AuthorsDen.com
Join | Login
Where Authors and Readers come together!
Featured Authors :
R.E.E.S Blogs Linda Smith, Publisher , i David Clure , i Tichaona Chinyelu , i Pamela Ackerson , i Stephen Murray , i Margaret Mullings , i Rochelle Brandon , i Mary Lynn Plaisance , i Tracey Morait , i Elisabeth Barstowe , i
Blogs by Joseph Juliano MD
Drug firms 'inventing diseases' 6/28/2006 4:59:29 PM
.
Pharmaceutical firms are inventing diseases to sell more drugs, researchers have warned.
Disease-mongering promotes non-existent diseases and exaggerates mild problems to boost profits, the Public Library of Science Medicine reported.
Restless legs - Prevalence of rare condition greatly exaggerated
Irritable bowel syndrome - Promoted as a serious illness needing therapy, when usually a mild problem needing some dietary changes.
Menopause - Too often medicalized as a disorder when really a normal part of life.
David Henry and Ray Moynihan criticized attempts to convince the public in the US that 43% of women live with sexual dysfunction. They also said that risk factors like high cholesterol and osteoporosis were being presented as diseases - and rare conditions such as restless leg condition and mild problems of irritable bowel syndrome were exaggerated. The report said: "Disease-mongering is the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows the markets for those who sell and deliver treatments. "It is exemplified explicitly by pharmaceutical industry-funded disease awareness campaigns, designed to sell drugs rather than to inform or educate about the prevention of illness or the maintenance of health."
The researchers called on doctors, patients and support groups to be aware of the marketing tactics of the pharmaceutical industry and for more research into the way in which conditions are presented. They added: "The motives of health professionals and health advocacy groups may well be the welfare of patients, rather than any direct self-interested financial benefit, but we believe that too often marketers are able to crudely manipulate those motivations.
Recent news articles and investigative probes have proven this out. Post a Comment More Blogs by Joseph Juliano MD Dr. Joe Juliano died this morning... - Wednesday, November 22, 2006 Drug Mfg. Marketing to Kids Through “Happy Feet” - Tuesday, November 21, 2006 How Rush Limbaugh Dodged the Draft... - Monday, November 20, 2006 Benefits of Harmful Flu Vaccines Exaggerated - Thursday, November 16, 2006 Liver Disease Connected to Sugar Laced Soft Drinks - Tuesday, November 14, 2006 How to Lower Your Prescription Drug Costs - Sunday, November 12, 2006 High Glycemic Bread, Pasta, Rice Tied to Kidney Cancer - Saturday, November 11, 2006 Veteran’s Day is Every Day - Friday, November 10, 2006 Who's country is this? - Thursday, November 9, 2006 DIABETES and Women - Tuesday, November 7, 2006 Choose Your Hospital With Care - Saturday, November 4, 2006 Dangerous Omega-3 Deficiencies Tied to Violence - Thursday, November 2, 2006 Why? Why? Why? - Humor - Wednesday, November 1, 2006 Newer drugs are not always better or safer. - Tuesday, October 31, 2006 The Danger of Antibacterial Soaps - Thursday, October 26, 2006 Why do American Companies Sell Unsafe Products - Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Diabetics Warned to Watch for Fake Test Strips - Monday, October 16, 2006 Opportunity to Send Thanks to our Soldiers - Wednesday, October 11, 2006 Tuberculosis Still A World Threat - Monday, October 9, 2006 FDA Approves Autism Drug - Monday, October 9, 2006 The Denial Industry and the Junk Science Con Game - Sunday, October 8, 2006 WAL-MART’s “Organic” Milk is NOT Organic - Saturday, October 7, 2006 Customs OK Canadian Prescription Drug Shipments - Friday, October 6, 2006 Newer Drugs Doesn’t Mean Better Drugs - Thursday, October 5, 2006 Dangerous Secrets in Your Food - Tuesday, October 3, 2006 Exxon Misleading Public About Global Warming - Monday, October 2, 2006 Texas Cowboy Humor - Monday, October 2, 2006 FDA Says Bayer Failed to Reveal Drug Risk Study - Saturday, September 30, 2006 Europe on heightened alert: Humor - Friday, September 29, 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation Report on Health Care - Thursday, September 28, 2006 House’s erratic member, Curt Weldon - Tuesday, September 26, 2006 Felons Employed As Government Election Programmers. - Monday, September 25, 2006 98-0 Senate vote approves another $63 billion for Iraq War - Sunday, September 24, 2006 Desperation