Doctors and Pharmaceutical companies part one

Have you ever taken prescribed medication? Have you ever wondered…"is there another way for me to get well or regulate my condition without these prescribed drugs?" Doctors and pharmaceutical companies have a "special" relationship. In fact, doctors are the targeted customers of pharmaceutical companies. The average person probably never gives the doctor/pharmaceutical company relationship a second thought. However, it's important to all of us who take prescribed meds to understand whether they absolutely have to take medication or if there are other options available (but they were prescribed meds as a result of their doctor's relationship with a pharmaceutical company).

Pharmaceutical companies are at the forefront of this article due to the known and unknown practices that they follow in order to get doctors to prescribe their drugs. The pharmaceutical business is a highly competitive one. There are drugs that will "cure or curb" just about any ailment a person may have. Due to the competitive nature of the business, some pharmaceutical sales reps/companies routinely apply tactics that are unscrupulous. Pharmaceutical reps are termed "detail men". They are considered "detail men" because one of their tasks is to "detail" the targeted drug for the doctors who they are courting. The most important job for a detail man is to persuade doctors to prescribe their (the pharmaceutical company's) drugs. Tactics include leaving samples with doctors to give away to patients, lunches for doctors and staff and trinkets for office staff to give away to friends and family. Pharmaceutical drug reps are salesmen. When you consider whether a pharmaceutical sales rep (detail man) has the patient's best interest in mind, you should ask yourself…does a car salesman have the purchaser's best interest in mind? Undoubtedly, there are car salesmen who truly care about their customer and would tell them "like it is" when discussing competitor's pros and cons. However, I'm sure that you'd agree that most car salesmen would do or say just about anything to make the car sale. Detail men are in the same category. Certainly there are detail men that simply do their jobs the right way and provide the details of drugs to doctors. Unfortunately though, these reps are at a disadvantage due to the fact that others do their best to stand out. How can you compete with the next company's rep if they are providing lunch, trinkets and YES kickbacks to doctors?

In another article, I shared an experience of my own. For the sake of this article, I will share again. For about a five-year period, I would go see the doctor for common cold or flu symptoms or just an annual check up. Each time (at least one time per year) the first step to my doctor visit was to check blood pressure levels. I was told every time for approximately five years: your blood pressure is "slightly high. The blood pressure is not completely out of control but we need to keep an eye on it and take action if it gets worse." Unfortunately, I suffered from shortness of breath after many years but I noticed it only when climbing just one flight of stairs. Now, I am one who keeps a strict workout regimen and at the time I worked cardio for 30 minutes at least 4 times weekly. I figured that (walking not running) one flight of stairs in my home should be a piece of cake. However, when I noted the shortness of breath on a couple occasions, I became concerned. I experienced the shortness off breath on two or three occasions before I decided to go check it out. Due to the nature of the condition, I did not want to wait and considered the condition serious. Therefore, I was not able to see my normal doctor but I saw a doctor in his office. Once again, I arrived and the assistant checked my blood pressure levels (which were slightly high of course). I then waited to see the doctor. Once she entered the room, she viewed a chart and asked me what my issue was. I explained the shortness of breath and she quickly said.."I think it's due to your blood pressure peaking at certain times. Since you have been fighting high blood pressure for years, I think we need to try medication and see if you have any shortness of breath issues going forward." Initially, I thought nothing of it and said "no problem." I then asked if I would have to medicate for the rest of my life. The response was "yes, typically once you have to start blood pressure meds, you have to continue to take them for life." I then went home and started the medication. I also when to the local store and bought a blood pressure kit so that I could begin testing myself a couple times a day. Finally, I got on-line and started researching high blood pressure. I was surprised to learn how little I knew about the condition and what could be done to help. It was all about food intake for me! Most of the foods that I enjoy have high sodium levels. Being single and on the go, I frequently ate meals that come straight from the freezer and that I could throw in the microwave. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the preservatives used to store the foods and the effect they have on our bodies. I also learned (and I am ashamed to say this) for the first time, what nutritional values on the back of foods meant. The percentages on the nutritional values are the percentage per day that the specific food will contribute to your diet. This means that the turkey tenderloins that have a daily sodium nutritional value of 33 percent would make up one third of my days sodium intake. One tenderloin would many times not be enough so I'd go for two (working out 4 times a week can drive a guys appetite up). So that would be 66 percent in one meal. Additionally, lets throw in some green beans and be healthy…oh, add salt to those bland beans. Finally, maybe some potatoes…MORE salt please! You probably get the picture; I could almost ingest my max sodium intake for a day in just one meal! It's a wonder that my blood pressure was not even higher! Upon being informed, I began to alter my eating habits. I quickly learned that the things I loved to eat were typically high in sodium. I also learned that foods that are high in potassium or magnesium would offset sodium. So, after about a week of taking meds and a changed diet, my blood pressure was normal! After two weeks, I decided to stop taking the medication to determine how much was diet and how much was medication. I was thrilled to see that my blood pressure remained normal. All it took was the knowledge of what to put into my body or better yet, what not to put in. Again, I must say that I do not always eat healthy. I love a good burger! However, I know that I must incorporate high potassium foods to my diet to offset the sodium. I eat avocadoes like they are apples (minus the peel). Also, orange juice and bananas are high in potassium (careful, orange juice and bananas are high in sugar as well). You would think that in a five-year period, my doctor would discuss diet with me? Something to think about eh?