Bill Mahrer had a doctor on his show last Friday who commented on prescription drugs in the wake of Whitney Houston's death.
He stated that while America has 5% of the world's population it consumes over 50% of pain killers. He also commented on entertainers from Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and now Whitney Houston who all needed some form of prescription drugs for sleeping and anti-depressant or some fix or the other. He said that the more you use these drugs the more they become less effective nad the more you need more of them. With drinking this becomes lethal. It's the last part on which Frank Bruni of the NY Times picked up on when he said that the 3rd leading cause of preventable deaths in America is drinking.
The takeaway from the Bill Mahrer interview and the Frank Bruni article is this:
- American medical delivery (much as I praise it, even though what good is the best medicine in the world if 30% of the population is shut out from it) uses less of a therapeutic approach and more of a clinical "medication" type. This perhaps is driven by health insurance dictat of give a pill and move on to the next patient. I always marvel at the British therapeutic style that is more educative and preventative.
- It costs this country a staggering $220 billion annually as a consequence of drinking - from deaths, hospitalization and lost production.
When Whitney famously said "Crack is whack" she was making the case for prescription drugs over street cheapo crack-cocaine - that would certainly sully her rich image. We are learning of the folly of this thinking about fix-me-up and downers (to sleeps)
He stated that while America has 5% of the world's population it consumes over 50% of pain killers. He also commented on entertainers from Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and now Whitney Houston who all needed some form of prescription drugs for sleeping and anti-depressant or some fix or the other. He said that the more you use these drugs the more they become less effective nad the more you need more of them. With drinking this becomes lethal. It's the last part on which Frank Bruni of the NY Times picked up on when he said that the 3rd leading cause of preventable deaths in America is drinking.
The takeaway from the Bill Mahrer interview and the Frank Bruni article is this:
- American medical delivery (much as I praise it, even though what good is the best medicine in the world if 30% of the population is shut out from it) uses less of a therapeutic approach and more of a clinical "medication" type. This perhaps is driven by health insurance dictat of give a pill and move on to the next patient. I always marvel at the British therapeutic style that is more educative and preventative.
- It costs this country a staggering $220 billion annually as a consequence of drinking - from deaths, hospitalization and lost production.
When Whitney famously said "Crack is whack" she was making the case for prescription drugs over street cheapo crack-cocaine - that would certainly sully her rich image. We are learning of the folly of this thinking about fix-me-up and downers (to sleeps)