in Washington, DC - Saturday, September 23, 2006 Average worker vs Military man or woman - Friday, September 22, 2006 American Biotech Rice Rejected-Lost Overseas Sales - Thursday, September 21, 2006 Vitamin D - Bottled Sunshine - Tuesday, September 19, 2006 Medicare and Illegal Aliens - Sunday, September 17, 2006 Illegal Immigration - Saturday, September 16, 2006 Possible Headlines from the year 2029 - Wednesday, September 13, 2006 Remembering 9/11 - Sunday, September 10, 2006 Filmmaker Moore Takes on U.S. Health Care System in `Sicko' - Saturday, September 9, 2006 Jury Fraud Scam - FYI - Friday, September 8, 2006 Health Advisers Reject Safety of Mercury Fillings - Thursday, September 7, 2006 Calif.'s Oldest Man Lived to 112 Despite Sausage/Waffles Diet - Friday, September 1, 2006 Statin Drugs Data Fudged - Friday, August 25, 2006 New Research On Obesity - Wednesday, August 23, 2006 Genetically Engineered Grass Growing Where It Shouldn't - Tuesday, August 22, 2006 Europeans Fighting Back Against the GM Crop Blight - Sunday, August 20, 2006 The Diabetic “Don’ts” - Friday, August 18, 2006 The Strongest Dad in the World - Thursday, August 17, 2006 Industry-funded Medical Research Disputes Grow - Wednesday, August 16, 2006 Muslims told to leave Australia - Tuesday, August 15, 2006 Patients Forced to Choose Life or Death - Sunday, August 13, 2006 Are FDA Changes Really a Step in the Right Direction? - Saturday, August 12, 2006 Home Remedies to add to your Medicine Chest - Thursday, August 10, 2006 Bayer Sells AIDS-Infected Drug Banned in U.S. in Europe, Asia - Tuesday, August 8, 2006 WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT... - Sunday, August 6, 2006 Tesla & Schumann - Something for Science Buffs… - Friday, August 4, 2006 ISRAEL: Her contributions to the World - Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Generics Mfgs are being paid not to produce - Monday, July 31, 2006 Group Demanding Access to Emergency Contraceptive Plan B - Sunday, July 30, 2006 High Risk Kids With Obesity-Related Diabetes - Friday, July 28, 2006 Muslims, Terrorists and the USA. - Thursday, July 27, 2006 Some Thoughts on Diabetes Mellitus - Wednesday, July 26, 2006 If this doesn't open your eyes, nothing will! - Tuesday, July 25, 2006 Americans Have More Illness Than Most of the World - Monday, July 24, 2006 New Credit Card Scam: Snopes.com says this is true. - Saturday, July 22, 2006 Why did the chicken cross the road? - Saturday, July 22, 2006 Illegals bankrupting Hospitals - Thursday, July 20, 2006 Humor from Texas - Tuesday, July 18, 2006 LaBonte Letter to Orange County Register on Illegals - Monday, July 17, 2006 The World’s Shortest Books - Sunday, July 16, 2006 Cancer update - Johns Hopkins - Friday, July 14, 2006 PERKS OF BEING OVER 50 - Wednesday, July 12, 2006 Petitions to FDA Delay Generic Drugs - Monday, July 10, 2006 Drug Makers Commonly Exaggerate Claims - Sunday, July 9, 2006 Number of Children Taking Antipsychotic Drugs Soars - Friday, July 7, 2006 Dangerous Smallpox Ordered Through The Mail - Wednesday, July 5, 2006 A tribute to Brian Chontosh - Wednesday, July 5, 2006 NO REFUGE COULD SAVE: BY DR. ISAAC ASIMOV - Monday, July 3, 2006 Biotech Food Tears Rifts in Europe - Monday, July 3, 2006 The Silent Killer: Inflammatory Breast Cancer - Sunday, July 2, 2006 Medical Privacy Law Nets No Fines - Saturday, July 1, 2006 Let me see if I correctly understand… - Friday, June 30, 2006 Classic Steven Wright - Thursday, June 29, 2006 Drug firms 'inventing diseases' - Wednesday, June 28, 2006 OK, time to get smart America - Tuesday, June 27, 2006 Rules of life ~ - Monday, June 26, 2006 Marriage: The Silent Treatment (Part V)- Humor - Sunday, June 25, 2006 Marriage (Part IV) - Humor - Sunday, June 25, 2006 Marriage (Part III) - Humor - Saturday, June 24, 2006 Marriage (Part II) - Humor - Friday, June 23, 2006 Marriage - Part I - Humor - Friday, June 23, 2006 Telemarketers - Humor - Thursday, June 22, 2006 This does make a statement doesn't it? - Wednesday, June 21, 2006 18 Tricks to Teach Your Body - Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Andy Rooney's tips for telemarketers - Humor - Sunday, June 18, 2006 Lawyers & the FHA - Humor but true - Friday, June 16, 2006 Tool Definitions for the Tool Belt Challenged - Humor - Thursday, June 15, 2006 Hurricane Season in Houston - Humor - Thursday, June 15, 2006 LAWS OF THE NATURAL UNIVERSE - Tuesday, June 13, 2006 Important Legislation for Men and Women - Tuesday, June 13, 2006