Readers’ Forum: Taking medical advice from America’s greatest pill pushers, the FDA
What would happen if what we were always told is best for us, actually wasn’t? The voices with the biggest influence in medicine repeatedly feed us the idea that medication in tiny capsules is the cure to every problem. We never question it because we trust that they have our best interest in mind. However, like most things in life, it’s more about the paycheck at the end of the day than anything else. We should be doing our own research and discovering what’s best for our bodies if we really have our own best interests in mind.
The bottom line is that naturally occurring substances generally cannot be patented and sold. Patents are for invented or modified substances, and the FDA is all for patents. For the most part, they will not release official approval over a medication that hasn’t been created. Having control over the natural world’s market is much more difficult than controlling bottles religiously being bought off of shelves. Many may claim that we should trust the scientists, but I believe we should trust our gut.
We should not be so quick to believe someone solely for their title, or even academic achievements. Unfortunately, this world is run on paper bills, and the money is in manufacturing.
Knowing this, how can we even trust that their advice is genuine, and not influenced by their personal agenda? How can we wholeheartedly believe that what we are consuming is a legitimate cure for our diagnosis? We could be funding placebo pills, or even digesting medicine that makes our problem worse, forcing us to buy even more. A lot of medication that we take today creates dependency and leads to a never-ending road of pills. There is not enough evidence to answer these questions, but the important thing is that we are asking the questions.
Natural medicine has worked for centuries. This isn’t to say that modern medicine is bad — so many life-changing discoveries have been made over even the last 100 years. It’s important to recognize the good while keeping a level head to call out the bad. It would be foolish to deny that the earth that we live on has provided us with innumerable plants and nutrients that can provide relief to many of our daily ailments. A holistic, traditional approach to anything is often looked down upon, or portrayed as unreliable because it is not beneficial to any company’s back pocket.
At the end of the day, we must be looking out for ourselves, because no one else will do it for us. The principle we must learn is to question everything and be invested in finding our own answers. At the end of the day, pills may be the best decision for someone, and that is okay. The important thing is to be invested in your health and your future. The pill pushers will never stop fighting for the easy answer, but we should be fighting for long-term solutions. What’s best for you and your body?
Nicole Christensen
Vineyard, Utah