Drug Advertising and Reality

Ah the miracle of advertising.  TV introduced the world to the mind of the manipulator. The question was never is it good for you or bad for you but only how much money will it make.

You can't feed your body junk and sit like a stone and expect to live long or well.  No product herbal or artificial will help.  You have to do the work. The best advertising in the world tells you how easy and fast this "product" will work to cure you.  Everything from losing weight to better sex to staying young and beautiful.  It appeals to our vanity and presents itself as the Genie in the bottle.  Your wish is my command.

If you cannot afford to buy the big lie you get stressed.  If you exhaust your funds to buy the big lie and it doesn't work or just makes you worse, you get stressed.  There you sit, depressed (there is a drug for that) and stressed (there is a drug for that) and you probably can't sleep (there is a drug for that).

Drug advertising versus the Real World 

Try some healthy food and a bit of exercise.  Try a cup of herbal tea.  Try reality.  If you are 40 or 50 you will never look 20 again. But that is no reason to think you look bad.  A few smile lines, good that shows you have lived.  Getting a little flabby (there is an exercise for that), Feeling stressed (there is meditation and exercise and good food for that), Can't sleep (there is physical activity and diet restrictions for that).

Stop!! Stop buying into the media that tells you that you must be a size 3 beautifully dressed executive woman or a muscled non-greying sex on demand man.  Oh, worrying about sex only makes it worse.  Reality is not well dressed beautiful people playing a part on TV or in the movies.  Reality is cleaning up after sick children, a boss who is taking out his bad day on you, bills to pay, children to play with, friends to talk to and life mates to trust and love.  It is growing old with someone special. It is watching your children do the things you only dreamed about.

Actors and actresses spend hours every day keeping that show case body.  They bulk up or down depending on the part they must play.  They have professional make up artists and special lighting. They have plastic surgery and tummy tucks and implants. These are the tools of their chosen profession. They still have to deal with depression and stress and sleepless nights. 

Drug Advertising and the Aging Body 

As your body ages, the rebuilding process slows down.  This is natural.  If it did not happen we would not die except from accidents or some virulent disease.

Enter drugs to repair everything.  There is a drug to stop the release of dead bone cells.  Problem is without the release of dead cells, new cells don't grow.  You end up with dense bones full of dead cells and that is not too strong.

New eye drug Lucentis, the eye drug that came onto the market last June that's used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, the chance of stroke is now a cause for concern. Genentech, the company that sells Lucentis, has alerted retina specialists that they've found an increased risk of stroke associated with the marketed higher dose of 0.5 milligrams. The drug label carries a warning about risks of blood-clotting events such as stroke and heart attacks.

Research has shown Devil’s Claw extract to be equal to or better than ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and other NSAIDS for pain relief.  Most notably, this natural plant extract is an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti diabetic and offers a safer alternative to the now “suspect” COX-2 inhibitors—such as Celebrex® and Vioxx®—especially since research has found it to be equivalent to them for relieving pain.  (oh, and it won't damage your liver either.)

I am not trying to tell you that all artificial drugs are bad.  Just use a little common sense.  Prevention is the best road.  But if you have a problem, talk to your health care provider.  What options do you have?  Would your arthritis be better with some diet changes, specific exercises and herbs such as Devil's Claw?  Is that a better option for you than a drug with unknown side effects.  Sure it may work faster but is it shortening your life or the quality of your life.

 Sharon

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Answers For Your Health is edited and published by Sharon Owen.  Plain language answers for your health concerns.  Live life the natural way.  For more information on herbs and natural health check out Answers For Your Health.com