(NaturalNews) The utter worthlessness of Big Pharma's cholesterol drugs was demonstrated recently by a study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine which showed that
niacin (a low-cost B vitamin) out-performs Merck's drug
Zetia for preventing the build-up of arterial plaque, a symptom of cardiovascular disease.
As the study reveals,
Zetia failed miserably. Patients taking niacin showed a "significant shrinkage" in artery wall thickness, while those on Zetia showed no such improvement. At the same time, the rate of "cardiovascular events" in the
niacin group was only one-fifth that in the
Zetia group, demonstrating that niacin is far more effective at preventing heart attacks and other similar events than Zetia.
But curiously, as soon as niacin started to show a real benefit over Zetia,
researchers cancelled the study. The premature ending of the clinical trial stopped the process by which even more useful information about the
benefits of niacin might have been learned.
5,800% higher price than niacin
Merck, the maker of Zetia, was likely horrified to learn that a low-cost B vitamin out-performed its blockbuster
drug. Sales of its Zetia drug are reportedly over $5 billion. It's no wonder: Zetia sells for as much as $3.89 per pill.
Niacin, on the other hand, costs as little as 6.7 cents per pill, even in a "no-flush" time-release formula from a quality source like the NSI brand from Vitacost:
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-No-Flush-Niacin-1-000-mg-per-serving-300-CapsulesThese price differences make Zetia
5,800% more expensive than niacin. And yet niacin works better.
So if niacin works better, and if
modern medicine claims to be serving
patients instead of profits,
why don't doctors recommend B vitamins instead of expensive cholesterol drugs? As you have already guessed, the reason is because Zetia earns all kinds of ridiculous profits for
Big Pharma and B vitamins don't.
The fact that
doctors continue to prescribe Zetia, in fact, demonstrates how thoroughly our modern medical system has failed to recognize and embrace things that work to help patients rather than things that make the most
money for powerful drug
companies. If our modern system were actually based on what works, doctors would be prescribing various
vitamins, minerals, herbs, superfoods and nutritional supplements (including anti-cancer mushroms).
But no... our system isn't based on what helps patients. It's based on
what makes the most money, and so patients are put on dangerous (even deadly)
pharmaceuticals that can cost 5,800% more than low-cost
natural remedies that actually work better!
The big question: Does modern medicine help society at all?
It really makes you wonder: Beyond emergency treatments and critical care, does modern medicine offer any net benefit to society at all? More and more people are now coming to the conclusion that no, modern medicine harms far more people than it helps.
The key question to ask is this: What if our medical system disappeared tomorrow? Would we be better off or worse off?
The startling (but true) answer is that
we would be better off. Without cancer
screening, for example, breast
cancer rates would plummet (because screening causes cancer). Without
cholesterol drugs, blood pressure
drugs, diabetes drugs and chemotherapy, people would live far longer, with less liver damage, kidney damage and brain damage.
In all,
pharmaceuticals do not save lives. They destroy lives while making huge
profits for drug companies. And yet much of western medicine is based on the administration of these dangerous, over-priced chemicals.
There's a fascinating book entitled
What if Medicine Disappeared? by Gerald Markle and Frances McCrea. (
http://www.amazon.com/What-Medicine-Disappeared-Gerald-Markle/dp/0791473066)
This book explains why modern medicine does far more harm than good. It doesn't explain, however, why doctors who think they're so smart continue to prescribe a patented medication that's 5,800% more expensive than a nutritional solution that works better.
Sources for this story include:http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/besttreatments/2009/nov/17/study-q...http://www.examiner.com/x-7160-Sacramento-Nutrition-Examiner~y2009m11d16-...http://www.biojobblog.com/2007/12/articles/rants-and-raves/once-again-mer...
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a veteran of the software technology industry, having founded a personalized mass email software product used to deliver email newsletters to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
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