OK guys.. I have joined the anti-government control rally!!!

[ReFur]

I apologize for this long rant!! But, please read if you live in the United States! The damn government is at it again!!

 

There is a bill sponsored by Edward Kennedy to allow big drug companies to in effect eliminate the competition of compounding pharmacist. The government would now be able to decide the uses of the compounds instead of your doctor!

 

For those of you who are not familiar, compounding pharmacists can make their own drugs, with a doctor's prescription, from sources that are less toxic that oral drugs pushed by drug companies, and many are used topically which is easier on your body. If they are naturally occurring substances in nature you actually can get them without a doctor. But, most pharmacies still require a doctor's supervision to protect your health.

 

This started in the Natural Health movement and has established in-roads in quality of health. This group tried to warn women the drug companies were killing them with their oral synthetic hormones - a decade before women were documented to be dying from them. Dr Lee was a champion.

 

Drug companies can only patent substances not found in natural form. So to make money they pushed the lethal synthetic version, knowing full well it would kill women. They were ultimately pulled off the market a few years ago for the very reasons warned of so long ago. How many woman had to die before the criminal intent of the drug companies and the incompetence of the FDA were exposed? If it was your mother or sister, only one matters!!

 

Big drug companies have almost bankrupted our health care system. They also have been trying for years to stop free use of vitamins. Now they are going after the compounding pharmacists.

 

To most of us that sounds like the government bullshit we speak of often. But, for me it affects my health. One of the preventative measures I take is Vitamins. They tried to take these away a few years ago and failed. I also take a very low dose bio-identical hormones, which are compounded. These are applied topically so they do not stress your liver needlessly. I am monitored every six months with a specialized pharmacist and my doctor. I feel wonderful!

 

Are these abused by some? ...Sure. ...But, if they want to stop that problem, start with the MAJOR problem that is under the FDA now!!: Drug Companies that brainwash and spoon-feed doctors into mindlessly prescribing prescription drugs, with no knowledge or concern for costs. How do they learn of overlapping side affects? From the drug companies!!

 

I know countless seniors that complain with all the prescriptions the doctors force them to take. Many times the side affects cause much of their health decline and they know it. But, they are afraid to go off of them without their doctors cooperation. And, this is not to mention the financial drain from this drug pushing system!!

 

Now the government wants to allow this same FDA to protect me from pharmacist? They will decide instead of me, with my doctor, when I want to have compounded products?

 

They will protect me just like the big movement our government has taken to stop marijuana use by terminally ill patients in California? ...Looking our for us here!!? ...No, ...they are looking out for the drug and alcohol lobbies!!

 

If I ever doubted that I did not want big brother controlling my life, watching what happened in New Orleans proved that is not something I want to rely on! They sent people to their death and could not even provide them with water! ..Now they want to use their limited resources to override my doctor to control my compounded medicine!!? No, what they really are doing is paying back the big drug company political donations!!

 

I have sent letters to all of my government representatives with a clear message: LEAVE MY VITAMINS AND COMPOUNDS ALONE!!!

 

Here is a link to send a letter to your representative: https://secure2.convio.net/iacprx/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=149

 

Linda

[Ravens8]

All part of "Western World Disease", Linda. No cure I'm afraid, it just grows worse and worse.

 

Like a lot of cancers, the only cure is radical removal.

 

And

I know countless seniors that complain with all the prescriptions the doctors force them to take. Many times the side affects cause much of their health decline and they know it. But, they are afraid to go off of them without their doctors cooperation.

 

I thought health care in the US was private. Should it not be "I'm paying you for this advice. Your advice is making me worse. If you dont give me better advice immediately, you're sure as hell going to stop getting your fee from me."

 

Maybe ancient chinese way was better. You paid doctor to give you advice to keep you healthy. If you fell sick, he stopped getting his fee until he got you better again.

[ReFur]

I couldn't agree more, Ravens8.

 

In a way, the US is private health care. But, because so many have no insurance, since it is not affordable, they in effect have private insurance. When they get sick they fall back on the welfare system's version called Medicaid. In the US, the way it works is you need to be either wealthy or poor enough to qualify for Medicaid if a problem occurs.

 

Most older people in nursing homes are on Medicaid, so they also are on public welfare roles. Historically one of the ways families did estate planning was to plan on a way to qualify their loved for medicaid to cover nursing home care. That door is quickly closing on this method of "estate planning.".

 

There is a version of what you describe with paying for being healthy instead of treating you when you get sick. Some have indeed very successful. But many have been horror stories for sick patients. The doctors in charge of this care have earned a very bad reputation. They have been more concerned about stopping medical treatments rather than keeping the person healthy. For this reason many feel they are putting their life at risk to join the HMO plans. HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization.

 

Linda

[Guest]

yes its a difficult one. The laissez faire attitude to health in The US can lead to such errrr...slightly unthical situations as Linda describes...and in the UK fre health care means we get sod all if anything is seriously wrong that rquires expensive treatment.

My libertarianism also extends to large corporations...especially pharmacuticals...having this degree of power over govrnment and therefore individuals too.

[frugalfurguy]

Thanks for bringing this issue up. I buy most of my food at health food stores, so I see a lot of fliers, etc., about pending government actions that could threaten alternatives to mainline pharmaceutical approaches to health. But somehow I'd never come across the phrase compounding pharmacist, so I was glad to get this information.

 

You know unless you also had plenty of dough to send your elected officials' campaign committees, your sharing the issue here probably was more effective than writing them. Such is the state of so-called democracy here!

 

So many issues trace down to our pay-to-play political system. So long as we citizens wait for TV and other big media who to tell us not to vote for, political candidates are going to be more beholden to special interests that can and gladly do fund their election marketing of themselves (or just as stridently their trashing their opponents) than they are to the people whose votes they depend on.

 

But cash is regarded as speech. To limit contributions is said to limit freedom of speech. Of course that means the people with the most cash will have the biggest megaphones. And those of us who work for our slim pickins of a so called living will be silenced.

 

Oh well, I'm glad I get to sound off a bit here. How do we hold Representatives and Senators accountable for cozying up to their corporate campaign funders when it comes time for elections?

 

frugalfurguy

[FrBrGr]

How do we hold Representatives and Senators accountable for cozying up to their corporate campaign funders when it comes time for elections?

 

The solution is too simple. In a word, V-O-T-E. Problem is, when you have an electorate where only a third show up at the polls, politicians are laughing - all the way to the bank.

[ReFur]

I hate to sound negative, but sometimes it saddens me to see history repeat itself time-and-time again. We don't seem to learn.

 

Human beings as a race really suck!!

 

Linda