A heart for Big Pharma
The American voter will not be killed by ISIS but by diabetes.
So if ISIS were half-way decent at their job, they would open a chain of doughnut shops.
Hugh Laurie
In November 2017 the American Heart Association changed the rules about what classifies high blood pressure aka hypertension. Hypertension is now being defined as a reading of 130 on the top or 80 on the bottom, before that it was 140/90.
So now, by the stroke of a pen, almost half of the adult US population could be classified with high blood pressure and boy will their doctors be happy to prescribe the now suddenly necessary medication.
I would never trivialize the dangers of high blood pressure, after all my mother died of a stroke aged 46, I know it is a serious health issue, but when I read something like the above, I instinctively doubt that this is about the best interest of the patients.
And when I then read something about a Dr Jamerson, one of the guys responsible for the change of those numbers, openly declaring that they will prescribe more drugs from now on, I know that my instincts were right.
This is probably more for the benefit of some drug dealers, who by their constant lobbying and incentivizing of doctors were able to transform modern medicine from an inquisitive, diagnostic discipline interested in the cause of diseases to a one-fits-all, prescription-based thing for which you would not really need to study medicine anymore, just look at your lists of symptoms and look up the drug your friendly dealer is recommending against a specific symptom, because that is what it is all about, symptomatic treatment.
I´m a big fan of Big Pharma
I first read about this in an article in my German health insurance´s quarterly magazine, then went to the AHA site to follow Ronald Reagan´s advice, trust but verify.
The German article then goes on to explain that the German medical community has some doubt about that idea of increased medication by their American colleagues.
Is this a subtle form of medical Anti-Americanism we are witnessing there? 😉
DHL, no not the parcel wizards, the Deutsche Hochdruckliga (German High Pressure League), funny name but serious hypertensional experts, dares to doubt, if slight hypertension should be immediately treated with drugs, which sometimes have serious side effects.
Often hypertension is caused by our modern lifestyle, like lack of exercise and movement, smoking, unbalanced diet and too much stress.
A healthier lifestyle can sometimes reduce hypertension to a level where medication is no longer needed.
Now that´s a message I´m sure Big Pharma is not happy about.
And if the American voter would then even add stuff like fasting, hydrotherapy, yoga, meditation and/or other methods of relaxation, I´m sure Prozac Nation could also get rid of quite a few of those other drugs, they are taking instead of changing something in their lives.
For more inspiring, heartening posts and a bunch of supportive hearts check out @ecotrain