I am a Registered Nurse.   I worked with Ruby, an ICU nurse for over 30 years.  She told me that it didn't matter what we did as nurses, if a patient is going to get better, they will get better.   The more I study and learn, the more I believe her. 

The more medical interventions a person gets and the more drugs they take, the worse they get.  The more a person relies on healthy ways of living and avoids taking long-term prescription drugs, the healthier they get.  I saw it everyday.

When I read that 106,000 people die in the US every year from taking properly prescribed and properly administered drugs, I was astounded.  This means that adverse drug reactions from properly prescribed and properly administered drugs is the fourth leading cause of death in the US, only behind heart disease, cancer and stroke.  I will say it again for effect:  Taking properly prescribed and administered prescription drugs is the FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US!    

And who knows how many of the strokes, cancer and heart disease is caused by prescription drugs?  For example: it is well-known that birth control pills increase strokes and heart attacks in women.   It is also well-known that arthritis medications decrease the immune system whose job it is to weed out cancer cells.  It is well-known that arthritis medications increase the incidence of tumors. 

Why don't we hear more about this?  Drug companies.   The depth of their power, lies and corrupt practices is overwhelming.  They are so wealthy, a 3 billion dollar lawsuit doesn't even hurt them. (9-19-12 post: Really? 27 Billion)

I hope to enlighten.

Last night I stumbled upon some figures which never cease to disgust me:

"Record-breaking multibillion-dollar settlements against big drug companies have become routine in the U.S. In recent years, pharmaceutical companies seem to have been playing a game of one-upmanship, each surpassing yet a new milestone of wrongdoing — fraudulently marketing their drugs or making misleading claims about their safety — and the threat of massive payouts appears to have offered little deterrent."  Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/17/pharma-behaving-badly-top-10-drug-company-settlements/#ixzz26vy12dfU"

I ask: Why?  Why doesn't a 3 billion dollar lawsuit stop drug companies from illegally marketing their drugs?

"Even the largest of settlements rarely dent the profits associated with the drugs involved: for example, the largest fine ever imposed on a drug company — July’s $3 billion judgment against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in part for illegally marketing the antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin and withholding data on the health risks of the diabetes medication Avandia — accounted for just 11% of associated revenue."

The answer: Because 3 billion dollars is only 11% of their revenue!  Losing 3 Billion dollars doesn't even hurt them!   According to my faulty math, their revenue is 27 billion dollars!  Is that for only those drugs, Paxil, Wellbutrin and Avandia,  or is it GSK's total revenue?  The article didn't say. 

But 27 billion is a heck of a lot of revenue for one drug company!