pay roll. In return, it appears as though doctors have prescribed more opioids and lawmakers have backed legislation to make it harder to combat the opioid crisis. This is cronyism 101.
First, the doctors. Researchers have reported evidence that the doctors who receive the most attention from drug companies—such as paid speaking jobs, free lunches, and branded merchandise—prescribe the largest amount of opioid drugs. The researchers report that every free meal given to a doctor from a pharmaceutical company resulted in a spike of opioid prescriptions.
Next, Congressional candidates gearing up for midterm elections are pointing out examples of current lawmakers accepting pharmaceutical money and then supporting legislation that makes it more difficult for the federal government to regulate the opioid industry—specifically, the legislation made it more difficult for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to suspend suspicious orders of opioids. Big Pharma dumped millions into the campaigns of lawmakers at the time, and spent much more on lobbying efforts in support of the bill. It seems that it was money well spent. Sitting lawmakers of course deny that there was any quid pro quo, but the connection to us seems obvious.
These are the forces that are preventing cheap, safe, and effective natural medicine from seeing the light of day in our medical system. Big Pharma influences doctors to prescribe their expensive and dangerous medicines; they also grease the wheels in Washington to ensure that there aren’t any legislative threats to their bottom line; the FDA, which is meant to regulate the drug industry, receives its funding from them.
There are, of course, natural alternatives to pain management, such as fish oil, sulfur-containing MSM, and cannabidiol (CBD) oil, but the government is making moves to remove these alternatives from the market. An FDA advisory committee voted to ban MSM medications from being made at compounding pharmacies, and the federal government is moving in on CBD oil. It’s the same old, same old in our crony capitalist health system.
Action Alert! Send a message to the FDA and Congress, telling them to retain consumer access to affordable MSM and CBD oil supplements. Please send your message immediately.
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The ” opioid epidemic” is a manufactured crisis. Our government brings in more heroin than doctors prescribe opiots. Pain pills such as vicodin and percocets help thousands of people find relief from pain. Do not fall for the deception of this manufactured crisis.
*Thank you* Marshall! Our government is so hypocritical about the business of opioids!
You’re absolutely right!
And also..” Big Pharma” wouldn’t push opiates/opioids because they’re *cheap*.
What’s more, I haven’t met one doctor yet who is not very cautious and stringent re: prescribing any kind of opioid!
It has become like a witch hunt.
I have an incurable condition plus severe arthritis. Other chronic pain patients say the same things as I, which is that the doctors and the DEA watch everything we do- and any slight difference from taking the medication as prescribed- and I mean even if you don’t take a pill one day and another day take two if in very bad pain-*that* is considered “misuse”, and misuse is not permitted. Doctors are severely harassed by the DEA who want an excuse to keep their jobs and their power.
I don’t trust the big pharmaceutical companies either!
But that’s nonsense about doctors taking bribes or giving bribes so they can overprescribe!
Bet no one has told you about this, though. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/03/03/586621236/when-opioids-make-pain-worse?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social I review a lot of medical records and my experience is people being treated by these pain management specialists don’t improve once they are placed on the opioids unless there are other treatments and even then it isn’t always the case. The best solution is to avoid taking them and modify the diet to reduce inflammation.
Of course I’ve heard that… and don’t I know it, anyway!
It’s true that opioids don’t cure anybody.. but, after awhile if we hurt and ache so much that we do not enjoy life at all – a life dependent on narcotic medications isn’t so bad.
At least we can get some things done, finally without misery. And we get to enjoy a little.
I’m conflicted, of course. It’s both a very good help- and not so great.
But that’s how it is.
And by the way, It ought to be much more our choice, too. Too many things are decided for us. We are not all the same.
And a mentally emotionally and spiritually mature adult doesn’t have to have as many laws “ to protect him”.
There’s better supplements than addictive ZOMBIE drugs! Ten years experience with VA Rx: experience! Now take turmeric and black seed cumin oil.
You’re right about that, surely.
Sometimes with bad pain, though, turmeric doesn’t work for me- at least that’s my recent experience.
Does the kind you bought have pepperine in it so your body can absorb it?
Did someone say “BRIBERY”?
The FDA includes synthetic fentanyl and street heroin as opioids. Americans hear the word “opioid” and think of the pill form of pain control medication. Many are too engrossed with worshipping Trump’s burgeoning backside to actually educate themselves, they just fall into lockstep with the Fuhrer. Of course, drug addiction in America dates back to the 1960s. In 60 years not much has changed, the NRA and pharmaceutical companies continue to control this country’s direction. They use the billions of dollars that is donated (NRA) or squeezed out of people who need meds, usually the elderly, and give some of it to their middlemen – politicians and unscrupulous medical companies. If, in these past 60 years, this country had used that bribe money for building addiction recovery hospitals and urban recreational centers, instead of more and larger prisons, our youth would not be acquiring illegal guns to rob innocent people for drug money, they would be getting healthy outlets for learning a trade to get a job (maybe at the recovery hospitals.) They would not want drugs of any type if they had a positive atmosphere in their neighborhoods, there would not be hospitals full of gunshot victims, there would be less guns on the street, less need of pain medications, less drug addicts walking around, less people vegetating in our prisons. It would almost be utopia. We might even elect decent politicians that do not denigrate our country and openly collude with our enemies. But that is just a pipe dream, our nightmare continues, which is why most of us need pain relief meds, to numb us from this reality.
Fentanyl and heroin *are* opiates.. or rather Fentayl is an opioid.
But it’s not just ignorant people who don’t know the difference ( although that’s true) it’s that the DEA are strict, punitive even, about *all* pain medicine if it contains an opioid. It’s not as though doctors are free to prescribe a commonly used pill form for moderate to severe pain, as needed and to anyone who may have say- severe strep throat or arthritis.
Most people are given tramadol( non-narcotic) or, if chronic, referred to a pain mgt specialist- who in turn is watched carefully and strongly “encouraged” ( pressured) to lower most doses!
They’re not just overseen by the DEA – if caught *possibly* overprescribing- every one of their records is scrutinized!
Most MDs live in fear of being labeled in that way and I can definitely understand that! Therefore they’re afraid to prescribe *any*!