Drug Companies Corupt Medicine

The Journal of the American Medical Association contained a strong editorial in the April 16, 2008 issue about the profound influence of drug companies and medical device industries on the practice of medicine. Too often the FDA, which is supposed to regulate these areas of medicine, serves as a supportive partner instead. Many nutritional and other safe integrative therapies are suppressed by this destructive mechanism. Drugs and surgery are sometimes needed and appropriate but more natural therapies that are usually just as effective and less expensive should be what we try first. JAMA needs to go beyond the cry about corruption and call for a major overhaul of our basic approach in medicine.