A Hard Look At The FDA
October 13th, 2009
Why it is best to no longer trust the FDA stamp of approval.
by Richard Markosian and Rebecca Edwards
The Food and Drug Administration has become one of the most wasteful, useless and pointless organizations within the federal government. They are trusted by millions of Americans as an angelic stamp of approval protecting us from harmful products, but today millions of Americans are suffering because they believed the FDA and their doctors when they were given prescription drugs that were later found to be unsafe.
Fen-phen was considered the miracle weight-loss treatment that was FDA approved. Finally, a pill that could speed up the metabolism and cause safe weight loss, or so thought millions of Americans in the early 1990s. The only problem was that fen-phen was later found to cause heart disease, palpitations and even death (in some cases).
The FDA and drug companies are always attempting to dismiss or negate simple, effective cures for complicated drugs that could have harmful long-term side-effects--all in the interest of making billions of dollars on Americans' gullibility. Tweaking molecules in ways that Mother Nature never intended is the common practice of drug companies. The dirty, little secret of the FDA is: determining long-term side effects of new drugs is next to impossible with current clinical trials that last only two years or less.
For those that don't think the FDA is in the pocket of drug manufacturers, consider the response to states who, a few years ago, tried to lower costs by ordering drugs from Canada. The FDA joined with big pharma lobbyists to pressure Congress to keep this from happening--they even used scare tactics, claiming it was all in the name of safety. However, when pressed in Congressional hearings, the FDA had to admit that there was no evidence of any safety problems with imported drugs, all the while calmly ignoring the fact that up to 100,000 deaths occur in the U.S. each year from FDA-approved drugs.
Just two months ago, the FDA released findings that, after reviewing 200 research studies, they deemed mercury amalgam fillings safe for all. However, just one year ago the FDA was sued by Consumers for Dental Choice and the settlement required them to remove all statements referring to mercury fillings as "safe" and publish this statement: "Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses." Needless to say, that statement has now been removed.
A rule of thumb: don't trust drug advertising and don't trust your doctor (who might have just enjoyed a $100 lunch date with one of his pharma salespeople). Look for the most simple cure to your illness and try not to put any chemical in your body that you haven't extensively researched for yourself.
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Drugs That have been approved & later recalled by the FDA |
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Rezulin |
Liver damage and heart problems |
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Zelnorm |
Heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular side effects |
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Vioxx |
Increased risk of cardiovascular complications |
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Fen-Phen |
Heart valve damage, pulmonary hypertension |
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Ephedra |
Increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death |
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Duragesic Fentanyl Patch |
Accidental fatal overdose |
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Permax |
Heart valve disease |
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Lotronex |
Serious constipation leading to hospitalization and/or surgery |
Readers are invited to comment on this special op/ed issue. Please use the form below.
Read the introduction to the October issue of Utah Stories Angels and Demons -- the demons that are protecting us and the angels who will kill you.
Read articles from our previous issue:
Rage Against the Complicated Life: Voluntary Simplicity
Rage Against Bad Food and TV: Meet Amy Thompson, the Progressive Pioneer
Rage Against Business-as-Usual Vet Care: Holistic Pet Care
Rage Against Businesses that Suck
