Disease
Mongering*
Inventing
Disease
*Mongering
is where someone is trying to promote or sell
something or some idea. In
France
it is against the law to promote drugs or medications
on TV, radio, in magazines, newspapers or in any other
fashion. Only doctors may recommend medications to
their patients.
The
reason that
France
has this law becomes very clear when you read the
following taken from the BBC NEWS of 11 April 2006:
”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.”
“Researchers
at
Newcastle
University
in
Australia
said firms were putting healthy people at risk by
medicalising conditions [Definition: making
something appear to need medical attention.] such
as menopause.”
“The
researchers criticized attempts to convince the public
in the
US
that 43% of women live with sexual dysfunction
[Definition: the ability to have or enjoy sex is no
longer functioning correctly.].”
“They
also said that risk factors like high cholesterol and
osteoporosis were being presented as diseases, and
rare conditions such as ‘restless leg’ 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.”
“Disease-mongering
occurs primarily through pharmaceutical
industry-funded ‘disease awareness campaigns’ –
which are designed to sell drugs, not to illuminate or
to inform or educate about the prevention of illness
or the maintenance of health."
“Richard
Ley, of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical
Industry, said these activities are centered in the
US
where the drug industry has much more freedom to
promote their products to the public.”
As
you can see, the old time “snake oil” salesmen
have grown up into huge pharmaceutical companies.
Today they create “diseases” to convince you that
you need to buy their drugs to control these imaginary
diseases.
See
also:
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